Funding boost for Lurgan projects

Three Lurgan projects are set to benefit from almost £100,000 of funding thanks to the Alpha Programme.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Mar 2019, 11:33 BST
Updated 4th Mar 2019, 12:35 BST
Raymond Robinson, Belfast Zoo, Niamh-Anne McNally, Alpha Programme; John ODowd MLA with St Francis Primary Schools Eimear Brown and Cormac McCaviganRaymond Robinson, Belfast Zoo, Niamh-Anne McNally, Alpha Programme; John ODowd MLA with St Francis Primary Schools Eimear Brown and Cormac McCavigan
Raymond Robinson, Belfast Zoo, Niamh-Anne McNally, Alpha Programme; John ODowd MLA with St Francis Primary Schools Eimear Brown and Cormac McCavigan

St Francis Primary School will receive £35,000 for the ‘Silverwood Sanctuary’, a project to breed red squirrels within the school’s grounds and then release them into the wild.

Shankill Lurgan Community Projects have been awarded £10,000 to allow them to upgrade their kitchen facilities and expand the much needed community services they provide.

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Local sporting facilities are set to benefit too, with St Mary’s GAC Aghagallon awarded £50,000. This will enable the club to renovate their clubhouse, upgrade their floodlights and improve their training pitch drainage.

Carla Lockhart MLA with Niamh-Anne McNally, Alpha Resource Management.Carla Lockhart MLA with Niamh-Anne McNally, Alpha Resource Management.
Carla Lockhart MLA with Niamh-Anne McNally, Alpha Resource Management.

Niamh-Anne McNally from Alpha Resource Management, said: “We’re delighted to be able to announce this latest round of awards. These three very different projects really show what the Alpha Programme is all about.”

The Alpha Programme has supported over 170 projects since it was launched in 2008.

Ten years on, it has distributed over £5.5 million through the Landfill Communities Fund to projects dedicated to bringing positive change to communities within a 15-mile radius of the landfill site at Mullaghglass on the outskirts of Lisburn. The Programme is managed by Groundwork NI.

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Richard Rogers who oversees the Programme for Groundwork NI, said: “We’re particularly pleased to be able to support St Francis PS’s ambitious biodiversity project.

Dolores Kelly, MLA, Peter McStravick, Committee member, Richard Rogers Alpha Programme, Cormac Mulholland (11), St Marys Derrymore, Aiden McIntyre (9), St Patricks Aghagallon and Eran Loughran,(10), St Marys Derrymore.Dolores Kelly, MLA, Peter McStravick, Committee member, Richard Rogers Alpha Programme, Cormac Mulholland (11), St Marys Derrymore, Aiden McIntyre (9), St Patricks Aghagallon and Eran Loughran,(10), St Marys Derrymore.
Dolores Kelly, MLA, Peter McStravick, Committee member, Richard Rogers Alpha Programme, Cormac Mulholland (11), St Marys Derrymore, Aiden McIntyre (9), St Patricks Aghagallon and Eran Loughran,(10), St Marys Derrymore.

“The dedication and enthusiasm of the teachers and pupils at the school to take this on and make it a success is inspiring.”

Applications for the next round of Alpha Programme funding close on Friday, April 12.

Anyone considering applying to the programme is encouraged to contact Richard Rogers at [email protected] to discuss their application prior to submission.