£16.5k fillip for Carrickfergus community groups

The work of four Carrickfergus-based community organisations has been recognised at a special reception at Stormont.

Belfast Lough Sailability, Carrickfergus and District Senior Gateway, Carrickfergus Women’s Forum and Greenisland Football Club all obtained support from the Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland, which hosted the 30th anniversary celebration.

Among those in attendance were Stephen Frecknall and Paul Bunting of Belfast Lough Sailability which received a grant of £5,000 from the foundation towards running costs.

The Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland has distributed £32.5m grant aid to more than 8,000 charities since it formed 30 years ago, including Carrickfergus and District Senior Gateway, which received £2,400 towards rent costs, Carrickfergus Women’s Forum, which received £5,000 towards its Finance and Monitoring officer’s salary and Greenisland FC, which received £4,175 for its Community Initiative Project.

Since it was formed in 1985, the formerly named Lloyds TSB Foundation for Northern Ireland has funded a wide variety of groups dedicated to supporting deprived communities.

Through its five grant programmes in 2014 the foundation released funding of £1.48 million, amounting to 549 separate grants for charity and community and voluntary groups from every corner of Northern Ireland.

Sandara Kelso-Robb, executive director of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland, said: “The foundation is proud to have been part of the life of Northern Ireland for the past 30 years and it will continue to provide support to the thousands of people and organisations that make a huge difference to deprived communities. The cuts in public sector spending mean that our work is more important than ever.”

Jim McCooe, Lloyds Banking Group ambassador for Northern Ireland, said: “I would like to pay tribute to the incredible work of the groups that the foundation has supported this year and throughout its 30-year history.

“We are proud of our relationship with the foundation and look forward to many more years of working with them to support charities across Northern Ireland.”