Issue 99 - Lisburn BT25 • BT26 •BT27 •BT28 • BT29
£148,000 awarded from Hardship Funding Programme A total of 77 community and voluntary groups from across Lisburn and Castlereagh have secured funding worth almost £148,000 from the council’s Hardship Funding Programme. LCCC administer the programme which is funded by the Department for Communities (DfC). It is directed towards helping local groups address hardship issues, related to the current cost of living crisis, particularly around implementation of food and energy related schemes. At a grassroots level, the programme aims to support local communities in several ways. One is to help keep community buildings operational and, where possible, open for longer during the winter months. Another is to support ways of tackling the
Parks & Amenities Team Staff pictured with their award at Lough Moss Leisure Centre
LCCC Parks & Amenities team recognised at professional landscaping awards ceremony
LCCC Parks & Amenities team has been recognised at an awards ceremony for the UK’s professional landscaping industry. They were runnersup in the prestigious ‘Pro Landscaper Project Awards’ for the Lough Moss Carryduff Community Garden Project and Games Area in the ‘Community Green Space’ category. More than 60 companies and organisations (including Local Authorities) from
across the UK vied for recognition from a panel of judges representing professional industry bodies including the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) and the Society of Garden Designers (SGD). The judges included fivetime Chelsea flower show gold medallist and RHS ambassador, Mark Gregory.
Councillor Thomas Beckett, Chair of LCCC’s Communities and Wellbeing Committee said: “We are the first council from Northern Ireland to achieve this honour from the professional landscape industry. It serves to highlight what a dedicated, professional and capable team we have at LCCC and shows they have
provided a top-class community green space to the residents of Lisburn and Castlereagh. The category entered was the ‘community green space under £50,000’, where the main focus was on designing a garden for a wide range of people to use and enjoy - but within a set budget.”
impact of poverty – including community fridge initiatives, holiday hunger projects and meal plans. Money can also go towards developing or enhancing a community planting scheme to help local groups grow fruit and vegetables in community settings. The 77 groups which secured funding include local Scout Groups, Village Halls, Playgroups, Community Associations & Improvement Groups, Church Committees, Bands, Sports Organisations & Women’s centres, Charity and community organisations and Residents Associations.