NORTHAMPTON: HOME SAFETY EQUIPMENT FITTING SERVICE
During the past five years supervised offenders have been fitting safety equipment for families living in designated areas in Northampton including the Camrose Children's Centre and in the city's district wards of St James, Kings Heath and Spencer.

The partnership provides funding for a range of safety equipment for individual homes which includes a safety gate, a fireguard, smoke detectors and cupboard catches. Safety information is also handed out and the Fire and Rescue Service provide a free home safety check.

Further funding was obtained and in October 2007 the safety equipment service was expanded into the Castle ward area of Northampton. The partnership project includes the Fire Service, Spring Lane Children Centre, and the Crime And Safety PARtnership (CASPAR). The scheme will commence in the Thorplands ward in February 2008, and negotiations are currently under way to expand the service into the Corby area.

KETTERING: AREA MAKEOVERS
Kleensweep & Artsweep are two community initiatives that are enabling Unpaid Work teams to clean up local areas - and then decorate derelict buildings.

The projects' partners are Northamptonshire Probation Area (NPA) working with Kettering Borough Council, Northamptonshire Police, the area's Community Safety Partnership and local residents.

Kleensweep - identifies a target area which is then 'blitzed' by teams of workers undertaking mainly groundwork such as filling pot holes, fire safety initiatives, ground clearance, graffiti removal and litter picking. Artsweep - involves local residents and community partnerships painting murals on 300 boarded up and derelict buildings throughout Kettering.

CORBY: CORONATION PARK
This is an on-going programme of work that operates throughout the year. The Borough Council is delighted with progress, and local people have been very supportive as they have seen the clean up operation and general maintenance activities improve the park.

The Unpaid Work teams have undertaken litter picking, landscaping, gardening, improving the park's pavilion and bowling green areas, rebuilding walls and pathways. A more recent project has been to aid the development of the Garden for the Blind. Members of the Friends of the Park often visit the placement while work is being undertaken, and comment positively to the workers.

WELLINGBOROUGH: WOLLASTON PAROCHIAL ROOMS REVISITED
The Wollaston Parochial Rooms were redecorated in the past by supervised offenders, and the trustees of the old building have again requested that Unpaid Work teams undertake another decorating make-over.

The building is maintained through local fund raising events, and by renting out to various clubs and associations in order to generate additional funding. The facility is used every weekday morning for pre-school activities.

The current work includes painting and decorating in the main hall, meeting room, kitchen, toilets and outside railings. The next stage of the renovation involves painting the window frames inside and out.

MEETING THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF ALL COMMUNITIES:
ABBEY FIELDS ELDERLY PERSON'S HOME
During the last two years Northamptonshire's Unpaid Work teams have undertaken projects in the gardens, with the head gardener, and decorated the main centre. Abbey Fields is a residential home; the majority of its elderly residents were originally from the Caribbean.

There are extensive areas of the gardens which are not accessible to the residents at the moment.

A number of hazards have been identified which the Unpaid Work groups aim to change through a programme of practical and aesthetic solutions. The teams will also cultivate and landscape a proportion of the grounds which is not used due to poor access.

MEETING THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF ALL COMMUNITIES:
HINDU CENTRE
The premises are used by several community groups such as Mums and Tots and social and sports clubs. The work includes painting and decorating throughout the building including hallways, functions rooms and changing rooms.

MEETING THE DIVERSE NEEDS OF ALL COMMUNITIES:
ST PATRICK'S ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL
The local primary school appears to have the second largest number of pupils in the area, and the highest proportion of children who do not speak English as their first language.

The school has no budget to improve outdoor areas. Work has been carried out to weatherproof some of the outdoor activity areas, including the existing sand pit. The main hall and corridor areas will be painted in the future.