On a visit to Saintfield to see first-hand the benefits of the Rural Micro Capital Grants Scheme at Saintfield Community Trust and Saintfield Rural Development Association Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots MLA announced that the Scheme had passed £5million total allocated.
Minister Poots commented: “The key aim of the Rural Micro Capital Grants Scheme is to provide small capital grants to rural community/voluntary led organisations for projects tackling issues of local poverty and/or social isolation. Thanks to our investment of over £5million, since 2016 almost 4,400 projects have been successfully completed. The very tangible importance these micro grants brings to rural life and rural dwellers across Northern Ireland cannot be stressed enough.”
The Scheme is funded from DAERA’s Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) Programme and focuses on three key themes identified as contributory factors to poverty and social isolation: Modernisation (of existing premises / assets); Information and Communications Technology; and Improvements to health and wellbeing. Also, in the context of COVID-19 recovery, support has been available to assist rural organisations to reopen and recover.
The Minister added: “Projects like these I’ve visited at Saintfield Community Trust and at Saintfield Rural Development Association provide tremendous benefits to local rural community and voluntary groups. I’ve witnessed, at both groups, wonderful people displaying a togetherness and a community spirit fostered by the projects supported through my Department’s Rural Micro Capital Grant Scheme. So many worthy organisations who provide vital services in rural communities everyday have benefited from the scheme and I am very proud that my department could help.”
Notes to editors:
1. Photo caption: Minister is pictured visiting Saintfield Community Centre with Barbara Graham, Chair of the Saintfield Community Trust (L-R) Lawrence Murphy, Martyn Todd and other members of Saintfield Community Trust where he viewed facilities and was updated on plans for the centre and the Windmill Park project.
2. The Rural Micro Capital Grants Scheme is one of a suite of initiatives funded through DAERA’s Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation Programme. This year £8.27m has been committed to initiatives to address localised and regional rural poverty, social isolation and health and well-being issues.
3. Rural Micro Capital Grant Scheme
The 2021 Scheme has provided applicants such as Saintfield Community Trust and Saintfield Rural Development Association with support for projects under the Themes of Information & Communications Technology; Health & Wellbeing; and Modernisation (of premises / assets), as well as addressing some of the needs that have been identified by the Covid crisis, and recovery from it.
4. Through the TRPSI Programme, in 2021 655 Letters offering £832k of grant aid to community and voluntary rural organisations across Northern Ireland, bringing the total offered since the Scheme’s inception, in 2015 to just over £5m.
5. Saintfield Community Trust
Saintfield Community Trust was set up to advance education and provide facilities with the objective of improving the life for Saintfield’s residents.
6. The Trust applied for funding from the Rural Micro Capital Grant Scheme 2021 to install raised beds at Saintfield Community Centre to facilitate the delivery of community horticulture and, as well, to create space where people socialise, engage with nature and appreciate the outdoors. The project addresses the TRPSI objective of access poverty by providing safe outdoor green spaces and offers outdoor leisure time. Social isolation is addressed as the project will create social opportunities for the wider community especially for older people, supporting their social wellbeing and will help promote positive mental and physical health.
7. Saintfield Rural Development Association
Saintfield Rural Development Association was established in 2007 to bring together the rural community around Saintfield to share in social events and to promote a sense of community spirit.
8. The Association has received funding to purchase 10 folding tables to run events such as their weekly soup lunches, table quizzes and other entertainments nights.
9. The project addresses the TRPSI objective of reducing social isolation as the tables will encourage social interaction across the whole community by providing a regular programme of activities which will help reduce the isolation that so many can feel.
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