Pictured above: (l-r) Pc Dave Steadman, Georgina Murphy, of Pertemps People Development Group, Frank O'Sullivan and Tina O'Dell, of the Birmingham Amateur Boxing Club, and PCSO Tom Bradbury

Birmingham boxers punched above their weight when it came to raising funds for an important community safety initiative.

All the boxers were knock-out as they took part in a competitive fight night to support Birmingham Amateur Boxing Club, in partnership with the team leading Safe Haven - a West Midlands Police initiative which aims to educate young people about the dangers of getting involved with gangs, guns, knives and drugs.

The event was organized by PCSO Tracey Franklin, of Balsall Heath Neighbourhood Team, with assistance from PC Dave Steadman and PCSO Tom Bradbury, who both run the West Midlands Police Safe Haven project. Staged at The Centennial Centre, the event raised more than £4,000.   

A contribution of £500 was awarded by staff at Edgbaston-based employment experts Pertemps People Development Group (PPDG), which has offices throughout Birmingham and the West Midlands.

PPDG's Sparkhill site manager Georgina Murphy said: "We started working with Safe Haven through the Entry 2 Employment (E2E) initiative because they support young people in the local community to engage with police officers and other authorities in a positive manner.

"Safe Haven has worked with our client groups, developing their social skills when dealing with the police, and has delivered training to discourage gangs, guns and knife crime. They have also raised awareness on the dangers of drugs and highlighted the support that is available to local people if they feel they are at risk or know someone who may be at risk.

"It has been a very positive experience for our young clients as it has given them an opportunity to approach services they previously would have been intimated by. I am therefore delighted that we have been able to support Safe Haven in its fundraising efforts." 

Pc Steadman said: "The young people that we have engaged with through the E2E package have been very receptive to the project, and our work very much complements the delivery of PPDG's E2E programme. The Safe Haven Team and Birmingham Amateur Boxing Club would like to extend a massive thank you for PPDG's generous contribution."

Safe Haven received the donation from PPDG's Give As You Earn (GAYE) scheme as part of its active community support programme. PPDG workers contribute each month to a payroll giving scheme and have donated more than £120,000 to good causes and charities, many supporting the disabled and disadvantaged. PPDG has been recognised by the Institute of Fundraising as operating one of the best payroll giving schemes in the UK.

PPDG delivers the Government's Welfare to Work strategy across the Midlands through Flexible New Deal, Work Focused Training and other employment initiatives. PPDG is using its vast experience of helping long-term unemployed people get back into work to help local jobseekers secure employment opportunities.

PPDG's team of employment experts provide advice on benefits, confidence building, one-to-one support, CV and interview preparation as well as finding the right job or training course. In partnership with DWP, the Ministry of Justice and Jobcentre Plus, PPDG delivers a diverse range of employment and training initiatives including Flexible New Deal, Working Neighbourhoods Fund, Learndirect and many ESF funded programmes.

More than 100,000 job seekers have been helped into sustained employment by the company since the projects began. It has trained 130,000 people in vocational skills, and over 175,000 people have benefitted from professional information, advice and guidance services.