Jun 19, 2019 | Events, News
The recently-appointed chief executive of specialist local charity Safe and Sound was guest of honour at Derbyshire police’s Celebrating Achievement awards ceremony.
Tracy Harrison recently retired from Derbyshire Constabulary after a 32-year career with the Force.
Last month, she was appointed to take the helm at Safe and Sound which is dedicated to transforming the lives of children and young people across the county who are victims or at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE).
Mrs Harrison gave the keynote speech at the awards ceremony held at the Pattonair County Ground this week – highlighting the importance of Safe and Sound’s work and their plans to expand the scope of their work.
She was also presented with a Chief Constables Commendation herself by Chief Constable Peter Goodman for her work as Superintendent relation to the investigation and subsequent conviction of Anthony Dealey for rape, attempted murder, sexual assault and robbery after attacking a woman in Ilkeston 18 months ago.
Mrs Harrison said: “Safe and Sound’s work is focused on supporting young people to move forward with their lives and to breaking down the taboos surrounding the issue of CSE which can be hard to discuss.
“Our relationship with Derbyshire police is vital in this work and the Chief Constable is a passionate ambassador for the work that we do.
“It was therefore a great honour to be invited to this wonderful event and to highlight the values that Safe and Sound share with Derbyshire police to protect people in our local communities.
“I was also honoured to receive an award as part of the diligent team who investigated this horrendous crime and brought the perpetrator to justice.
“Having worked in law enforcement and community protection for so many years and ultimately beingthe Force’s lead on children and young people, I am relishing this opportunity to expand the remit of Safe and Sound’s work.
“Our focus now is to secure funds to enable us to support even more young people, their families and local communities across the county. We look forward to the continued support of the police in achieving our goals.”
For more information about Safe and Support can help and how to support the charity’s work in Derbyshire, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.organd follow on Facebook and Twitter @safeandsoundgroup
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Media enquiries: Sarah Jenkin-Jones, JJPR: Tel: 01332 515102/07951945665; [email protected]
About Safe and Sound – Transforming Young Lives
Child Sexual Exploitation (commonly referred to as CSE) is a form of child sexual abuse and takes many different forms from rape and sexual assault to online grooming and encouraging children to share inappropriate images of themselves.
The key factor is that individuals or groups take advantage of young people by manipulating or deceiving them into sexual activity in exchange for something the victim needs or wants.
This could range from money and alcohol to less tangible things such as the attention that they crave at a vulnerable time in their lives.
Child sexual exploitation is a particularly manipulative form of abuse and is also linked to such criminal exploitation issues as County Lines, gangs, trafficking and modern slavery.
Safe and Sound was launched in 2002 and is the only local charity that is totally focused on transforming the young lives of thousands of children and young people who are victims or are at risk of child sexual exploitation across Derbyshire.
Safe and Sound’s specialist team provides individual support for children and young people aged up to the age of 18.
They also raise awareness of the issue and the dangers facing children and young people through awareness programmes for schools, organisations, businesses and community groups.
Safe and Sound’s expertise came to the fore during the 2010 landmark case – Operation Retriever – which was Derby’s largest prosecution for child sexual exploitation and abuse. The charity’s specialist team supported every young person affected by the criminal actions of 13 defendants who were jailed in total for up to 22 years for 70 offences.
The charity actively raises funds to support its current work and expand the grass roots services across the county.
Supporters and ambassadors include the Chief Constable of Derbyshire who has chosen Safe and Sound as one of his chosen charities.
Jun 18, 2019 | Events
As a small local charity, we rely heavily on the commitment and generosity of fundraisers to be able to reach young people
Five local fundraisers have together raised hundreds of pounds for Derby charity Safe and Sound after completing the Derby Half Marathon.
Their support will help Safe and Sound continue its specialist and grassroots work across Derbyshire that transforms the lives of children and young people who are victims or are at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE).
Father-of-three Simon Barcz, who started on a fitness drive as part of his lifestyle change to combat Type two diabetes, has completed a number of fundraising challenges but said it was the hardest thing he had ever done.
He now has his sights set on further fundraising challenges for Safe and Sound including the 55-mile Taff Trail from Cardiff to Brecon this summer before attempting his most grueling challenge in November – trekking to the Everest base camp.
