Northern Ireland community initiatives get over £100,000 from Bank of Ireland

In total, it has awarded £100,000 this year to community, enterprise and charity initiatives across Northern Ireland through its Begin Together

Programme.

Earlier this year, grants from the Begin Together Community Fund were allocated to 25 local initiatives.

Amongst these was First Steps Women’s Centre in Dungannon, which is putting its funding towards improve the digital skills of older and migrant women, giving them greater control over their spending and confidence in using online technology.

The North West Migrants Forum also received an allocation, which it is using to support a mental health and wellbeing programme and to train 15 participants in suicide first aid and ASIST skills.

Other recipients include St Paul’s Amateur Boxing Club, St Malachy’s Old Boys Youth Football Club and Kith and Kin Financial Wellbeing (all Belfast-based), as well as Cloughmills Community Action Team and Mae Murray Foundation.

In October, there were notable successes for three Northern Ireland entrants in Begin Together Awards. Newry was the winner of the City Award, Enniskillen was a runner-up in one of the population categories and Via Wings in Dromore, County Down, was the winner in the Local Community Initiative category

With staff members from the local Bank of Ireland branches also invited to nominate local charities, an additional 42 local groups each received £450 from the Begin Together Fund for Colleagues.

Find out more about the ways Bank of Ireland supports communities at www.bankofireland.com/Begintogether

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