Thornton & Ross raises £20,000 to fight knife crime in Kirklees

In response to a tragic loss of life of a colleague in January 2020, Thornton & Ross united in its desire to act with a positive response to this appalling incident. Roger Scarlett-Smith, the Executive Vice President UK / US, committed to creating a fund to support charities working to prevent young people becoming caught up in knife crime.

A recent charity golf day held at Crosland Heath Golf Club raised £20,000 for the fund and the company is very grateful for the support of its employees, suppliers and partners who stepped forward to not only play in the tournament, but also to bid for a range of unique items at auction.

The event was supported by the new Mayor Tracy Brabin, local MP Jason McCarthy, Deputy Mayor Alison Lowe, and Alan Travis, Chief Inspector of Neighbourhoods & Partnership. 

One Community will manage the fund on behalf of Thornton & Ross, part of the STADA group. One Community will be working to set up a panel to award grants with a call for applications in early 2022 from charities and groups working in the Kirklees area to seek funds for programs and projects aimed at diverting young people from knife crime that blights the lives of many people.  

Roger Scarlett-Smith explained: “We hope that we can prevent other young people becoming caught up in knife crime by working closely with local charities in Kirklees to enable them to work with more children or explore different approaches to arrest this worrying trend.”

CEO of One Community Foundation Emma Woods-Bolger added: “We are proud to be working with Thornton & Ross on this innovative approach to supporting the community, and the response from many of the Kirklees 100 businesses has been great. It really shows that when we work together, we can make a positive difference in our community.”

Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin said: “Part of my role is to oversee the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit, which brings together organisations across local communities to tackle the underlying causes of serious violence. It also helps fund vital projects that undertake positive, preventative work with children and young people. It is really important and I’m so glad that Thornton and Ross have started this scheme.”