Funding Boost for Northern Ireland Groups from Awards for All

20 Sep 2017 12:13 PM

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

A total of 81 groups across Northern Ireland are sharing in £693,192 from Big Lottery Fund’s Awards for All programme (click here to download a full list of awards). 

Diamond Senior Citizens Club, which is based in Maghery, Co Armagh, has been awarded £6,571 to provide activities and support for older people to improve their health and wellbeing. Activities include trips, workshops, complementary therapies and fitness classes. 

Down's Syndrome Association, based in Belfast, provides support, advice and services to people with Down's Syndrome and their families. They have been awarded a £9,200 grant to provide 40 volunteers with two residential training weekends and first aid training for 20 volunteers. 

Ballymoney & District Community Playgroup received a £10,000 grant to buy equipment and organise outings, focusing on creativity, ICT, sensory and physical development. 

Also receiving funding is Bessie Bell Court Tenants Association, which runs activities to improve the quality of life for the elderly and disabled residents of the housing scheme in Newtownstewart. They have been awarded an £8,520 grant to buy furniture and equipment for the common room so activities and events can take place there. 

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.