South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, visited Hexthorpe Park in Doncaster last week, to see first-hand the impact of the Community Payback scheme, with the area revived by those on probation.

Hexthorpe Park has benefitted from a restored bandstand, newly sown flowers and weeding, completed by people carrying out unpaid work in the community as part of their sentence, supervised by the Probation Service.

Dr Billings visited the park with Director of Probation for the North East, Lynda Marginson; local councillor, Glyn Jones; Chairman of Friends of Hexthorpe Park, Stephen Ressbeck; Doncaster Council Supervisor, Mark Boam and colleagues from the Community Payback project.

Following his visit, Dr Billings said: “It is often the cost of labour or the physical work involved, that defeats community groups when they want to repaint their village hall or clear some space to make a garden or litter pick over a wide area.

“Community Payback projects are hard work. But they can help offenders regain some sense of worth and see that there is value and satisfaction in doing a job well – all of which helps in their rehabilitation. And, of course, the community gets its beautiful park restored.”

Find out more about the Community Payback scheme here.