Dance and cookery uniting estate's rival girls
Teenage girls who had been fighting on a housing estate have been united through dance, cookery and hair and beauty classes put on by police.
Officers launched the Making Moves project on the Telford's Brookside estate to bring the girls together after a series of altercations.
The 14-week project was to draw them away from anti-social behaviour and teach them life skills, while charities spoke to them about domestic violence and the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
West Mercia Police said the girls had seen benefits from the project and it had helped them build friendships after their previous differences.
The weekly activities were chosen by the girls themselves, and as well as dance, cookery and beauty, they took self defence classes and designed a logo for the project.
"Bringing hair and beauty into the mix, they were able to work with each other. They absolutely loved doing the nails and hair," said PC Ash Doignie.
"They're a very lively bunch. We wanted to make them feel good about themselves. They're young females, there's a lot of confidence issues there."
"Even the cooking, they're becoming that age where they're looking after themselves a bit more, cooking a bit more," he told BBC Radio Shropshire.
The project receved £2,500 in funding from West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion, and Brookside Big Local, a lottery-funded programme to increase community participation.
The PCC funds a number of projects similar to Making Moves, through the Commissioner’s Community Fund, which is used across West Mercia for projects focusing on crime prevention and intervention.
"This type of project is about trying to change some of the things that are wrong in our society and support young people," said Mr Campion.
"I really like that locally led on the ground tactical activity, to hopefully try and shift some of the things that we're struggling with as a society."
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