News

Summer of sport inspires Sulgrave

Dated: 11 Sep 2012

Officers at the Sulgrave Games[View Full Size]

With the country reeling from a summer of sport, the local people of Washington came together to take part in the Sulgrave Games.

The local policing team joined forces with Sunderland Partnership, Gentoo and Asda to host the event which attracted over 400 residents over two days.

The event was organised as part of Operation Lantern - an operation focused on understanding anti-social behaviour and bridging relationships between younger and older generations.

Activities included rock climbing, skating and circus games. There was also a petting zoo and face painting.

Neighbourhood Inspector Paul Stewart said: "This was an excellent two-day event and we are very pleased with the turn out, despite some difficult weather.

"The event brought together kids and adults to take part in array of fun activities. We were also able to show the community what the police and partners can do to help people understand and prevent anti-social behaviour.

"We were also there to listen to what the community had to say and provide them with advice.

"As part of Operation Lantern, we have had a number of events in Washington over the summer and they have all turned out really well.

"We hope it gives the community a good sense of what police and all of our partners are doing together to provide the best service to them."

Cllr Cecilia Gofton said: "Bringing people together at community events such as Operation Lantern is a great way of promoting better understanding and reducing fear of crime. It was great to see so many people of different ages joining in with the activities to enjoy themselves. The event also gave all the partners the opportunity to engage directly with the public to listen to their concerns and offer help and advice."

Russell Bewick, Neighbourhood Operations Manager from Gentoo said: "Gentoo work closely in the community with a range of partners who came together to put on this great event.  We will be looking at all the comments and opinions made by local residents to see what can be done in the future to help improve the community.

For more information about what police are doing in Sunderland follow @NPSunderland on Twitter or like facebook.com/NPSunderland.

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