A Nottinghamshire charity is putting young people who have offended, or are at risk of offending, on the right track – the grasstrack!

Grasstrack racing in cars the young people have maintained themselves is at the heart of a programme – run by Wheelbase – which has become one of four East Midlands organizations to win a National Training Award.

Representatives of Wheelbase will be attending the UK Gala ceremony at London’s Guildhall on 29^th November where awards will be presented by Fiona Bruce, main anchor of BBC’s 6 O’clock News and co-presenter of Crime Watch.

Wheelbase, located at Denman Street East, Radford, Nottingham, works with young people aged 14-plus who are not in mainstream education, and 16 to 25 year-olds not ready for college, who may have difficulties with employment, learning or mental health problems or have been recently released from custody.

Its six-month programme, open to boys and girls, comprises:

• Classroom sessions where literacy, numeracy and IT skills are improved, using adult ‘skills for life’ materials rather than school resources, and linked to activities in the workshop and racing. 

• Vehicle service and maintenance training in a workshop where positive role models teach them about health and safety, planning, solving problems, working to instructions and team work. They work on cars belonging to staff, volunteers or clients, and recovered motorbikes donated by the police. Bad behaviour is punished with cleaning duties or by missing racing. As a last resort, clients can be dismissed for persistent rule breaking or offending outside the project.

• Grasstrack racing is held at Oxton monthly, and trainees drive a Mini they have maintained. Others act as pit crew. Before they can race, they must undergo off-road driver training, which includes Notts Fire Services’ impact programme, highlighting the dangers of unsafe driving.

The programme has achieved excellent results. Around 100 have been through the training, with each young person achieving 188 sessions.

Attendance rate is 79 per cent and 93 per cent leave with OCR accredited qualifications. Three quarters achieve positive outcomes.

Barbara Crampton, curriculum manager/basic skills tutor, said: “We are particularly proud of our success over the last few years because we were so nearly forced to close through lack of funding and the poor structure and suitability of the building.”

Wheelbase is funded for core activities by The Learning and Skills Council and Nottingham City Council, raises additional funds and receives grants for individuals from their schools. It is aiming to move into new premises in the New Year.

Among its individual successes – a student in trouble for bullying, threatening staff and damaging property, who went on to spend two years at college and is now well on his way to having his own business.

With 40 per cent of street crime, 25 per cent of burglaries and 33 per cent of car thefts being committed by 10 to 16 year-olds at times when they should be at school, Wheelbase’s part in reducing criminality is acknowledged by the police. The charity was described by Alan Simpson, MP for Nottingham South, as “one of Nottingham’s great unsung triumphs.”

 

“It is a credit to the staff team that the project is so successful in premises which are located in a very run-down industrial unit………

The project is good value for money and does help to reduce offending by young people.”