National Lottery funding helps Mid and East Antrim communities take climate action
- Love Ballymena
- Mar 14, 2022
- 2 min read
Brookeville Enterprises and Triangle Housing Association’s Alternative Angles in Ballymena are among 30 projects in Northern Ireland to receive funding to take climate action from Together for Our Planet, a UK wide programme from The National Lottery Community Fund.
Over £230,000 has been awarded to groups in Northern Ireland who are helping people grow their own produce, reduce waste, learn about repairing and upcycling and improving their local area.
Brookeville Enterprises are using a £9,500 grant to reduce their carbon footprint and energy consumption, and improve environmental sustainability at their Scullery O'Tullagh community allotments site.
The project will plant trees, expand their current water catchment and distribution project, carry out a feasibility study into possible solar and wind power generation, and develop best practices for composting and creating natural fertilisers.
William Millar, Chairman of Brookeville Enterprises, said:
“Our Scullery O’Tullagh allotments site has developed over the years - from raised beds to grow vegetables, to a sheltered area for people to meet regardless of the weather and chat over a cup of tea. We started teaching people skills and inviting groups like the local running club to use the space and learn more about what we are doing here.
“But we were always looking for ways to develop the site more and at the time of COP26 we were inspired to look at ways to be more environmentally friendly.
“The Together for Our Planet funding came just at the right time as we had ideas to make changes to the way we are running the allotments site such as recycling rainwater for our horticultural work and generating our own power to run a generator. Integrating climate action into our work is a very natural next step for us and thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund we are able to make it happen.”
Triangle Housing Association is using a £10,000 grant to research the sustainability of the products created in their social enterprise in Ballymena and make changes to be carbon neutral. The social enterprise, called Alternative Angles, is run by adults with learning disabilities and/or Autism, to produce a range of products such as candles, soaps, beeswax food wraps.
Paul Sweeney, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Northern Ireland Chair, said:
“Climate change is under the world’s spotlight and people are seriously concerned about issues such as increased energy costs. So, it is encouraging to see people taking action locally across Northern Ireland. We know communities have a big role to play – even small steps can make a big difference.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to support local climate action, funding innovative projects that are part of the drive towards net zero and that enables people and communities to thrive.”
The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded £5 million in small grants from the Together for Our Planet programme, to support hundreds of communities across the UK to create a legacy of community-led climate action. Since 2016, we have awarded £397 million through more than 6,000 grants which involve environmental action, including action on waste and consumption, energy, transport, food and the natural environment.
For more information on applying for funding in your area from The National Lottery Community Fund visit: