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Active Creative Darnhill Communities event

Earlier this month, Darnhill Library hosted an event bringing together local professionals for a day of learning, sharing, and connection. The event was led by Active Creative Darnhill Communities (ACDC), an alliance of seven organisations working collaboratively with the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) to support and uplift the Darnhill community. The ACDC alliance includes Your […]

An individual with a green tshirt on that reads "Freedom Personal Safety" points towards a board that shows three personal safety message posters

Freedom Personal Safety

Freedom Personal Safety (FPS) is a small but mighty non-profit tackling violence against women and girls. With support from the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit, they’ve been delivering powerful, tailored sessions in local schools, helping young people and families build confidence, make safe choices, and navigate challenges.   Every session they deliver is tailored to the […]

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Greater Manchester partners support Home Office ‘Safer Streets Summer Initiative’ to reduce crime in town centres and keep people safe

Today, Monday 30 June, sees the Greater Manchester partners’ launch of the Home Office ‘Safer Streets Summer Initiative’ aimed at reducing crime across our town centres and communities in our region. The initiative – known locally as Safe4Summer – is part of the Government’s mission to restore and strengthen local policing in communities and reduce […]

New Bury Boxing Club

New Bury Boxing Club was established through community-led programmes and has been running for nearly four years. In partnership with organisations such as Bolton Wanderers in the Community, The Great Lever and Farnworth Voice, and 1Message, the club has received Community Cohesion and Resilience funding. This funding supports efforts to strengthen community ties by educating young […]

Dan Diamond, Partnership Lead at the VRU, pictured speaking to an audience.

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How Street Doctors is helping to create safer streets

On Friday 13 June, Dan Diamond, our Partnership Lead at the Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) joined other partners at a national showcase event hosted by StreetDoctors, an award-winning national charity. Held in Greater Manchester, Making the Streets Safer brought together leaders and changemakers from across the public, voluntary and youth sectors to explore how strong […]

RCT Hike to Kinder Scout Peak District

Over the Easter break, we partnered with Your Trust to deliver an inspiring outdoor experience for a small group of young people, taking them on a hike to Kinder Scout in the Peak District. Your Trust generously supported the trip by providing transportation and meals, enabling full participation from all attendees. Together, we completed a […]

Large hand-drawn visual summary poster from a SHIFT event in Manchester, titled “SHIFT Manchester: 13th May 2025, Castlefield Rooms” with the slogan “Doing whatever it takes”. The graphic uses blue, red, black and pink illustrations on a pale background and features sketches of speakers, handwritten quotes, symbols and key discussion themes. The left-hand panel is headed “WHY SHIFT?” and includes illustrations and notes from speakers. Text includes: “The path to less harm…” “Let’s pass by… not” “Let’s challenge ourselves” “Stuck in a revolving door?” “SHIFT in Manchester” “We’ve learned from the last 18 months…” “We are missing a vital voice” “Part of my community always been in a difficult corner” “We’ve been blind” “We need to think” “We have a dual tragedy” “We want to end up… not pulling people into the river” The central section contains key discussion points: “My super power is change” “Having a guide but fixing it together” “How do we keep children out of custody?” “Don’t be risk first” “Defy the deficit” “Listen to young people” “Consistency: keep showing up and trusting people” “Work together” “Letter to the Mayor” “We love Manchester & we want Manchester to love us too” A large section titled “In conversation with the Mayor” features illustrations of two speakers and the names: Andy Burnham Tom Baldwin Speech bubbles read: “Talking” “To” Additional themes include: “Let’s see the human side of policy” “People as problems, not numbers” “Don’t make policy by looking at headlines” “Prevention” “Spend money early on” “Before things become a problem” “And fund things long term” “This is Manchester’s big moment!” “Yay!!” The right-hand panel is headed “WHAT NEXT…” with the subtitle: “Strategic aims for the second SHIFT programme…” Quoted statements include: “Let’s be ambitious for young people in Manchester” “Let’s stop saying things & start doing” “Let’s think about the impact it has on children” “Shift does things that ‘shine’ for every child” “By doing that is what happens in the ordinary, extra-ordinary!” “Education needs to be for everyone not just for those headed for university” “We really shouldn’t exclude people” “Some kids can see the skyscrapers” “We need a path to actually working or living in them” The poster also contains illustrations of handcuffs, envelopes, documents, city buildings, mountains, pathways and several bee drawings, reflecting Manchester-themed civic and social policy discussions.

Press Release

Greater Manchester leaders gather to tackle youth custody and promote lasting change

Last week, leaders from across youth justice, health, education, and local government gathered to celebrate the outcomes of SHiFT Manchester and launch the partnership’s second Programme. SHiFT Manchester is a partnership between SHiFT and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit, and Manchester City Council. The event spotlighted the power of consistent, trusting […]

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A game-changer for schools and colleges: how the Education Hive is making a difference

Schools and colleges across Greater Manchester are facing difficulties in finding meaningful support for violence reduction. Wigan & Leigh College, however, have found that by accessing the Education Hive, they have been able to seek the resources, insights, and collaboration needed to respond quickly and effectively. Maxine Mealey, Assistant Principal at Wigan & Leigh College, […]

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