Teenager to benefit from Lottery windfall

A RASHARKIN teenager is celebrating a Big Lottery Fund windfall from its Big Deal Small Grants Programme.

The good news marks a new milestone for the programme which has now handed out over 1.4m to 640 projects working with around 30,000 children and young people across Northern Ireland.

The Big Deal Small Grants Programme, administered by Youthnet, was set up in 2006 and has been funded to the tune of 1.5 million by the Big Lottery Fund.

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The programme allows those up to 25 years of age to apply for an award between 500 and 2,500 towards a project where they get to decide what it is they want to do, when, where and how!

Odhran Darragh from Rasharkin, received 2,500 towards his work with young people whose lives have been affected by cancer.

He set up the Aileen McCann Foundation in 2007 in memory of the 16-year-old Dungannon student who died from cancer.

“Aileen and I attended St Patrick’s school in Dungannon then, before I moved here – she was my best friend. Who would have thought a 16-year-old teenager would die from cancer. But Aileen did die and at the same time 1,700 other young people in Northern Ireland were also living with cancer,” explained Odhran.

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“At that time I was coping with depression but it was Aileen’s fight for life which really inspired me and helped get me through. After she died I wanted to turn that loss into something positive and so I set up the foundation.

“We fundraise to help people with cancer and also their families and now that I’ve moved back to Co Antrim, where I was born, I’m continuing my work.”

The Aileen’s Squad project focuses on young people whose lives are touched by cancer in some way, whether they or a friend or relative has been diagnosed.

“I have my own house now and I use two of my bedrooms as a base for the work. Our group meets weekly to provide a social outlet for people, as well as advice and information because, from my own experience, that was one of the things lacking – having somewhere to go for information locally.”

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The Big Deal funding will be used towards activities and a residential for up to 30, 11-16-year-olds within the Aileen McCann Foundation.

For further information please contact: Niamh O’Carolan, The Big Deal Project Officer, [email protected] (www.thebigdealni.com), tel 028 9033 1880.