29 June 2000

Charities Board Grants Open New Doors for 71 Voluntary Groups

Grant awards totalling more than £6.5 million today brought midsummer cheer and opened up new opportunities to alleviate social need for 71 voluntary and community groups across Northern Ireland.

The money is the latest tranche of awards to be announced by the National Lottery Charities Board under its Community involvement and Poverty and disadvantage main grants programmes. The total of £6,556,940 is made up of awards ranging between £7,000 and almost £250,000.

The awards, which were announced at a presentation in the Stormont Hotel, Belfast, today, bring the total disbursed to voluntary groups in Northern Ireland by the Charities Board over the past six years to just under £72 million, assisting 898 separate projects.

Noel Stewart, Chairman of the Charities Board Northern Ireland Committee, told the recipients that it was difficult to over-estimate the positive and beneficial impact of their work on the lives of those they helped.

As the biggest single non-statutory source of funding for voluntary action in Northern Ireland it was both the privilege and the responsibility of the National Lottery Charities Board to be the primary engine driving the movement to new levels of involvement, aspiration and achievement.

All who worked within the Board had reason to be proud of what was being achieved and the way in which voluntary groups were responding creatively and positively to the new opportunities it had opened up. The groups were the real benefactors in the community, identifying needs throughout society and delivering services to meet them.

Northern Ireland Director Ann McLaughlin said the Board was pleased to be able, once again, to make a contribution to the hard work and dedicated service offered by so many organisation in so many diverse ways, and to help ease the load of alleviating social need.

"Helping alleviate social need is your mission - helping you is ours," she said.

Among the biggest grants announced today is one of £244,841 to Northlands, the Londonderry based organisation which is developing a co-ordinated approach to helping local communities tackle alcohol and drug-related issues.

Other awards include: -

Foyle Search and Rescue - £90,000 for a new base and launch slip for its life saving service and accident and suicide prevention programme.

The Orchardville Society - £95,456 for its pioneering programme in Belfast to train for meaningful employment people with severe learning disabilities.

The Clogher Care Charity - £98,841 for the provision of door to door transport service to help improve the quality of life for older people.

Childline Northern Ireland - £143,803 to support its counselling service in Northern Ireland for children in danger, suffering or being abused.

Issued on behalf of the National Lottery Charities Board Northern Ireland by Future Image. For further information contact Sally Gardiner on 028 90423314