Commissioner supports World Heritage Youth Ambassadors

Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd is supporting Blaenavon’s World Heritage Youth Ambassadors with a project focused on landscape crime.

World Heritage Youth Ambassadors is a youth group for young people aged 13–25 that uses Blaenavon’s unique historic landscape to help them build confidence, develop skills and improve their employment prospects.

Members take part in a wide variety of projects throughout the year and have opportunities to visit World Heritage Sites across the country. In 2022, the group hosted the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and taught them about Blaenavon’s mining history.

The latest project will see young people explore the impact of common landscape crimes in the area, such as illegal off-road biking and fly-tipping, and plan information campaigns to help protect their environment. It was funded through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Community Fund.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd said: “In my Police, Crime and Justice Plan, I committed to supporting children and young people in our communities by backing projects that provide positive opportunities and support their personal and emotional development. We know this can be key to steering them away from crime and anti-social behaviour.

“The World Heritage Youth Ambassadors is a unique group that uses Blaenavon’s World Heritage Site as a catalyst for projects designed to improve the lives of local young people by building their skills, widening their horizons and fostering a real sense of belonging. It gives young people the opportunity to take part in a wide range of exciting projects, visit historic locations across the UK and engage with their local history and natural environment.

“Issues such as off-road biking and fly tipping are real problems in the Blaenavon World Heritage Site and I look forward to seeing the results of this project.”