Six extraordinary community organisations from Co. Donegal have been announced as County Winners of the first ever National Lottery Good Causes Awards today.
The inaugural Good Causes awards honour the inspiring work being carried out by thousands of projects, clubs and individuals in Ireland thanks to National Lottery Good Causes funding.
There are 174 County Winners nationwide who win a Framed Certificate of Achievement. The Donegal County Winners are:
- Sport – Killybegs GAA Club
- Health & Wellbeing – Liquid Therapy Bundoran
- Arts & Culture – An Grianán Theatre
- Heritage – Kilmacrennan Abbey Preservation Society
- Community – Spraoi agus Sport Family Centre
- Youth – Donegal Youth Service
These winners will now go forward to the six Regional finals, competing for a place in the National Finals in Dublin on Saturday 3rd November where the top prize is €35,000.
Announcing the winners in the County phase of the competition today National Lottery CEO, Dermot Griffin, said: “We were bowled over by the number and calibre of entries we received for these inaugural awards and it is proof that organisations supported by Good Causes funding are having a huge impact in their local communities. These groups are doing extraordinary things and the National Lottery Good Causes awards recognize and celebrate their achievements.”
Broadcaster and entrepreneur Bobby Kerr, Chair of the Judging panel, concluded: “It is a privilege to be involved in these awards and to learn first-hand of the impact of Good Causes in every parish, village and town in Ireland. It has been a very tough job selecting winners. I congratulate all of those who have come through the County phase of the competition and look forward to the Regional Finals next month.”
Each category winner will receive €10,000 and the overall Good Cause of the Year will receive an additional €25,000.
Nearly 30 cent of every euro spent on National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes all over the country in the areas of Sports, Arts, Culture, Heritage, Community, Health, Youth and the Irish Language. Last year alone €226 million was raised, or approximately €620,000 every day.
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