County Down Charity Secures Funding from Lidl’s £25,000 Green Fund
• Six sustainability- focused projects across Northern Ireland were awarded funding by Lidl’s Green Fund, with Newcastle Harbour Heritage Association selected as the winning initiative in County Down
Newcastle Harbour Heritage Association is one of six organisations awarded funding by the Lidl Northern Ireland Green Fund.
The charity – which works to protect and celebrate Newcastle’s rich heritage, while supporting wellbeing, education and community life in the town – applied for funding to open a new Repair Café.
It was awarded over £4,000 to develop the project, which they hope will reduce the amount of scrap metal and other waste going to landfill.
The Lidl Green Fund, which launched last year in partnership with Business in the Community Northern Ireland, is designed to support local initiatives addressing key environmental challenges across climate action, biodiversity, circular economy and sustainable living.
A total fund of £25,000 was awarded, with one project selected from each county across Northern Ireland.
Schools, charities and community groups from across the region applied, with each winning project receiving up to £4,200 to help deliver sustainable, community-focused initiatives.
With sustainability at the heart of the project, Newcastle Harbour Heritage Association’s Repair Café is being developed in response to a growing number of local people choosing to fix broken or unused items rather than buy new ones.
Speaking about their success, Shona Collins from Newcastle Harbour Heritage Association said: “The funding from Lidl Northern Ireland’s Green Fund will allow us to realise our goal of opening a Repair Café, which will benefit the local community by saving people money, as well as reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.
“Newcastle Harbour Heritage Association is committed to developing the town as a sustainable place to live and visit, and this project is just one of many that we hope will help to achieve this.”
Elaine O’Connor, Head of Sustainability at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland said: “The Lidl Green Fund was launched to support sustainable, local projects that aim to tackle key environmental challenges across climate and biodiversity, circular economy and sustainable living, for the benefit of towns and villages throughout Northern Ireland.
“As a responsible retailer, and leader in sustainability, we have a responsibility to educate and support our customers and the communities in which we operate to lead more sustainable lives.
“We are excited to see how each of our winners across Northern Ireland use the funding to create a greener future”.
The six regional winning projects are:
- Down | Newcastle Harbour Heritage Association: Repair Café
- Armagh | Maralin Village Primary School: Outdoor Sensory Garden
- Antrim | Ashton Community Trust: Community Garden
- Derry~Londonderry | St Patrick’s & St Joseph’s Primary School: Biodiversity Trail
- Fermanagh | Lisnaskea Emmetts GAC: Nature Walk Trail
- Tyrone | St. Mary’s Primary School: Polytunnel
The Lidl Northern Ireland Green Fund will reopen for applications in Spring 2026, with the aim to support more sustainability projects across the region. Named Sustainable Retail Business of the Year at the 2024 Business Eye Awards, the Green Fund reflects Lidl’s its ongoing commitment to community engagement and environmental responsibility, creating a greener future for all.
For more information, or to apply, please visit:
