In the wake of the London riots, the spotlight has turned towards gangs and criminality. It seemed that an entire generation was lost after the riots that spread across England and ruined lives.
But there’s another side that doesn’t get the publicity it deserves. I attended the St Giles Trust SOS Gang Project’s fifth anniversary.
The St Giles Trust rehabilitates young offenders and Frost has always given them our full support. With so much negativity regarding gangs and criminality in the press, it is easy to forget that they are many people out there doing positive things.
The St Giles Trust is an amazing charity, doing amazing things. They have a lot of support, including some in very high places. Chief Executive Rob Owen read aloud an email from the Duke of Cambridge who is a supporter, alongside his wife, Catherine.
Junior Smart, a talented and genuine young man who deserves his own inspirational award, had this to say: “The whole idea of the awards for me personally is to give something back to the people who have achieved, to promote positive practice and to show others that ex-offenders can make that whole 360 degree change.
“Our award-winners this year included a young girl who had given up her children rather than have them go through the trauma of the court process (I don’t know many people who would do that) and a young person who had been stabbed in the face – and rather than seek reprisals – had gone back to education and completed a multitude of courses. The last award-winner was a teacher who was responsible for training and teaching the majority of the team and our clients in the community.
“Finally. it is worth mentioning how much it costs to keep someone in custody – £75,000 a year per person – and that does not include the costs in catching them, bringing them before a court or the costs to their victims and communities.”
For more information, and to support the St Giles Trust go to www.stgilestrust.org.uk