Greater Manchester Probation Trust

Community Payback in Trafford

Offenders Paint Altrincham FC's Ground

 

OFFENDERS have helped Altrincham FC’s ground score a new lick of paint so that the Robins will be well and truly in the red for the new season.

The Moss Lane outfit enlisted the help of Trafford’s Community Payback to get the job done.

Teams of up to seven offenders will be working for three weeks, painting railings, the reverse side of advertising hoardings and fences. The paint has been donated by Dulux.

Grahame Rowley, Altrincham’s vice-chairman, contacted Community Payback and has been delighted by the speed of the response and work’s quality.

He said: “The offenders have been working really well, and have been out in the rain doing it in tricky conditions.

“I’ve also found those I’ve spoken with to be very friendly, and they are making a tremendous difference to the ground.

“We are a community based club and rely totally upon volunteers, only the manager and a part time member of staff are paid, and we cannot afford to pay for these jobs to be done.

“During previous close seasons we’ve found getting this size of job completed to be almost impossible.”

The club also hosts a wide range of community groups, such as: Jo-Jo's Music Group, the Altrincham FC Junior sides, Tesco's and Altrincham FA Referees.

Mr Rowley added: “The whole community will benefit from this work, nobody wants a shabby stadium.”

Trafford’s Community Payback team is part of the Greater Manchester Probation Trust.

Debbie Wilford, Community Payback Officer, said: “Offenders are paying back in a very real way to the community against which they have offended.

“The work will also help teach them new skills and about how to work as a team. Once finished, they will also be able to take great pride in what they have achieved.”

An offender added: “It is a punishment, I’m losing my free time and it’s not much fun being here in the rain. But I like working in the outdoors and the work is a bit different.”

 

Community Payback helps clear snow for Trafford schools

8th January 2010
 
Roads outside every school in Trafford are to be ploughed and gritted over the weekend, as Trafford Council prepares schools for re-opening following the heavy snowfall and subsequent icy conditions this week. On Monday morning staff from Trafford Council's front line teams will be stationed at each school to shovel any extra snow. Trafford's Community Payback unit, part of Greater Manchester Probation Trust, will be providing community payback workers for three full days, from Saturday to Monday. Executive Councillor Alan Mitchell said: "This is excellent news and I'm delighted that our partners at the Probation Service have agreed to team up with us to carry out this work. Our gritting teams have been working extremely hard, 24/7, to keep the borough's roads as safe as possible in these extreme circumstances. Now, we're leading the way in starting this work outside schools in a bid to help them prepare for re-opening." Caroline Edwards, Community Payback Manager at Trafford, said: "We are delighted to help carry out work that enables schools across the borough to open, and for them to be safe places for the pupils and staff to access. The offenders have done themselves proud by the amount of hard work they have put in during freezing temperatures. They are clearly paying pack to the community against which they offended."