I n August 2022 Ashley Dale, a Knowsley MBC employee, was murdered in her home. Ashley, a member of the environmental health team, was a much-loved and respected colleague with a promising future ahead of her. In fact at the time of her tragic murder she was preparing for a new role after achieving a promotion within the council.
Despite everything in her favour she was not immune to the devastating consequences serious and organised crime can have in our communities. In fact, she became a tragic victim because of a personal relationship with someone who was the intended target of the attack that claimed her life.
This tragedy sparked a seismic reaction in Knowsley and directly contributed to helping transform our approach to meaningful interventions around serious and organised crime, leading to the development of Be the Change in 2024.
The Be the Change initiative was inspired by a conversation between Ashley's mother Julie Dale and our community safety team. Traditionally, when it comes to strategies around violence reduction and tackling serious and organised crime, men and boys have almost exclusively been the focus. Julie felt the potential impact on women and girls – one that often goes unseen – was not always considered and should be. What about the impact of organised crime on the mother, the daughter, the sister, the girlfriend?
Funded by the Merseyside Violence Reduction Partnership (MVRP), the Be the Change programme was launched with the aims to educate and support women and girls to build confidence, resilience and awareness which could reduce the likelihood of them becoming involved with individuals and groups connected with serious and organised crime.
Be the Change promotes healthy relationships and highlights the consequences of people becoming involved in unhealthy relationships both personally, to their families and to the wider communities.
The programme has redefined our work on intervention and prevention and we are now recognised as leading the way in this approach. It is a unique strength-based approach focused on raising aspiration and ambition. It moves away from the traditional punitive messaging that tells people what they shouldn't do: don't join a gang, don't carry knives and so on. While these messages are obviously important, they can often serve to reinforce the perceived limitations we place on young people, particularly based on where they are from or the communities they have grown up in.
The focus of Be the Change is highlighting opportunities available to people and helping them realise their potential. A focus on what's strong – not what's wrong.
Working with our partner providers we have delivered a range of sessions, from free wellness and confidence-building for new and expectant mothers, to targeted, interactive sessions delivered in secondary schools focused on self-worth and the value of healthy relationships. Sessions at Stalker's Boxing Academy, led by former GB Olympic boxing captain Tom Stalker, have been hugely popular with young people, providing so much more than sport and fitness. Through the mentoring they receive at the boxing gym, young people have been gaining the tools and confidence to make positive choices in their own lives.
Since its launch in 2024, more than 5,000 Knowsley residents have directly participated in our Be the Change sessions. The value spreads far beyond the individual participating – the ripple-effect benefits the community as a whole.
The programme has grown and expanded to also support young males and new providers have not only come onboard but are now working in partnership with each other to achieve tangible results in our communities through collective effort.
In the coming weeks, Everton in the Community will be undertaking a new programme across Kirkby, Prescot and Huyton. Working in partnership with some of our other Be the Change providers including the Shakespeare North playhouse, Merseyside Youth Association and An Hour For Others, they will deliver a unique project based around the creative arts and engaging young people in experiences they may otherwise not have had the opportunity to access.
Julie will be working in some of the borough's secondary schools delivering her story and message to girls around healthy relationships and raising aspirations and opportunities.
We believe Be the Change is transformative for the way interventions are delivered. Other local authorities have praised us for being so far ahead when it comes to our approach and this has been backed by a rigorous independent evaluation conducted by Liverpool John Moores University. Zara Quigg, professor of public health and behavioural epidemiology at the university highlighted that Be the Change is helping to create positive change across individuals, families and communities through aligned partnerships, supportive environments and a shared ethos centred on hope, aspiration and empowerment.
Ultimately, the success of Be the Change is a young person choosing a different path. It is a young woman recognising the warning signs of an unhealthy relationship and fulfilling her own potential. It is a new parent feeling more confident and connected to the community around them. It is groups working together to create opportunities where previously there were barriers.
Above all, it is proof that even from the most devastating tragedies, positive change can emerge.
That is Ashley's legacy. And that is why Be the Change is so important.
James Duncan is chief executive of Knowsley MBC
