Community funding: £5m lottery fund offers energy grants

Community groups are being granted the funds for energy efficient projects

Community groups in Northern Ireland are set to benefit from grants of up to £50,000 for energy efficiency projects.

The National Lottery Community Fund is launching a £5m Sustainable Community Buildings programme.

The funds are issued for improvements like solar panels, insulation and heat pumps.

The resulting savings could allow groups to put more of their resources into their activities, rather than paying increasing energy bills.

The Fund's NI director Kate Beggs said it was part of a new strategy to support communities to be environmentally sustainable and increase awareness of environmental challenges.

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Organisations applying to the programme will get free carbon literacy training to help them understand how to reduce their carbon footprint.

They will also get access to experts to help them write an environmental plan to improve sustainability and cut costs.

'A clear win/win'

A number of groups have already made similar changes and say there are many benefits.

The support service Cancer Lifeline received a sustainability grant more 10 ten years ago.

While the environment is not the focus of the group, Liddean McStravog said putting in solar panels had helped them save £1,000 a year - equivalent to five people getting help through counselling.

Bryan Irwin and Liddean McStravog from Cancer Lifeline have received funding from The National Lottery Community Fund over the past 10 years to help them be more environmentally sustainable

"Savings are directed to vital support services that are making a real difference to people's lives," Ms McStravog said.

"Our message to other community projects is, don't shy away. 

"You don't have to be experts, just willing to embrace ways of becoming more sustainable and saving money along the way.

"A clear win/win, for all." 

The new funding programme will open in stages, with organisations in Ards and North Down, Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon, Mid Ulster, and Newry Mourne and Down council areas eligible to apply from 7 February.