VRU launches short film to challenge knife carrying among young people
To mark Knife Crime Awareness Week, the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) has worked in partnership with Peerscroller to create a short film designed to challenge young people’s attitudes towards carrying knives. Peerscroller is a Greater Manchester based digital safeguarding and PSHE platform that gives young people, teachers, parents and carers a go-to source […]
Stop the Bleed Day 2026: Educating Over 5000 Young People
For Stop the Bleed Day 2026 (Wednesday 29 April), the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) and citizenAID came together to teach young people across the North West lifesaving first aid. Stop the Bleed Day is an annual partner initiative that aims to equip young people with useful response skills. The skills that young people will learn could be used in a number of scenarios including a stabbing, an accidental injury, a car accident or animal […]
Manchester Metropolitan University recently completed their whole system evaluation of the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), covering the first five years of delivery (2019–2023). Drawing on a range of evidence and interviews with 26 stakeholders across the system, the evaluation concludes that meaningful system change has taken place in Greater Manchester: the VRU has […]
Trauma Responsive Greater Manchester Conference 2026
Up to 700 people came to the Trauma Responsive Greater Manchester Conference which took place on Wednesday 25 March at Bolton’s Toughsheet Community Stadium. Hosted by Neil Evans, the Director of Safer and Stronger Communities, the event showcased the great trauma-responsive work going on across the city region, hearing from a range of experts from education to research as well as voices with real lived-experiences. The conference started with […]
AdsBridge Youth Connection (formally the Stockport Community Alliance) is proud to mark its first year delivering community-led youth support in Adswood and Bridgehall. The programme facilitator has had an impactful first year as a community-led youth provider. Success this past year has looked like 169 sessions delivered, 313 individuals reached and supported, strengthened relationships with schools, police and stakeholders, the […]
Unity Radio Celebrates 10 years of New Gen Youth Show!
Unity Radio celebrated 10 years of the Next Gen Youth Show at MediaCityUK on Tuesday 3 February! Next Gen Youth (NGY) is a VRU-partnered project with Unity Radio that offers a 9-week music-production workshop to young people who are passionate about the music industry. NGY seeks to directly tackle issues facing young people by empowering […]
Police and Crime Showcase welcomes VRU Clinical Lead, Dr Rachel Jenner.
The Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) was invited to the Police and Crime Plan Showcase, alongside other sector leaders, to discuss tackling crime in Greater Manchester on Thursday 22 January. The showcase provided an opportunity for input, reflection and insight from policing leads, community partners, and service providers, offering a promising view of the future for […]
‘We Can Work It Out’ Programme Launches in Hulme, Moss Side and Rusholme.
The ‘We Can Work It Out’ employability programme launched on 9 December, designed for young people aged 16-25 living in Hulme, Moss Side and Rusholme. This is a dedicated programme of youth investment set up by the Peace Alliance and funded by the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit and The Royal Foundation. This programme is […]
community
New Bury Community Event – Mobile Skate Park
On Monday 18 August 2025, the New Bury Alliance hosted an exciting event at New Bury Community Centre. This community event was held after local elected individuals organised for a mobile skate park to attend the centre, following the success of last year’s organisation. The police organised for the Foundation92 Youth Bus to attend, alongside […]