Sixteen Belfast groups are today sharing in a grants windfall from the Big Lottery Fund’s Awards For All programme.  

The small grants programme is awarding over £140,000 to the local groups as part of a grants roll-out of £545,243 to 70 groups across Northern Ireland.

Full list of awards (.doc). 
- 130KB

Awards for All offers community, voluntary and statutory groups the chance to apply for small grants of between £500 and £10,000 that will have a big impact on local communities and the lives of people most in need.

Arts Care NI Ltd, the arts in health charity for Northern Ireland which takes all forms of the arts into healthcare settings for the benefit of patients, staff and visitors, has been awarded a grant of £9,380 to recruit and train new ClownDoctors.

The ClownDoctors, who are experienced, professional arts performers, visit children at their bedsides in hospitals and hospices across Northern Ireland and encourage them to be creative, play, and have fun.

Founder/Director of the Northern Ireland ClownDoctor project, Jan Branch, said: ““We are part of the team of care for each child we visit, working with medical and nursing staff, hospital play specialists, and family members. Our job within that team is to provide opportunities for fun, laughter, play, chat and creativity.

“Hospitals are challenging places for anyone, especially children who find themselves in a different, confusing and sometimes alien place. Every child has the right to play and to enjoy themselves and that’s why we’re here.

“Northern Ireland ClownDoctors are delighted at this award which allows us to recruit and train new ClownDoctors, to expand our team and our hospital visits.'

ClownDoctor Elaine Duncan, aka ‘Dr Twinkle’, said: “It’s really nice to be able to work with the children and see the smiles on their faces. The children’s wards we work in do a fantastic job and it’s lovely to be working with such a great team in really good environment.”

She continued: “The children have the choice whether they want to chat or play with us as we want to make sure they feel as comfortable as possible. It’s great when you do something that makes them giggle and you know they are having fun.”

Action Cancer, an organisation based on Marlborough Park Cross Avenue that provides support and relief for people affected by cancer and related diseases, has been awarded a grant of £10,000 to develop their existing listening ear project.

“One in three people are affected by cancer in their lifetime which equates to 40,000 people living with cancer in Northern Ireland at any one time,” said Elizabeth Boyd, Training and Staff Development Officer.

“A cancer diagnosis has a huge impact on the individual’s life and also those around them, both emotionally and practically.  Action Cancer’s Listening Ear Service has been set up to help with the worries, confusion and reactions at this time and also acts as a sign posting service for more ongoing support.

“The money will be used to provide Listening Ear training to staff in hospitals and schools across Belfast so that people here are suitably equipped to help people within their community affected by a cancer diagnosis.

“Sometimes it’s not easy to confide in those closest to you, so being able to talk to someone you know who is detached from your situation can be the help a person needs to manage the journey better.”

Frank Hewitt, Big Lottery Fund NI Chair, said: “The Big Lottery Fund’s NI Awards for All programme funds health, education, environment and community projects that help people bring about positive change in their lives, improve health and well-being, develop skills and create safer communities.”

“The application process is simple and accessible and shall remain so, making it easy for applicants to successfully apply for small pots of funding that can have such a big impact on local communities and lives.”

Application forms and guidance notes are available to download at www.awardsforall.org.uk.

For more details call us on 028 9055 1455, or e-mail us at enquiriesni@biglotteryfund.org.uk

Further Information

Andrew Kennedy, Press Office Big Lottery Fund: 028 90551426
Mobile: 07788 640 791

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• The changes to Awards for All come after each distributor developed their funding programmes so they could offer specific small grants schemes that would better meet the needs of their sectors.
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out half the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since June 2004. The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £23 billion has now been raised and more than 317,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.