A football tournament for youngsters being held this weekend is taking place thanks to money seized from crooks.
Trecenydd Communities First, together with a number of other agencies, have organised the Football Festival for Saturday February 6.
The event start at 9.30am at Trecenydd sports field and will see youngsters aged 11 to 15 from the area compete against teams from other Communities First areas across Caerphilly County Borough.
The project received funding from the national Community Cashback scheme, which gives local residents a say in how millions of pounds worth of seized criminal assets should be spent.
Councillor Phil Bevan, cabinet member for education and leisure at Caerphilly County Borough Council, said: “Providing leisure and diversionary activities for young people has in the past been identified as a priority by the Trecenydd community, as has reducing youth disorder.
“It is pleasing that the local community has been so proactive in giving up their time to help us and others provide activities for the young people to take part in over recent months. This has made a real difference to levels of antisocial behaviour and youth annoyance in general.
“I’m hopeful that this event will be a great success, and will build upon the excellent work accomplished to date in engaging with young people and further building a sense of community pride.”
Until now, money recovered from criminal activity has been split between the police and various Government departments in the criminal justice system.
The Community Cashback scheme is the first time that communities have been able to influence how that money is spent.
The Football Festival has been organised in partnership with Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Hub youth workers and Sports Development teams, the Safer Caerphilly Community Safety Partnership and volunteers from Trecenydd Youth Club, Trecenydd Community Centre Committee, Trecenydd Residents’ Association, and Trecenydd Neighbourhood Watch.