£100k boost to expand Ballymena support service for older people

The Gallaher Trust has committed £100,000 to Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership’s Delivering Options through Tailored Solutions (Dots) social enterprise. Pictured are, from left, Chrissy Havelin, Finance and Systems Team Lead, Rebecca Rea, Dots Service Coordinator, Jenny Marshall, Executive Director of Community Programmes and James Perry MBE, a Trustee at The Gallaher Trust. 

More than 550 older adults across the Ballymena area are set to receive expanded practical support at home after Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership secured a £100,000 funding boost from The Gallaher Trust.

The investment will allow the partnership’s Dots social enterprise to grow its services over the next three years, while also creating new jobs aimed specifically at older workers in the local community.

The funding comes amid growing pressure on services supporting older people to remain independent and continue living safely in their own homes for longer.

Funding to expand home support across Ballymena

Dots — short for Delivering Options through Tailored Solutions — was established in October 2024 as a pilot scheme under Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership.

Operating as a social enterprise, the service reinvests profits back into community support for older people living in the Ballymena area.

The organisation provides practical day-to-day assistance designed to help older adults maintain independence and reduce isolation.

Services currently include:

• companionship support

• light cleaning and laundry

• assisted shopping

• transport services

• accompaniment to appointments

Over the next three years, Dots plans to employ and train 24 people while expanding support to up to 550 disadvantaged adults locally.

The organisation also hopes to generate additional income to strengthen and sustain wider partnership services in the future.

Focus on independence and dignity

The Gallaher Trust has committed £100,000 to Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership’s Delivering Options through Tailored Solutions (Dots) social enterprise. Jenny Marshall, Executive Director of Community Programmes at Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership is pictured alongside James Perry MBE, Trustee at The Gallaher Trust. 

Jenny Marshall, Executive Director of Community Programmes at Mid and East Antrim Agewell Partnership, said the funding would have a direct impact on vulnerable older residents across the area.

“This support will make a real difference to older adults in Ballymena, allowing Dots to expand its reach and services to hundreds of people who rely on practical, compassionate assistance from people they can trust,” she said.

“Beyond helping older people to remain in their own homes for a longer period of time, this funding will also enable us to create meaningful employment opportunities, particularly for members of the older workforce, which is a vital part of our community.

“At Dots, our mission is to strengthen connections, provide opportunities and companionship, and ensure that older adults continue to live with dignity and purpose.”

The expansion comes at a time when many older residents are facing increasing pressures linked to loneliness, transport challenges and the rising cost of living, particularly in rural and semi-rural communities across Mid and East Antrim.

The Gallaher Trust backs local projects

Since launching in 2017, The Gallaher Trust has committed £3.1 million to charities, social enterprises and community organisations focused on job creation, skills development and support for disadvantaged adults.

According to the Trust, its funding programmes have so far helped create 486 jobs, upskill more than 1,700 adults and provide support to over 2,100 disadvantaged people.

James Perry MBE, Trustee at The Gallaher Trust, said the Ballymena-based initiative reflected the type of long-term community investment the organisation aims to support.

“On behalf of the Trust, we have always been committed to supporting projects that create lasting, positive change in local communities,” he said.

“Dots is a much-needed service, combining high-quality care with meaningful employment, helping older people remain independent for longer whilst strengthening the workforce.

“Supporting adults of all ages and backgrounds is vitally important to the Trust and we’re confident that this funding will go a long way towards improving the lives of older people in Ballymena.”

The latest funding announcement is expected to strengthen local support networks for older adults at a time when demand for community-based care and practical assistance continues to grow across Northern Ireland.

For further information on The Gallaher Trust, visit: www.thegallahertrust.org