Eight community groups and charities will share more than £100,000 claimed back from criminals.

Our Economic and Cyber Crime Unit (ECCU) recovered a record £18m from criminals in the past year with a proportion used to support local communities through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) across Greater Manchester.

The latest successful bidders that will share £104,000 are:

SPARK Oldham CIC Bury Asian Women’s Centre (Bury Active Women’s Centre) One Manchester Darnhill and Heywood ABC & Self Development Centre CIC All Aboard Youth Rowing, Rochdale Withington/Old Moat TAN Your Music NW CIC, Bury StreetDoctors

When money is recouped through ARIS, we keep a proportion to fund community initiatives, and the rest goes back to the Home Office. A proportion of assets seized and crypto-currency is also paid into the ARIS fund.

The money that we get back is either used on community initiatives or within the force to further assist recovery work, or on policing operations to keep communities safe.

Detective Superintendent Andrew Buckthorpe, head of GMP’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit, said: “In the last financial year, we secured our highest-ever recovery of criminal proceeds and we are delighted to be able to pass some of that cash onto our communities.

“This achievement demonstrates the impact our officers and staff are making, both within the unit and throughout GMP, as we remain committed to ensuring these funds are reinvested into the communities we serve.

“Protecting the people of Greater Manchester is our top priority, and this is one of the ways we can directly give something back.

“Thanks to the determination of our teams, we are in a strong position to continue stripping offenders of the funds that often fuel further criminality.

“It is even more rewarding to know that the money we recover is now being used for positive purposes across Greater Manchester.”

One successful group, All Aboard Youth Rowing, use the facilities at Hollingworth Lake in Rochdale with the funding to be used to create a permanent base.

Adrian Stores, head of Partnerships & Development, said: “All Aboard Youth Rowing is a registered charity and dynamic initiative committed to introducing young people to the transformative sport of rowing.

“At All Aboard, we believe that rowing can bring out the best in individuals, fostering self-esteem, confidence, resilience, and valuable life skills that go beyond the water.

“With a vision to cultivate a supportive and inclusive environment where every participant feels valued and empowered, we aim to nurture not only physical strength and athleticism but also personal growth and character development.

“Through teamwork, discipline, and perseverance, our young rowers gain skills that will serve them well throughout their lives.

“The generous funding by GMP and ARIS facilitates a new dedicated hub at Hollingworth Lake.”

The bid was supported by Rochdale Neighbourhood Chief Inspector Nicola Hopkinson, who added: “The charity engages with a number of disadvantaged children with participants reporting having improved happiness, confidence, well-being, attendance, and school outcomes.

“This is exactly the type of project that will benefit from ARIS funding and fits perfectly within our criteria of preventing/reducing anti-social behaviour by ensuring youth focus on a dedicated activity and supporting community projects.”

StreetDoctors (above) is an award-winning national charity that trains 20,000 young people affected by violence each year, in the physical and psychological consequences of street violence.

They will use the ARIS funding to run workshops across the region to empower young people affected by violence to become life-savers in their community.

Martin Tilbury MBE, CEO of StreetDoctors, said: “We are really pleased to receive the support from the ARIS funding which will enable us to bring our the Fatal Question campaign to young people across Greater Manchester.

“The Fatal Question campaign equips young people with vital education to challenge the dangerous misconceptions around knife crime and provide them with life-saving skills, which will support safer communities.

“Our workshops will empower young people to become part of the solution to street violence, rather than just being seen as ‘part of the problem’.”

One of those successful bids in 2025 was St Peter’s Parochial Church in Wigan, a Grade 2 listed building that needed some urgent repairs to the windows.

The church requested the funding to assist in the repairs of 61 broken and cracked small leaded light windows, which had been damaged over the years from age and vandalism due to air gun pellets.

Margaret Molyneux said: “On behalf of St Peter’s Parochial Church Council (PCC), we would like to thank the trustees of the ARIS fund for the generous monetary award.

“Our church is part of Manchester Diocese, who are encouraging all churches to become more energy efficient under the Zero Net Carbon 2030 initiative.

“Since the repairs, it has been obvious that the church is warmer for all the community events we hold. These include the Saturday Cafe, soup lunches, concerts, and school events, as well as weddings, funerals, and baptisms.

“Through your support the whole community has benefited, and we are grateful for your help.”

The next ARIS bidding window is expected to open in July 2026.

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