COMMUNITY PAYBACK OFFENDERS CLEAN UP SANDY BANK
01 Jun 2010
Lancashire Probation Trust has been working at Sandy Bank lane in Hareholm, Rawtenstall. At the request of local Labour councillor, Colin Crawforth, the Community Payback department arrived with a team of offenders to clean the area and tidy the lane.
They will now continue to return to the area at regular intervals so that Sandy Bank lane will continue to be well cared for.
Offenders wore high visibility jackets so that residents could see them paying back for their crimes. They started by clearing rubbish from the street before cutting back shrubs and other overgrown plants. Majid Zia, the Community Payback supervisor overseeing the offenders, said: “We can do projects like this because our partners, and local residents themselves, nominate them. The work gives us an opportunity to make a real difference.”
Community Payback is a punishment handed out by the courts. It is demanding work carried out by offenders in the community as an alternative to a prison sentence. Councillor Colin Crawforth supported the initiative: “The work they’ve done is absolutely brilliant. Community Payback gets these offenders out into the community where they can do some good.”
“I can only hope this will become an ongoing project that will make a lasting difference to the area and its residents.”
Do you have an idea for a project that offenders could work on for the benefit of your community? You can nominate a project for offenders to undertake at www.lancashireprobation.co.uk or by calling Lorraine Slater on 01282 425854.
