Stockport Community Alliance

A community led approach to violence reduction
in Stockport

Young people (with their faces erased) pose for a photo outside the Blackpool Tower on a trip as part of the Alliance

What is the Stockport Community Alliance?

In 2023 Stockport was allocated funding for the community-led programme by the Greater Manchester Violence Reduction Unit (GM VRU). The community-led programme in Stockport started with a period of co-design with residents of Adswood and Bridgehall to produce a set of priorities. Local Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations were asked to apply to receive part of the fund to deliver provisions for young people aged 10- 25 and form an alliance that work collaboratively to fulfill the priorities set. 

The community-led approach to violence reduction, means the violence reduction unit works closely with communities to understand the strengths, challenges, and needs of the community and determine how local investments will be made with communities at the heart of decision making. 

Who are the Alliance partners?

The alliance partners of the Stockport Alliance are:

What’s on for young people in Adswood & Bridgehall

    • Stockport Women & Girls Network run monthly workshops in Adswood and Bridgehall focused around peer connections and tackling the prevalence of bullying and intolerance and fostering community cohesion and safe places. 

    • TLC have engaged a CYP Using Harm Worker who will run the Respect Young People’s Programme, the TLC: Encouraging Healthy Relationships Programme, as well as offering counselling. The first of their programmes is RESPECT, aimed at improving relationships between young people and their parents/carers. 

    • The second of their programmes is Encouraging Healthy Relationships, aimed at improving relationships between young people and their partners or siblings. 

    • Stockport County Community Trust delivers three evening youth engagement football sessions a week. One of these sessions is a girls-only group designed to give girls a voice and choice, allowing players to input into the session’s structure, and ensuring their needs and preferences are catered for. In the winter months, they will deliver a twelve-week social action project, bringing together the community to design a project which will have a benefit for young people living in Adswood and Bridge Hall. 

    To book contact communitytrust@stockportcounty.com 

    • Rising Stars NW is an established music, arts, and creative media organisation who will provide universal youth work in the area, engaging young people in street dance, DJ and music production and art workshops.  

    • Additionally, they will also provide targeted youth work with weekly detached, outreach engagement work and mentoring. 

    To book contact projects@risingstarsnw.com 

    • PIE delivers transition projects supporting cohorts of young people supporting them as they transition from primary to secondary school or from secondary school to further education/ employment/ training.

    To book contact beth@pie.org

Feedback

Young person

“There’s not been anything like this before so it makes me feel good when I’m here and I can meet people and play.”

Young person

“I am nervous about going to secondary school but I know people now and that’s nice.” 

Parent

“You see people out here playing that you don’t usually see and that’s great, it keeps them out of trouble and they can build connections between eachother.  ” 

Get in touch

Sophie Cochrane-Powell

Stockport Violence Reduction Alliance Facilitator
sophie.powell@sector3sk.org