£1m funding boost for Northern Ireland groups from National Lottery Awards for All

Children, ethnic minority groups and people affected by loneliness are among those benefiting from almost £1 million of National Lottery funding.

These are the first grants in Northern Ireland announced by The National Lottery Community Fund, previously Big Lottery Fund, which rebranded at the end of January. The new name makes a clearer link between playing the National Lottery and the community projects that benefit.

Today a total of 116 community groups and schools across Northern Ireland are sharing in £959,115 from the Awards for All programme.

Carrickfergus And District Senior Gateway Club is using a £10,000 grant to run a Learning Disability Pride 2019 event. This will include a parade, entertainment by artists both with and without a learning disability, a learning disability information market place, and workshops for people to try out new activities.

Gasyard Development Trust, based in Derry/Londonderry, are using a £10,000 grant to run sensory art therapy for children and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Success Dragon & Lion Dance Association, based in Belfast, used a £10,000 grant to organise a Chinese New Year and a celebration event for local ethnic minority groups to raise awareness and celebrate their culture through dance and music.

Also receiving funding is St Eugene's Primary School. The school, based between Omagh and Gortin, is using the £10,000 grant to create an outdoor play area on the school grounds which will be used to run sessions with parents to help them get involved in their children's learning.

See a full list of grants awarded across Northern Ireland today

Kate Beggs, who was recently appointed as The National Lottery Community Fund Northern Ireland Director, said: “I am delighted to announce the first grants in my new role and under our new name, which we hope will help National Lottery players to better understand the difference they make when they buy a ticket.

“It’s lovely to see National Lottery money being used by people who are taking the lead in developing great ideas to help their communities thrive. Small pots of funding from National Lottery Awards for All are bringing people together to make good things happen. I want to say thanks to all the National Lottery players who have helped make this possible.”

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