Council Awards Over £1m in Grants
At last night’s Council meeting, Mid Ulster District Council awarded £1,295,728 in grants to support a total of 859 projects to a wide range of groups across the local community and voluntary sector within the district.
The Council’s reinvestment of rates collected back into the community will help to support a range of activities from sports, arts and culture, community and strategic events to community development and good relations projects.
Commenting on the funding allocation, Chair of the Council, Councillor Eugene McConnell said,
“As with every year, the demand for grant aid has remained high. And while not every request can be granted nor every full amount given, the Council’s priority remains supporting our community and voluntary sector in Mid Ulster. This is emphasised by the impressive sum of money the Council has allocated to groups across the different categories this year.
“It’s great to see so many local organisations, community groups, and individual athletes from one end of the district to the other who have received grants funding. No matter the total amount, every ratepayer’s pound reinvested by the Council will support projects and activities that will make a real difference to the lives of people in our communities.”
Grants were awarded in the following project categories: Community Festivals; Good Relations; Community / Sports Venues / Facilities; Small Development Grant; Individual and Team Sports Representatives; Strategic Arts; Strategic Community Development; Strategic Event; and Strategic Sports, as well as the Pitches Strategy Feasibility Grant, School Sports Access and Irish language activities.
The biggest number of grant awards, making up a total of £251,809, was allocated to the Small Development Grant Fund, which saw 278 community organisations receive funding for grass-roots community initiatives which aim to enhance the quality of life for all residents.
A further 88 applicants received £152,475, enabling clubs and organisations to continue providing activities from their venues and facilities that significantly contribute to local communities physical, mental and social wellbeing.
Seven strategic sports organisations including the Irish FA, Tyrone GAA, Ulster Hockey Ltd, Derry GAA, Ulster Rugby, Basketball NI and Swim Ulster received a total of £67,925 for projects in the Mid Ulster area to increase participation and skills in their respective fields of sport.
Six strategic arts and culture community organisations including Bardic Theatre, Carntogher Community Association, Craic Arts Centre, Glasgowbury, BARD and the Hub BT80 received awards totalling £90,250 to deliver participatory and community-based arts initiatives in the district.
A further five strategic community development received a total of £28,500 for projects focusing on support services, in particular, women and rural residents.
Over 120 projects, including festivals, fun days, seasonal celebrations, vintage rallies and VE 80th Anniversary events received local community festival grants totalling £96,448.
Strategic Event grants were awarded to a total of 14 projects, totalling £71,250. The large-scale events supported draw significant attendance from not only inside Mid Ulster but further afield and include the Cookstown 100 Motorcycle Road Race, the Irish Junior Open Tour Players Championship and the Clogher Valley Show, among others.
For more information, including a full list of all grant categories and recipients go to www.midulstercouncil.org/grants.