Charity The Alliance of Sport has secured a record-breaking £1,000,000 grant from the London Marathon Charitable Trust.

The grant, which was secured with support from the Youth Justice Board (YJB), will be used to deliver a new project called ‘Levelling the Playing Field’ which will use sport to help prevent young people from entering the criminal justice system.

It is believed that the award is the largest ever awarded by the London Marathon Charitable Trust.

The project will take place over the next three years and will use sport to improve the health and life outcomes for over 11,200 black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) children aged 10-17.

SUPPORT AND OPPORTUNITIES

The initiative will focus on BAME children who are at risk of entering, or who are already disproportionately involved in the criminal justice system, and will provide them with support and opportunities in sport and physical activity.

The target delivery areas are in London, the West Midlands, South Yorkshire and Gwent.

Concerns have been rising in recent years that the proportion of BAME children entering  the youth justice system is increasing.

‘Levelling the Playing Field’ aims to tackle these concerns through a number of methods:

• increase BAME participation in sport
• advance youth justice policy to support a reduction in disproportionality in the youth justice system
• foster more active partnerships between sport and criminal justice agencies
• develop an effective model that is fit for expansion across England and Wales
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Keith Fraser, YJB Board member, said: “This grant from the Trust presents a significant opportunity to have a huge positive impact on the lives of many children. This initiative is building on the past work and entering new ground in a focused and evidenced way.”