Community projects awarded over half a million pounds, as National Lottery funding continues

The National Lottery Community Fund has today announced funding of £594,379 to 71 community projects from across Northern Ireland. For full details of all grants awarded see link below. As we together face the impact of Covid-19, The Fund continues to support local communities by giving projects the flexibility to delay or modify what they plan for this money.

Projects funded include those that are supporting young people that are deaf to gain confidence, adults with learning or physical disabilities to have a better quality of life, general well-being of older people through classes like DIY and developing a community garden. For example:

The Irish FA Foundation plans to use £8,000 grant to produce a short film about suicide and mental health to raise awareness of the issues among young people aged 5-14. The group are also using the funding to bring together disadvantaged young people through a shared interest in football, to run a literacy programme.

Chrysalis Women's Centre, based in Craigavon, is using a £9,390 grant to buy new computers for the centre so the wider community can access IT equipment.

Music to Your Ears, based in Strabane, is using a £9,780 grant to provide musical activities for older men throughout the wider area who are struggling with loneliness and social isolation. Activities include weekly singing, acting, instrument learning and script/song writing rehearsals.

Coleraine Borough 50+ Forum is using a £9,958 grant to purchase ‘Winter Keep Warm’ packs for older people to help them stay warm and well over the winter months. The packs include blankets, scarves, gloves and will be packed by volunteers and distributed.

Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director of The National Lottery Community Fund said: “In this time of uncertainty, we want to reassure the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector that we are open, money is still being awarded and we are here to support our communities. We continue to deliver our services to applicants, grant holders and communities across the UK as normally as we can with all staff working from home and prioritising keeping money flowing. We appreciate that many of the organisations awarded funding today may need to delay the delivery of their project, but we will work with them to ensure that they can do this. We will be flexible and trust that all our grant holders know what is best as they manage the impact of Covid-19. We are also looking at ways we can offer further financial support to help people and communities.

“We have heard of brilliant efforts taking place across the sector, of our funded projects helping those in isolation by delivering food packages or checking in with the elderly or unwell. We know that as a small community in Northern Ireland we will work together, making a big difference and helping each other, until we can all physically bring communities together to achieve great things again.”

All National Lottery funded projects can contact their Funding Officer if they need advice or have any questions about their grant. Full updates from the organisation regarding our response to Covid-19 and general contact details can be found on our website www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk.