Aberdeenshire Community Safety Groups - 2011 Annual Seminar & Safety Awards

The Seminar.
		More than 60 people attended an annual Community Safety Seminar held by Aberdeenshire Community Safety Partnership at Kemnay Church Centre on Saturday, March 19, where the Community Safety Awards 2010/11 were handed out. The seminar included workshops on the role of the licensing standards officer and work of the Local Licensing Forums; achieving a healthier, happier and safer Aberdeenshire, free from harm due to alcohol and other drugs; and Pro-Social Behaviour - improving how young people are viewed by society. Several agencies were represented at the event including Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian Police and Grampian Fire and Rescue Service.

The Seminar.

More than 60 people attended an annual Community Safety Seminar held by Aberdeenshire Community Safety Partnership at Kemnay Church Centre on Saturday, March 19, where the Community Safety Awards 2010/11 were handed out.

The seminar included workshops on the role of the licensing standards officer and work of the Local Licensing Forums; achieving a healthier, happier and safer Aberdeenshire, free from harm due to alcohol and other drugs; and Pro-Social Behaviour - improving how young people are viewed by society.

Several agencies were represented at the event including Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian Police and Grampian Fire and Rescue Service.

The Welcome and Keynote Address.
William Munro, Kincardine and Mearns Area Manager with Aberdeenshire Council, chaired the event. Mr Munro is also Chair of the Aberdeenshire Community Safety Partnership.	The keynote address was delivered by Councillor Anne Robertson who outlined the importance of communities working in partnership with the council, police and fire service to share resources and make a difference locally.

The Community Safety Awards. During the seminar the Aberdeenshire Community Safety Awards for 2010 - 2011 were presented by Councillor Anne Robertson. The Awards were sponsored by Jack Cumming of Cumming Fire and Security Ltd of Kemnay.
The first prize of £300 and a certificate was won by the "First on Scene" project, an initiative instigated by the South Marr Community Safety Group, led by Roddy Lees of that Group and also of Grampian Fire and Rescue Service. The project is comprised of a series of DVDs aimed at preparing young people to deal with emergency situations where someone becomes ill or has an accident.
Second prize of £100 and certificate was won by the "Twilight Basketball Project", a multi-agency initiative aimed at tackling youth disorder and integrating young people from different countries and backgrounds in Peterhead. The Award was accepted by Kenny Gibb.
One Third Prize of £50 and a certificate was awarded to the Fraserburgh "Fantasmagoria" project. The project involved a considerable number of young people in the preparation and production of street theatre performances in the Fraserburgh area. The award was accepted by Malcolm Hogg.	Another Third Prize of £50 and a certificate was awarded to the "Electric Wizard of Macduff" project. The project involved a considerable number of young people in the preparation and production of street theatre performances in the Macduff area. The award was accepted by Molly Gordon.
Commendation Certificates.
Commendation certificates were also awarded to the "Action Kintore" project, the "Raft Race Inclusion" project in Banff and to Kenny Gibb for his contribution to the Aberdeenshire Street Sports Project.
Presentation of the Commendation Certificate to the "Action Kintore" project. The award was accepted by Kenny Thompson.	Presentation of the Commendation Certificate to Kenny Gibb for his contribution to the Aberdeenshire Street Sports project.
The Workshop Sessions.
Role of the Licensing Standards Officer and the Work of the Local Licensing Forums in Aberdeenshire Keith Simpson, Senior Licensing Standards Officer, Aberdeenshire Council.	Keith spent 21 years as a serving Customs Officer, working mainly in the North East of Scotland but has also worked for spells at most of the United Kingdom's major airports and ports, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Dover. Keith also spent five years as a VAT fraud investigator. On leaving Customs, Keith become a manager and licensee of a family run restaurant in Stonehaven which has given him experience and understanding of working in the licence trade. Keith joined Aberdeenshire Council in 2006 as a Smoking Enforcement Officer to ensure the compliance with the No Smoking legislation. He took up his current role as Senior Licensing Standards Officer for Aberdeenshire South Licensing Division during the transitional period between the old and new legislation in March 2008. ln this role, Keith is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and sits on working groups to assist in matters pertaining to the liquor licensing agenda.

Achieving a Heathier, Happier and Safer Aberdeenshire, free from harm due to alcohol and other drugs. Wayne Gault, Team Leader and Strategy Manager, Aberdeenshire Drugs Partnership. 1	Wayne is the Lead Officer of the Aberdeenshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership, a multiagency body designed to co-ordinate the collective local response to alcohol and drug harms in Aberdeenshire. Three years ago Wayne moved into his current role after being Head of Risk Management with NHS Grampian for 14 years, having originally trained as a Biochemist. Wayne is motivated by issues of social justice and is an active trade unionist as well as having stood for election in Westminster and Council competitions. Wayne has two young children, Hamish and Hannah, and is married to Ann.

Pro-social Behaviour - Improving How Young People Are Viewed by Society Douglas Findlay and Andrew Deans, Aberdeenshire Youth Council. Douglas Findlay Andrew Deans	The membership of Aberdeenshire Youth Council is made up of the six Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament from Aberdeenshire as well as six additional Youth Councillors, one for each Council area, who are selected through an election process. These twelve young people have the opportunity to be in the arena of the decision makers in Aberdeenshire. The AYC also represent young people on a variety of steering groups and forums which occur throughout the year.