A £40,000 youth fund has been launched to support projects which steer young people away from crime.

Charities and community groups are invited to bid for grants of up to £2,000 through the Cambridgeshire Community Foundation (CCF), who will give out the money on behalf of Cambridgeshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

The projects must be related to activities that have the potential to reduce youth crime.

Sir Graham Bright said: “When I visited the Inspirations Studio in Peterborough last year I said that I’d like to see similar projects that concentrate on providing young people with positive activities and help keep them on the right track.

“The squeeze on public service finances means that community groups can be left without the financial means to deliver preventative youth activities.

“My fund is all about freeing up some money that can be used to support these kinds of activities.”

CCF will assess applications to ensure they are consistent with their charitable purpose, before a grant panel makes the final decision on awards.

Successful grant recipients will need to track the impact of their work.

To find out more about applying for a grant visit www.cambscf.org.uk/pcc.html