Northern Ireland community groups celebrate after winning public vote for National Lottery funding
Three inspirational community groups in Northern Ireland have won up to £70,000 each of National Lottery funding in this year’s The People’s Projects. The vital funding was awarded to Carers Matter in Belfast, GROW in Coleraine and Social Bytes in Newry after they won the public over with their plans to make a life-changing difference in their local communities.
The three winning projects in Northern Ireland are:
Carers Matter by Brain Injury Matters in Belfast who will use a £69,250 grant to provide advice, training and support for carers of people with an acquired brain injury. Carers will be brought together to learn from each other, build a supportive community and develop their skills to better support their loved ones.
Treasa Rice, Engagement Manager at Brain Injury Matters said: “We are delighted to be one of the winners in The People’s Projects. We are so thankful and humbled by all those who voted for Carers Matter and supported us over the last few weeks. This project will be dedicated to supporting carers as they navigate their way through the experience of caring for a loved one with an acquired brain injury.”
GROW by Ashes to Gold in Coleraine will use a £24,753 grant to develop an outdoor kitchen and run courses to teach the community to grow and cook their own food, save money and minimise food waste. Mindfulness walks will be included in the sessions to help people engage with nature.
Alison McCloskey, Funding Co-ordinator for Ashes to Gold said: “Our charity has been serving the local community for ten years this year and we saw The People’s Projects as the perfect opportunity to celebrate our achievements and raise our profile.
“We are so pleased to receive this funding and we would like to thank each and every person who voted for us. We love being a winner but the support from our community has meant more than anything.”
Social Bytes by Crisis Café in Newry will use a £69,740 grant to create an informal drop-in space for young people to access digital technology, WIFI, mental health support and a free meal. Led by young people, the project will help them to learn skills, make friends and support each other.
Louise Quinn from Crisis Café said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this funding. The last two weeks have been phenomenal. The young people - who have been the driving force behind everything - came together and led a strong campaign. They were out knocking doors, delivering leaflets, making videos for social media and telling everyone to vote. The community really got behind them and our project.”
In addition, The Empathy Tent by Parenting NI in Derry/Londonderry and The UP! Programme by Replay Theatre Company in Belfast were voted runners-up, walking away with £10,000 each for their projects thanks to National Lottery players.
The groups were among 95 worthwhile projects across the UK in the running to share over £4 million in National Lottery funding as part of this year’s The People’s Projects.
The People’s Projects sees The National Lottery Community Fund, ITV, UTV and the Sunday Mail (in Scotland) working together to give the public a unique say in how National Lottery funding should be invested in their local area.
Shortlisted projects got to showcase their work on ITV, UTV or in the Sunday Mail, raising awareness and support for what they do as well as putting them in with a chance of receiving valuable funding.
Visit www.thepeoplesprojects.org.uk to see a full list of winning projects across the UK.
Paul Sweeney, The National Lottery Community Fund’s NI Chair, said: “The People’s Projects highlights the incredible work of inspiring community groups across Northern Ireland. I want to take the opportunity to congratulate this year’s winners on behalf of everyone at The National Lottery Community Fund.”
Since The People’s Projects started in 2005, it has awarded around £45 million to over 1,000 good causes, delivering vital grants to the heart of UK communities.
The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK, distributes money raised by National Lottery players, who raise over £30 million each week across the UK for good causes.
Funding in Northern Ireland | The National Lottery Community Fund (tnlcommunityfund.org.uk)
