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Getting Grampian ‘Risk Ready’
The Aberdeen Safer Community Trust is a charity on a mission: to make Aberdeen a safer place. Since it began in 1997 the
Trust has given money to over 150 different groups and organisations in the city, working towards crime reduction, security
and safety. Now in its tenth year of operation the Trust is poised to take on its biggest challenge yet: the building of
a multi-million pound experiential-learning safety centre.
The Trust’s core purpose is to offer financial assistance, advice and problem solving to any local group wanting to
improve community safety. This includes anything from crime prevention and youth diversion to accident prevention and home
safety. The most ever given was for a lifeboat on Aberdeen Beach and the least was for Neighbourhood Watch signs.
It does not however, simply support the efforts of other groups. The Trust’s own safety projects include the Community
Safety Information website, CSI: Aberdeen (at www.csiaberdeen.org.uk); Older & Wiser, an annual safety event for senior citizens;
and Neighbourhood Watch, where all schemes in the city are given support on behalf of Grampian Police and Aberdeen City Council.
In a former lifetime Trust Co-ordinator, Doug Duthie, was a police detective. Working with the Trust from the start however,
he has spent the last ten years working to reduce crime in a different way. “The Trust is a unique organisation”
he explains, “We believe the best ideas for tackling problems often comes from ground level. There was a gap in the
market for grass-roots projects wanting help. When local people come together to tackle a local problem there is a momentum
which can falter if it takes too long to get funding in place. We guarantee a decision in 6 weeks for grants under £1,000
to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
Community safety may not be the sexiest of subjects but it affects everyone. Whether you consider the personal impact on victims
of crime or the economics of lost work hours through preventable home accidents for example; if people are affected, so are
their companies. Like any business, the Trust requires a sustained amount of income to continue its work. As a charity it
relies on donations. What it does offer however, is a unique promise that all donations get spent on the community, not on
administration, thanks to support given by the Common Good Fund.
“After ten years in operation we’ve seen a lot of changes in the City”, reflects Doug Duthie. “The
needs are constantly changing and different areas become hot-spots for accidents and criminal activity. We have to stay innovative
and continue trying new things.”
A new ‘Friends of Aberdeen Safer Community Trust’ scheme is also being launched. “The third sector is
highly competitive” explains Doug, “so many people are making the ask that companies have to turn down the majority
of donation requests. We know that sustainability is the key so instead we’re asking for a longer term commitment but
for a much smaller amount. We want to build lasting relationships with the business community that will help strengthen both
partners.”
Keen to keep moving forward, the Trust is now set to embark on an exciting project which will put Aberdeen on the map as a
forerunner in accident reduction. A safety centre called ‘Risk Ready’ comprising life-sized scenarios and virtual-reality
suite is being planned that will benefit everyone in the North East. It is a multi-million pound project that will boost
safety awareness across Grampian.
“This is a very exciting time for us” says Doug Duthie. “The safety centre has always been our ultimate
dream.” Risk Ready will be a resource not just for the public but for business’ too with the scenes and Virtual
Reality suite providing realistic settings for all kinds of health and safety training, events days and team building exercises.
There is a huge buzz of excitement about this project being generated simply from the feasibility study, expected to be complete
by the end of April. “We’ve already been contacted by schools asking when they can visit! But it will be a few
years yet” laughs Doug. The City Council have also been very supportive of the project and have set aside a two-acre
site for us to start building on once we get funding in place.
Risk Ready is a multi-agency venture with Grampian Police, Grampian Fire & Rescue, Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS Grampian,
British Transport Police, City and Shire Councils, First Aberdeen and the Maritime & Coastguard Agency all working with the
Trust as part of the steering group. “We have a shared vision of what can be achieved by working together” explains
Doug, “with the centre we aim to integrate all safety services in Aberdeen, making them much more effective.”
For more information on the Trust or to become a Friend visit www.absafe.org.uk.
by Emma Bellu
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