A BRADFORD charity is set to benefit from a fund of more than half a million pounds - sourced from money seized from criminals across the region.

The Safer Communities Fund, from West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin, uses money recovered by West Yorkshire Police and prosecutors from criminal activities to help community projects.

At the fund’s awards ceremony on Thursday evening, 73 projects collected cheques worth a total of £506,097.

One of those is Emerge in Bradford which is putting its funding towards working with young people in Holme Wood and Bierley.

The charity has received £7,639.44 to expand its street-based youth work, increase the number of drop-in sessions they currently hold, and launch two new youth groups - one for girls and one for boys.

Andy Sykes, CEO of Emerge in Bradford, said: “Emerge will use the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund to develop our work with young people in Holme Wood and Bierley. 

“We’ll engage young people on the streets in the afternoons and evenings and develop a group for lads and a group for girls to talk about and address the things which matter most to them. 

“Through this project, young people will hopefully develop their teamwork skills and understanding of their own and others’ emotions, and collectively contribute to being safer and feeling safer in their communities.”

This is the largest Safer Communities Fund to date and will bring the total amount of funding from the Mayor to more than £1 million. 

Mayor Brabin said: “We want every community in West Yorkshire to thrive and be safe.

“To do so, we are empowering local organisations to help their neighbourhoods through money taken from the hands of criminals.

"These projects, right across the region, are making their local areas feel safer, and it's great that we can come together and recognise their efforts."

West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable John Robins QPM DL, said: “I really welcome this latest round of grants.

“It means that the seized proceeds of criminality can be put to good use through its distribution to these deserving community groups.

“Projects like these play a vital role in preventing crime, protecting vulnerable people and reassuring our communities across West Yorkshire.

“I am pleased that the successful disruption of criminal behaviour by our officers means the ill-gotten gains can now be reinvested into such community projects.

“The projects supported across West Yorkshire are inspirational and it is great to see the work they are doing in our communities.”