£1.8 million National Lottery funding supports health and well-being across our communities

The National Lottery Community Fund is today announcing funding of £1,798,134 to 62 community and voluntary projects who are supporting the health, well-being and quality of life of people across Northern Ireland. For a full list of grants awarded please see table attached below.

The majority of organisations funded are supporting mental health and reducing isolation by keeping people connected and reaching those who need the most help. This includes funding counselling, means for people to stay connected such as laptops or befriending services and activities for promoting well-being.

An impact of COVID-19 has been the restrictions to funerals and the ability of people to come together and grieve. Cruse Bereavement Care NI is using a £422,735 grant to run their ‘Somewhere for Us’ project over the next three years, to provide early intervention bereavement care to support children and young people.

Paul Finnegan, Director of Cruse NI said: “This project is not only working with the young person, but with their whole family to help improve relationships and get them talking. It is also offering vital one-to-one support, peer led activities and digital sessions, to provide a healthy emotional outlet to increase their resilience, something which is always needed but particularly now during the pandemic and the increased isolation and complete change to our lives.

“Our volunteers and staff continue to support virtually and we are keen to reach out to children and young people who have been impacted by a current or bereavement further back. We haven’t been able to fundraise like we normally do, so this grant and additional funding from the National Lottery to support families in lockdown couldn’t have come at a better time – thank you.”

Aspire is using a £10,000 grant to remotely deliver their Independent Living Service (ILS) for patients at the Spinal Cord Injuries Unit in Musgrave Park Hospital, Belfast, by providing information about the injury, benefit advice as well as health and well-being support.

Waterside Theatre Company, based in Derry/Londonderry, is using a £7,920 grant to run a remote community arts project to improve mental health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project includes visual arts and crafts, music, movement and storytelling workshops for local care homes as well as creative writing, singing, dancing and other activities to children, teenagers and adults across the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.

SVP St Patrick's Conference, based in Armagh, is using a grant of £2,400 to deliver a 10-week healthy cooking programme, targeted at people on lower incomes, to demonstrate how to make healthy meals at a low cost for their families, improving confidence in the kitchen as well as easing financial pressure.

Since March, over £600 million of National Lottery money has been given across the UK to charities and organisations to help deal with the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, to make sure those most in need get help.

Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director of The National Lottery Community Fund said: “The projects funded today all demonstrate the strength of their members and communities and the importance of staying connected with each other in these unprecedented times. It’s inspiring to see all these groups, staff and volunteers rising to the challenges of COVID-19.

"These awards, made possible by National Lottery players, recognise the incredible work happening across Northern Ireland.

"National Lottery players can be proud to know that money they raise by buying tickets is continuing to make such a difference.”