Pictured above: (l-r) whg's Nitesh Patel, Amy Stewart, West Midlands Police Becki Tricklebank, Louise Davies and Councillor Zahid Ali

More children can enjoy racing around a purpose-built track on scrambler bikes thanks to a generous donation by Walsall housing provider whg.

whg has given just over £3,000 to fund transport that will ferry young people from Pheasey to the Frank F Harrison supervised scrambling track in Leamore. The grant will pay for a 14-seater minibus to take groups of about 10 youngsters to and from the track twice a week for six months.

The visits are part of a project run by Walsall Area Partnership aimed at getting young people off the streets and engaged in interesting and fun activities.  It is hoped the sessions will reduce anti-social behaviour in Pheasey and give the youngsters a positive focus.

Nitish Patel, whg's Community Safety Manager, said: "We are delighted to be able to support such a worthwhile project which offers young people enjoyable activities while improving the quality of life for Walsall residents."

The grant comes from whg's Local Neighbourhood Fund (LNF), a scheme launched two years ago to benefit community projects.  It has previously supported a range of initiatives, from festivals to sports clubs.

Margaret Hayes, Chair of whg's Aldridge and Brownhills Local Committee, said: "We hope this funding will bring great benefit to the young people of Pheasey and help to get more youngsters involved with such a positive scheme." 

Walsall Area Partnership, which brings together various community partners to improve quality of life for people across the borough, includes whg, Walsall Council, West Midlands Police, Walsall College, West Midlands Fire Service and NHS Walsall.

Sgt Andy Middleton, of Aldridge police, said: "As part of measures to reduce anti-social behaviour in Pheasey, we work closely with young people on the street to help them find activities that they will enjoy and occupy their time.

"This project, which offers youngsters the chance to ride bikes at the scrambling track, has proved very popular, so we are very thankful to whg for this funding which has given us a real boost."

Councillor Zahid Ali, Walsall Council cabinet member for communities and partnerships, said: "Young people often claim they get involved in anti-social behaviour because of a lack of activities for them to take part in.

"This project is a great example of how partners are listening to the views of young people to identify the types of projects which interest them and working together to make them a reality."