National Lottery cash to improve community buildings in East Antrim

The £5 million Sustainable Community Buildings programme is offering grants of up to £50,000 to help organisations carry out improvements to their venues by installing technology like solar panels, insulation and heat pumps, saving money on energy bills.

Organisations that take part in the programme will have a chance to complete free accredited carbon literacy training delivered by Business in the Community, which will help them to look at ways to reduce their carbon footprint. Action Renewables will also support them to write and implement an environmental plan to consider steps to improve sustainability and cut costs.

It opened on 11 September and will close on 23 October 2024 for applications across: Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Derry City and Strabane District Council, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council.

Kate Beggs, The National Lottery Community Fund’s NI Director said: “Sustainable Community Buildings is designed to kick-start an organisation's journey to sustainability. It is the first step in our ambition under our new strategy to support communities to be environmentally sustainable.

“The programme will help organisations to improve the environmental performance of their building, save money through lower utility bills and reduce their carbon footprint. We believe this will also leave a legacy by increasing awareness and educating community organisations about the environmental challenges they face.”

Some community groups have already taken steps to be environmentally sustainable. CWA Brass Band in Carrickfergus received National Lottery funding in 2023 for solar panels and batteries for their hall on Thomas Street, and are seeing the benefits.

Chris McGookin, Chairman from CWA Brass Band explained: “The solar panels have only been running for less than a year, but we already made savings. The batteries mean power can be stored and used in the evening when the sun is down but the band is practising. The application and installation process was straightforward and we really appreciate the funding that came at a time when we really needed it.

“I would say to other community groups, take a look at this dedicated National Lottery funding programme. It sounds good as there is help and support along the way. Each building is different, and we got help to find out what was best for us.”

“In Carrickfergus there’s strong demand for affordable community space and due to the saving through the solar panels, CWA Brass Band have now been able to open their hall for other groups to use, something they couldn’t do before due to running costs.

“Our building is very important to the local community and this National Lottery investment has allowed us to expand our capacity and build for future projects and make relationships across communities. For us, it has just been the first step, and we’re now looking at other ways to be more sustainable as a group and save more money. As a community it’s everyone’s responsibility to think about the future.”

Women’s Aid ABCLN (Antrim, Ballymena, Carrickfergus, Larne and Newtownabbey) also received National Lottery funding two years ago to install solar panels at the Naomi Centre in Ballymena, and have already seen the benefits.

Karen McConkey, Finance Manager at Women’s Aid ABCLN said: “As part of our project funded by The National Lottery Community Fund to raise awareness of domestic abuse and help protect older people, we were able to secure additional funding for installing solar panels.

“We wanted to do our bit for supporting the environment and try and reduce our ever-increasing bills. The application and installation processes were straight forward and there was help along the way. Experts accessed our building and made sure we got what was best for our situation and organisation. The solar panels have allowed us to make savings at a time when we needed them the most.

“I would say to other groups thinking of applying to the new National Lottery funding programme, Sustainable Community Buildings, if your organisation and building are eligible, give it a go.”

The Sustainable Community Buildings programme, which is distributing money raised thanks to people playing The National Lottery games, opens for applications in stages across Northern Ireland during 2024-2025.

For more information visit The National Lottery Community Fund’s website www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/northern-ireland or contact their enquiries team on 028 9055 1455, [email protected].