Grants Awarded The County Down Area
£500K National Lottery funding has been provided to the lives of people in and across County Down.
The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded over £500,000 of grants to organisations in the Newry Mourne and Down and Ards and North Down areas.
The news comes as part of an announcement of almost £5 million of funding to 110 organisations who are supporting people in Northern Ireland to make social connections, learn new skills and to access services to improve their lives.
One of the organisations receiving funding is Home-Start Newry and Mourne.
They have been awarded a £435,387 grant to provide short-term intensive support for families, to help them manage the crisis or challenge that they face.
Over four years the project will provide support in the home and in group settings, to help parents cope with issues and provide a stable home for their children.
The project includes parenting skills workshops, emotional support through peer groups of parents sharing their experiences, practical help to solve issues in the home such as establishing routines, and support to manage difficult behaviours.
Moneydarragh Community Hub also received a £20,000 grant over one-year to improve the energy efficiency of their building by installing double glazing and solar panels.
The project will help reduce the cost of running of the building along with creating a warm and welcoming space for the local community.
Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million a week is raised for good causes like these across the UK, including SMART (NI), based in Castlewellan, is using a £2,889 grant to buy sports and craft equipment to run a summer camp for local young people.
The project will enable young people to learn new skills, build new friendships and improve their mental and physical wellbeing.
Donaghmore (Down) Men’s Shed, is using a £9,937 grant to buy woodwork tools and safety equipment to create planters, bird boxes and bat boxes. The project will support local men to learn new skills and connect with each other to reduce isolation.
Also receiving funding in the area is the 12th Armagh Slieve Gullion Scout Group, Scouting Ireland, An Grúpa Tuismitheoirí agus Tachráin, Communtiy Studio Productions, Inspire Saval, Rostrevor Men’s Shed, and Sheepbridge Heritage and Cultural Society.
Kate Beggs, Northern Ireland Director of The National Lottery Community Fund said: “Congratulations to all the groups receiving funding in this announcement, which are all making a big impact.
“We look forward to seeing what they achieve in their area.”
For more information on National Lottery funding visit:
www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/northern-ireland.
Grants Awarded To The Newry Mourne and Down Area
| Organisation | Location | Project summary | Amount awarded | Funding programme |
| 12th Armagh Slieve Gullion Scout Group Scouting Ireland | Newry, Mourne and Down | 12th Armagh Slieve Gullion Scout Group Scouting Ireland is using a £9,644 grant to buy equipment for a camping trip in the Mournes. The project will develop the teamwork and outdoor skills of local young people. | £9,644 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| An Grúpa Tuismitheoirí agus Tachráin | Newry, Mourne and Down | An Grúpa Tuismitheoirí agus Tachráin based in Castlewellan is using a £2,800 grant to run Irish language activities for Irish speaking children and their families in the local community. The project will run story time sessions, parent and toddler groups and an Irish Language conversation circle for parents whose children are in Irish Medium education. The project will bring together the local Irish Speaking community and reduce isolation. | £2,800 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| Community Studio Productions | Newry, Mourne and Down | Community Studio Productions in Newcastle is using a £9,170 grant, over two years, to develop a community hub in a disused space. The project will buy equipment, carry out renovations and make the space accessible for local community groups to use for activities. | £9,170 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| Donaghmore (Down) Men’s Shed | Newry, Mourne and Down | Donaghmore (Down) Men’s Shed, is using a £9,937 grant to buy woodwork tools and safety equipment to create planters, bird boxes and bat boxes. The project will support local men to learn new skills and connect with each other to reduce isolation. | £9,937 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| Home-Start Newry & Mourne | Newry, Mourne and Down | Home-Start Newry and Mourne is using a £435,387 grant to provide short-term intensive support for families, to help them manage the crisis or challenge that they face. Over four years the project will provide support in the home and in group settings, to help parents cope with issues and provide a stable home for their children. The project includes parenting skills workshops, emotional support through peer groups of parents sharing their experiences, practical help to solve issues in the home such as establishing routines, and support to manage difficult behaviours. | £435,387 | People and Communities |
