Dedicated Eric Sharp is a real community champion.

The 70-year-old has received official recognition – and cash – for the work he has done to make his neighbourhood a safer place.

He successfully applied for funding from the Home Office’s community crime fighters fund which supports local volunteers and enables them to work more effectively with their local services to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour in their areas.

Eric also spent a few days recently training as a community crime fighter, acquiring the skills and training so he could work alongside the police and the council to help make his part of Stalybridge that bit safer.

"I’ve been a Homewatch member for ten years and joined a local community group on Ridge Hill 12 months ago," said Eric, who is a retired transport manager. Things have quietened down in the past 12 months since a pub called The Peacock closed own. It faces Ambleside Baptist Church where we have our meetings and there was a lot of drunkenness and noise when it was open all hours of the day and night, with suspected drug dealing going on. Homewatch can help because we all keep an eye on each other’s houses and can phone the police when we see someone acting suspiciously."

Eric, of The Close, Ridge Hill, added: "With this money we can now organise a family fun day at the church. There will be stalls and all sorts of crime prevention advice will be available.

"There will also be face painting and those funny boards where people can push their heads through above the bodies of policemen and robbers!  There will be a quite a few things going on but we are still organising things as yet."

Grants like the ones given to Eric and his group are part of a Home Office pilot programme, whereby trained community crime fighters can bid for grants of up to £1,000 to undertake local crime fighting activities.

So far over £61,000 has been awarded to 71 groups across England and Wales.

"Local people are the key to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour – they know what is really going on their in neighbourhood, what the real problems are and where residents' concerns lie," said Louise Casey, the government’s neighbourhood, crime and justice adviser.

"By awarding the grants to local people who are already active in their communities we can help make their communities safer."

The Homewatch awareness day will take place at Ambleside Baptist Church from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, April 17 with representatives from the police and fire and rescue service in attendance.

Everyone is welcome.