‘Blooming’ good idea to stop speeders wins PCVC support  

‘Blooming’ good idea to stop speeders wins PCVC support

Villagers in Hunwick have come up with a bright and beautiful way to discourage speeding in their village.

Hunwick Community, Social and Environmental Group found support for its ideas through the Durham Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner. 

The Keeping Hunwick Safe project has been awarded £2,500 through the Community Safety Fund, managed by County Durham Community Foundation. 

A two-year plan to get Hunwick taking part in Britain in Bloom will now feature beautiful planters throughout the village adorned with speed and safety signs in key positions.  It is hoped that the planters, made by local charity Cornerstone, will bring colour and interest all year round and deter people from speeding through the village.

Blooming good idea

But the project doesn’t end there. Local children will also be taking part when lockdown restrictions end.  

Volunteer Lianne Steed, explained: “Speeding is a problem that has escalated over the last ten years and become a real priority for the villagers. We have lots of older villagers, and lots of young children, and it creates a real risk for them as they try to get about.  

“It is great to work with the Highways Agency and the Police but we also need a community focus on the problem too.” 

Lianne, who lives in the village, hopes that getting local children involved will really hammer home the message. 

She said: “We are really mindful that schools and families have other priorities right now – but long-term the project includes ways of getting young people involved. We hope to encourage our older children to walk to school as this will reduce traffic in the village, and to do so safely by providing high visibility vests.  We also plan to do some road safety work with the children and encourage them to make posters around speeding and things like that.” 

Safer Communities

Over £150,000 worth of funding was made accessible for community groups and voluntary sector organisations within County Durham and Darlington last year, through the Community Safety Fund. 

The Community Safety Fund has supported 19 community projects in the last year alone. Funding was available for projects and initiatives which help to keep communities safe and contribute towards inspiring public confidence. 

The Office of the Durham Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner in partnership with County Durham Community Foundation is delighted to have been able to provide a share of this funding to the Hunwick Community, Social and Environmental Group. 

Steve White, Acting Durham Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner said: “I am really pleased that we are able to support the Keeping Hunwick Safe project through the Community Safety Fund. 

“Speeding remains a concern for communities and by working together with local groups and partners on initiatives such as this one, we can make our roads a safer place.  Educating and raising awareness around the dangers of speeding is key to keeping our communities safe.  

“Improving road safety remains a priority as outlined in the Police, Crime & Victims’ Plan and we will continue to support projects within the community that use innovative ways to discourage speeding and aim to save lives.”

County Durham Community Foundation would like to thank The Northern Echo for featuring this news story.