A charity has been awarded almost £30,000 to work with children as young as 10 in areas of Ipswich affected by youth violence and knife crime.

St Giles Trust was among 67 groups across England and Wales to receive extra funding from the Home Office’s Anti-Knife Crime Community Fund.

Successful bids were selected based on commitment to educating young people about the dangers of carrying weapons.

A grant worth £28,184 will enable St Giles Trust to extend its existing work with young people in Ipswich.

A spokesman for the charity said it would offer prevention and intervention programmes with an authentic edge.

“We use facilitators and mentors who are professionally trained, reformed ex-offenders and former gang members, and have learned through their own experiences the consequences of criminality,” they added.

“Through group work and one-to-one support, St Giles Trust will aim to reduce youth violence and knife crime and offer early interventions for young people at risk.

“This should have a knock-on effect on the local community, reducing anti-social behaviour and improving quality of life.”

The Anti-Knife Crime Community Fund was set up to support projects that reduce knife crime and have a positive impact on young people at risk of carrying a knife and committing crime.

Minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability, Victoria Atkins said: “It is vital that the government continues to support community groups who help young people build the resilience they need to take positive steps in life and steer clear of criminal activity.”

The second round of funding opened in May 2018 – originally set at £1million, before the number and quality of submitted bids led officials to increase the pot to more than £1.5m.

Grants worth £29,250 were also awarded to Only Cowards Carry, set up by Caroline Shearer after her son, Jay Whiston, was stabbed to death at a party in 2012, to deliver the ‘Children Under Threat’ programme in 16 locations across Essex, and to Colchester United Football in the Community to deliver the ‘United Against Knife Crime’ programme to young people between nine and 18 across primary and secondary schools in the north of the county.