Littlehampton youth violence project acknowledged by King Charles; founders visit Tower of London

On behalf of the King, Reverend Canon Roger Hill met with Gary Hart and Poppy Gold – who run The Rock Community Group CIC’s Veteran’s Volunteer Service (VVS) – at the Tower of London on Monday (March 6).

Gary, an army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan – said the project was launched to tackle youth violence, which was ‘bubbling away in the Arun district’.

A spokesperson for the charity said before the event: “Not the first time a Poppy and a soldier has been seen at the tower but this time Gary and Poppy of The Veteran’s Volunteer Service are to meet their patron.”

During the meeting, they discussed the future of the VVS and the King’s Merit Award; considered a structure on tackling county lines and youth violence; talked about open veteran participation in the Royal Volunteer Service and broaden links to Royal support.

Gary said: “It was extremely successful. That's the patroncy signed off and it's now going to the Palace.

"The coronation is at the forefront but it will be going through the channels to be put out in the future.

"In the meantime, we've been asked to be a pathway for custody desks for youths in East and West Sussex. We now have a link to the new King, which is great."

Gary and Poppy brought in war veterans to steer young people onto the right path.

"They have experience and skill-sets based on hearts and minds – this champions the shifting of extreme negative behaviour into positive change,” Gary and Poppy said.

“This will stop young people becoming a mid-twenties adult with a criminal career.

“The King’s Merit Award would seek to get young people affected by negative behaviour (and therefore excluded from school) back into a learning environment.”

Youngsters ‘therefore can become a resilient member of the community’ and trained in, for example, knife trauma, de-escalation, and ‘blue light handovers’.

“Also, they can potentially become a self-empowered young person with trade and helpful skill-sets that can contribute to the community,” they said.