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Nine groups across Northern Ireland are sharing in over £6 million of funding from Big Lottery Fund for projects that will support families to deal with the challenges they face.

The projects – which are sharing in a total of £6,097,752 – are working with families facing a range of issues such as isolation, unemployment, disability and life-limiting illnesses. (Download the full list of grants awarded).

Action Deaf Youth has received £675,304 for their five-year Supporting Families of Deaf Children through Active Play project that is helping families across Northern Ireland with a deaf child up to the age of eight to improve their communication skills and relationships through specialist play.

Artillery Youth Centre has received £699,692 for their Northside Family Support Programme, a five-year project that is helping families in north Belfast gain new skills and share learning to help improve their personal and family needs. 

Belfast Unemployed Resource Centre has received £615,335 for Routes to Resilience for Family Life (RtoR). This five-year project is helping ethnic minority and other families in Belfast, Derry/Londonderry, Portadown and Ballymena experiencing isolation to become more connected and improve relationships.

Kids Together Belfast has received £699,970 for their five-year Disability Matters project. This is providing tailored support plans for families in the Belfast and Lisburn areas with a child under 12 with a disability to help improve their health, wellbeing, family life and reduce isolation.

Northern Ireland Hospice has received £607,706 for their five-year Stronger Together NI Children's Hospice project. It is providing families from across Northern Ireland with children aged under 12 with a life limiting condition with a range of practical and emotional support services.

Positive Futures has received £699,962 for their five-year project, Lakeland Brighter Futures, for children up to the age of 12 who have a disability and their families living in the Fermanagh area. It is providing support to families during diagnosis and assessment, helping them link to the wider community and services and plan for the future. 

Sense, the National Deafblind and Rubella Association, has received£699,783 for Touching Lives - Transforming Families. This five-year project is providing a range of support to families across Northern Ireland with a child aged 12 or under where the child or a parent is affected by a deafblind or multi-sensory impairment.

South Tyrone Empowerment Programme has received £700,000 for their five-year project, Linking Families and Communities. This is supporting families from ethnic minority communities with a child aged up to 12 living in the Mid Ulster council and Armagh city areas to strengthen their connections to the wider community and services.

The Speedwell Trust has received £700,000 for their five-year Supporting Our Families Together (SOFT) project that is helping children and their families in the Cookstown area affected by short and long-term challenges that may affect their development and learning.

Joanne McDowell, Big Lottery Fund NI Director, said: “We are delighted to be funding these nine new projects through our Supporting Families programme. These projects are strengthening families’ ability to cope with the challenges they face. We hope they will have a really positive impact on the lives of people who need our help the most.”

The Supporting Families programme has invested a total of £25 million in projects to help families in Northern Ireland cope with a range of issues they face and improve their children’s lives. The programme is now closed. For information on other funding, including the People and Communities programme, visit www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/northernireland.

For media enquiries, please contact Lucy Gollogly at the Big Lottery Fund Press Office. Direct line: 02890 551 432

Out of hours media contact: 07580811135

Website: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/northernireland

Twitter: @BIGNIonline

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundNI

Notes to Editors:

• The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £6.5billion to projects that make a difference to people and communities in need, from early years intervention to commemorative travel funding for World War Two veterans.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.