Groups celebrate cash boost from CIN charity

Recipients of the funding include The Verbal Arts Centre, awarded £107,082 to run the Reading Rooms programme and fund a project co-ordinator over three years to deliver the project to 120 looked after children and young people.

Also celebrating is The Nerve Centre, which receives £109,120 to cover the cost of a programme manager and sessional freelance trainers to deliver a series of music and digital technology workshops in nine Neighbourhood Renewal Cultural Hubs across the county. The grant will give children and young people the opportunity to create music, games, films and animations, gain qualifications and new skills, manage events, and perform.

Ballymagroarty Hazelbank Community Partnership will receive £84,366 to run an outreach project with young people from the inner city, while a grant of £74,085 will enable Kinship Care Northern Ireland to deliver a variety of programmes with children in kinship care. The project will provide a story time and play based programme for children aged three to four and a cookery and arts based life story programme for children aged five to eight. The activities aim to have fun while improving the children’s self-esteem, their resilience and emotional wellbeing.

Paddy Sloan, BBC Children in Need National Head of Northern Ireland said: “BBC Children in Need is delighted to be funding great projects that are making a really positive difference to children and young people across Northern Ireland.

“Here in Londonderry, projects like the Verbal Arts Centre and the Nerve Centre are building confidence and creating opportunities for young people not only to have a great time, but also to develop their skills and aspirations.”

BBC Children in Need’s Chief Executive, David Ramsden added: “Put simply, these grants are made possible by our amazing supporters. Thank you, everybody should feel incredibly proud of the difference they are making to young lives.”

BBC Children in Need awards funding at seven points throughout the year, with more announcements to come throughout 2016. The news means that BBC Children in Need now funds 24 projects in Londonderry with more than £1.3million hard at work to benefit local young lives.

BBC Children in Need relies on the support and creativity of thousands of fundraisers and supporters across the UK who donate their time, money and energy to help raise millions for the Charity. Whether raised by baking cakes, going on rambles, putting on quizzes or taking part in dress up days, every penny goes towards supporting projects right here in Northern Ireland and across the UK.