| Inspire Saval | Newry, Mourne and Down | Inspire Saval, based between Newry and Rathfriland, are using a £9,500 grant to carry out an options appraisal, business plan and design costings, to support the development of a community hub. The project will assess ways of addressing rural isolation and the lack of facilities in the local area. | £9,500 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| Moneydarragh Community Hub Limited | Newry, Mourne and Down | Moneydarragh Community Hub is using a £20,000 grant over one-year to improve the energy efficiency of their building by installing double glazing and solar panels. The project will help reduce the cost of running of the building along with creating a warm and welcoming space for the local community. | £20,000 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| Rostrevor Men’s Shed | Newry, Mourne and Down | Rostrevor Men’s Shed is using a £6,280 grant to buy new equipment to support the group’s activities. The project will enable the group to expand their current activities and for members to learn new skills and improve wellbeing. | £6,899 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| Sheepbridge Heritage and Cultural Society | Newry, Mourne and Down | Sheepbridge Heritage and Cultural Society is using a £10,000 grant to transform an unused space in their building into a welcoming meeting area for small groups. The project will enable the group to offer space out to more groups in the community and reduce the heating costs needed for their larger room. | £10,000 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| SMART (NI) | Newry, Mourne and Down | SMART (NI), based in Castlewellan, is using a £2,889 grant to buy sports and craft equipment to run a summer camp for local young people. The project will enable young people to learn new skills, build new friendships and improve their mental and physical wellbeing. | £2,889 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
Grants awarded in Ards and North Down Area
| Organisation | Location | Project summary | Amount awarded | Funding programme |
| Christ Church Primacy, Bangor | Ards and North Down | Christ Church Primacy in Bangor, which runs CAP Debt Centre, is using a £10,000 grant to cover essential costs so they can keep the centre open to provide support to local families. | £10,000 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| Kilcooley Women’s Centre | Ards and North Down | Kilcooley Women’s Centre is using a £481,040 grant to run volunteering and wellbeing activities for women in Bangor, Newtownards and the Ards Peninsula. Over three years the project will empower women to improve their mental health, reduce isolation, build resilience and provide opportunities for them to use their skills to benefit the wider community and support other women. The project will include training courses, mindfulness activities, support groups, social opportunities, and volunteer placements as peer mentors, delivering craft workshops, or working in the social supermarket café. The centre will provide childcare to help remove barriers for the women to take part in the project. | £481,040 | People and Communities |
| Kircubbin Volunteers LOL 1900 | Ards and North Down | Kircubbin Volunteers LOL 1900 is using a £9,332 grant to make improvements to their hall. Work includes upgrading security and kitchen facilities and buying tables and chairs to make the hall more accessible and comfortable for community groups to use for activities. | £9,332 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| Loughries Men’s Shed | Ards and North Down | Loughries Men’s Shed in Newtownards is using an £8,405 grant over two years to buy equipment to help deliver their allotment and workshop activities, and to expand their Ukulele project. They will run Ukulele lessons and organise music performances at local day centres, nursing homes, and older people’s groups in community centres. The project will improve the mental health and wellbeing of members and the people who benefit from their community music sessions. | £8,405 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| NI Active Youth | Ards and North Down | NI Active Youth, which is based in Bangor, is using an £18,866 grant over one year to run accessible physical activity sessions for young people, including those with additional physical and learning needs. The project will include weekly activity sessions, Active Holiday Camps and a coaching programme to improve health and wellbeing and promote inclusion. | £18,866 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| Redburn Loughview Community Forum | Ards and North Down | Redburn Loughview Community Forum in Holywood is using a £19,846 grant to run activities to bring local young people together from Redburn, Loughview estate and Palace Barracks. The two-year project will reduce isolation and build friendships. | £19,846 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
| War Years Remembered | Ards and North Down | War Years Remembered in Ballyclare is using a £10,000 grant to safely relocate their museum artifacts to new premises in Newtownards. The museum will be available for schools and the local community to learn more about war history and provide a supportive environment for veterans to reminisce. | £10,000 | Awards for All Northern Ireland |
