FOUR Wirral organisations have received funding to help keep youngsters safe over the Halloween and Bonfire Night period.

Birkenhead Youth Club and Positive Futures, Gautby Road Play and Community Centre, The Carrbridge Centre and The Hive Wirral Youth Zone have all received a share of more than £40,000 thanks to the Police Property Act (PPA).

Police commissioner Jane Kennedy released a round of funding the PPA which allows money raised from the sale of unclaimed stolen goods or property recovered by police to be used for good causes.

This is the tenth time that the commissioner has invited community organisations, charities and groups which are working to help young people to make the right choices to apply for a vital cash boost of up to £5,000.

Ms Kennedy told the Globe: "Halloween and Bonfire Night are a time of fun and excitement for many people across Merseyside, particularly young people who love the festivities.

“Sadly though, it is also a time when the fun can get out of hand and lead to young people getting involved in behaviour which can become intimidating, anti-social or even dangerous to other members of the community.

"That means it is traditionally a very busy time for both Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service.

“By funding these youth projects across Merseyside, my aim is to help thousands of young people enjoy the festivities in a safe and enjoyable way at organised and well managed events.

"This will help to ensure they don’t get involved in any activities that could either put themselves or others in harm’s way. It could also prevent them from getting involved with behaviour that they may come to regret in the future.

“It will also help to relieve the strain on our emergency services during this busy period, complementing and supporting the excellent diversionary work the police and fire service already carry out while making sure people can enjoy the celebrations during the holiday season.

“For this year’s successful organisations, these small cash boosts can make a huge difference and will enable them to run some fantastic grassroots projects which really engage with young people’s imaginations while keeping them safe.”

Birkenhead Youth Club and Positive Futures received £800 to help increase outreach activities in two hotspot areas in Birkenhead, aiming to move young people into sport based activities.

Gautby Road Play and Community Centre was handed £1,950 to provide 400 young people with activities on key nights in Beechwood and Birkenhead areas which traditionally see high rates of anti-social behaviour.

The Carrbridge Centre's £2,000 share will go towards providing activities such as music, art, and DJing to 400 youngsters on the Woodchurch Estate.

While The Hive received £2,500 for the annual 'HiveAgeddon' which reaches around 2,000 young people by providing activities such as arts, football, drama, dance, climbing, music and boxing over the Operation Banger period.

The PPA fund is administered by the Community Foundation for Merseyside (CFM) on behalf of Ms Kennedy.

CFM’s senior programmes manager James Proctor said: “We are proud to be working with Merseyside’s Police Commissioner and administering the Police Property Act fund.

“This fund is very popular and the decision making panel had some extremely difficult choices to make with so many valuable projects presented.

"We feel the projects supported will make a huge impact in communities at this time of the year and wish them every success."