£6.8m of National Lottery funding is bringing festive cheer to people and communities across NI

Christmas has come early for 139 community groups across Northern Ireland who are sharing a total of £6.8million of funding from The National Lottery Community Fund.

The National Lottery funding is being used to bring isolated people together in warm spaces, to support people struggling with the rising cost of living, and to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable people during the festive period.

Download a full list of grants awarded

Out of the 139 groups awarded funding, 119 of them have received small grants to make a big difference in their community, including Balnamore Community Association. The group, based near Ballymoney, is bringing young and older people together to take part in shared activities, build relationships and learn from each other.

Mitzi Laverty, Trustee of Balnamore Community Association said: “Thanks to a £10,000 grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, we are bringing joy to older people in the area who are feeling particularly lonely and isolated during the winter months. Last week a group of local young people prepared a Christmas event for the older people - it was lovely to see their smiling faces, making connections and enjoying a hot meal with great company. This has built good relationships between our younger and older generations and will help the community move forward onto the next stage of our project where our younger people will become buddies for the older people, to mentor each other and build their self-esteem.”

Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £30 million a week is raised for good causes, including The Resource Centre Derry. They have been awarded a £173,278 National Lottery grant to expand their Meals on Wheels Service and support people over the next two years.

Patrick McCarron, CEO, The Resource Centre Derry said: “We’re providing nutritious meals to 120 older or vulnerable people who are struggling to cook proper meals themselves or buy healthy ingredients due to the rising cost of living. But we don’t just deliver the meals, we also check-in on people’s health and wellbeing, give them some human contact and help them to feel less lonely - we might be the only person they speak to that day.

“Our team of cooks, drivers and volunteers are providing much needed support and always looking out for potential health and safety risks in the older people’s homes or signposting to additional support they could receive.”

Also receiving funding is BOMOKO NI, which has been awarded a £10,000 grant to provide activities and food hampers for refugee and asylum seeker women living in Belfast. The project is bringing women together for festive celebrations to share food from different countries and learn about different cultures. They will also take part in walking groups and creative workshops to build friendships and improve their mental health.

Paul Sweeney, The National Lottery Community Fund’s NI Chair, said: “I’m proud to see the impact our funded projects are having in people’s lives and across communities in Northern Ireland. This winter is difficult for many but thanks to these projects, people are being supported to make connections and feel less isolated.

“We are supporting groups to deal with the rising costs that are challenging their services and working flexibly to ensure that National Lottery funding is continuing to reach people who need support.”

For more information on National Lottery funding visit  www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/northern-ireland.