Fellow team member Antoni Jones is a supervisor at Derby Express Couriers who are planning a series of events to raise money for Safe and Sound.
“I finished in two hours 35 minutes and was exhausted but it was really worth it to know we have raised money for this incredible charity.”
Colleagues Lauren Duffy and Talia Anthony, who both work with children and young people, crossed the finishing line together and said that their passion for the work that Safe and Sound do help them get through the last couple of miles.
Final team member was Greg Holden who entered the event for a new challenge.
The team was met ahead of the start line in Derby’s Cathedral Quarter by Safe and Sound Chief Executive Tracy Harrison.
She said “As a small local charity we rely heavily on the commitment and generosity of fundraisers to be able to reach young people who are at risk and those who sadly have been victims of sexual exploitation.
“We are very grateful to all the members of Team Safe and Sound for entering the half marathon and raising money to support our work across the county.
“Events such as this are important to raise the profile not just of our work but of the whole issue of child sexual exploitation. Research shows that one in 20 children and young people are at risk of sexual abuse which includes sexual exploitation.
“It is therefore vital that everyone is aware of the dangers facing young people in our local communities every day – particularly in this digital age with perpetrators increasingly utilising the internet to groom their victims.”
For more information about how to support Safe and Sound, please visit www.safeandsoundgroup.org.ukand follow on Facebook and Twitter @safeandsoundgroup.
Mar 18, 2019 | Events, Fundraising, News
A keen runner from a local family-run business has been the first to pledge his support for Safe and Sound’s work to support young people across Derbyshire by entering the Derby Half Marathon this summer.
We have a limited number of free places available for novice and experienced runners alike to enter the half marathon on Sunday June 9. In return for the free place, we are asking runners to raise at least £200 to support our work with children and young people who are victims or are at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE). Find out more here.
Antoni Jones, a supervisor at Derby Express Couriers, based in West Meadows Industrial Estate, is the first to pledge his support for Safe and Sound.
Antoni explained: “We are Safe and Sound’s delivery partner and were obviously keen to support their work by entering the Derby Half Marathon under their banner.
“Child sexual exploitation is a horrendous crime and there is no way that children and young people should suffer in this way.
“As a family business long-established in the city with local employees and customers, it is important to us to put something back into our local communities.
“I will be proud to be part of Team Safe and Sound and I hope that other individuals and businesses follow our lead and sign up to enter and raise money for this great local charity.”
Safe and Sound chair Catherine Arkley continued: “We are a small local charity who work exclusively with young people in Derbyshire who are victims or are at risk of child sexual exploitation.
“Our specialist support workers help these young people come to terms with their experiences so that they are no longer trapped or defined by them.
“We also raise awareness in local communities so that they can recognise the warning signs of this form of abuse and know where to go for support.
“We rely on public funding to continue this valuable work as well as expand the scope of work with young people and families and are therefore very grateful for this support.”
There are still some places left to support Safe and Sound at the Derby Half Marathon. For more information about how to enter the event and support us, please go to our Derby Half Marathon page here; call 01332 362120 or email Rhiannon.
Feb 15, 2019 | Events, Fundraising
A group of first-time boxers are limbering up to put their new-found skills to the test in the ring to raise funds for Safe and Sound.
Seven out of the 12 local people who have signed up to train with Fearon’s Gym & Boxing Academy and then compete in matches at The Spot on March 8 have chosen to support Safe and Sound and collectively have so far raised almost £1000.
Among them (and one of the oldest participants) is Marc Stevens (40), who is our Operations Manager here at Safe and Sound.
He said: “We have all been training for several months with Clive Fearon and are now looking forward to the night.
“I signed up to do this to get rid of some Christmas weight but also to play my part in supporting the vital work that we as Safe and Sound do to support children and young people in our local communities.
“Everyone has been actively raising money and I’m sure we will collect a great deal more on the night and after we have all proved our mettle!”
Safe and Sound chair Catherine Arkley concluded: “We are a small local charity and rely heavily on public funding.
“We are obviously delighted that so many of these brave individuals have chosen to raise vital funds to support our work across Derbyshire and we hope that Marc and his friends all emerge unscathed from the ring.”
To support Safe and Sound through this event, please visit the JustGiving team page below where you can also click through to Marc’s page to donate to him directly.
Donate to the team
