Letterkenny Youth & Family Service, Liquid Therapy and The No Barriers Foundation have been selected among 68 community projects to receive financial support from Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together programme in 2022.
In total, €500,000 is being allocated to groups across the island of Ireland in year three of the fund, delivered in partnership with the Community Foundation for Ireland. This will bring the total value of grants issued via the Community Fund to €1.5M since 2020.
Liquid Therapy, an award-winning Surf and Ocean Therapy social enterprise based in South Donegal, will be using the funding to deliver sibling surf camps.
Letterkenny Youth & Family Service (LYFS) will be supported for a project called It’s My Chance which will improve positive mental health and improve physical health and well-being, of young men aged 16-25yrs who are at risk, hard to engage, not in employment, education or training, and currently excluded from society.
The No Barriers Foundation in Letterkenny addresses the lack of accessible and affordable ongoing rehabilitation and health support for those with physical and intellectual disabilities, once discharged from care within the HSE. Begin Together funding will help the charity to obtain an Ekso UE upper limb suit, and expand the service.
The Fund is one strand of the Bank of Ireland Begin Together programme, a three-year, €4 Million initiative to support community groups, local enterprise and the arts across the island of Ireland. The Community Fund aims to support initiatives that are improving the financial, mental, or physical wellbeing with initiatives receiving up to €20,000 each for projects spanning financial literacy and wellbeing, mental health, disability, inclusion and diversity and social isolation.
Laura Lynch, Chief Marketing Officer, Bank of Ireland, said: “We’re immensely proud to support a wide range of community groups, charities, and social enterprises working across Ireland. What they do unites, supports and protects local communities and the most vulnerable in society.”
Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of The Community Foundation for Ireland, added:
“The Bank of Ireland Community Fund is transforming lives, often when people are experiencing greatest need. We believe in equality for all in thriving communities. It is an ambitious goal but one, which through initiatives like the Community Fund, is achievable.
“The impact we have seen since the fund was first established has been extraordinary, particularly when you consider that it was providing support with the backdrop of the pandemic. The Community Foundation for Ireland values its partnership with Bank of Ireland and looks forward to working together into the future for the betterment of all our communities.”
