WIREDGOV

Community groups across Northern Ireland are celebrating after benefiting from National Lottery funding.

A total of 72 groups across Northern Ireland are sharing in £622,607 from Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All programme.

Bleary Busy Bees Pre-School, based in Bleary, outside Craigavon, has been awarded a £1,123 grant to buy gardening equipment to create a green space in the playground to help the children learn about gardening. They will also buy a tablet and printer so that the children’s learning can be captured and displayed in the pre-school.

Flower Pot Men in north Belfast group brings older and retired men together through gardening to reduce social isolation. They have been awarded a £7,795 grant for trees and plants, and equipment to create a fish pond and quiet seated area in Glenbank Garden, where the group volunteer. They are also running training sessions for their members and committee to increase skills and knowledge.

Clogher Valley Rugby Football Club in Fivemiletown has received a £649 grant to buy a stretcher and shelter for use in the event of an accident on the pitch, until emergency services arrive.

Also receiving funding is O-Bon on the Foyle Festival Group in Derry/Londonderry. They have been awarded a £10,000 grant to record and photograph their O-Bon festival, an annual Japanese cultural event when people visit their families, eat special foods and celebrate their ancestors.

Download a full list of grants yesterday awarded across Northern Ireland

Julie Harrison, Big Lottery Fund NI Chair, said: “I am delighted to announce these grants under the Awards for All programme and I want to say thanks to all the National Lottery players who have helped make this possible.

“Awards for All funds health, education, environment and community projects that help people bring about positive change in their lives, improve health and well-being, develop skills and create safer communities.

“The application process is simple and accessible and shall remain so, making it easy for applicants to successfully apply for small pots of funding that can have such a big impact on local communities and lives.”

Application forms and guidance notes are available to download at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk. For more details call us on 028 9055 1455, or e-mail us at enquiries.ni@biglotteryfund.org.uk

For media enquiries, contact Rachel Skinner or Lucy Gollogly at the Big Lottery Fund Press Office on 028 90 551 450, 028 90 551 432

Out of Hours Media Contact: 0774 7532846, 07580 811135 
Website: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/northernireland
Twitter: @BIGNIonline #BigLottery 
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, £35 billion has been raised and more than 490,000 grants awarded.