Claudy organisation among hundreds of rural and community groups to benefit from Minister's grant scheme

Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Minister Andrew Muir MLA today announced that his Department’s 2024 Rural Micro Capital Grant Scheme (RMCGS) has awarded just over £1.5m grant aid to 915 rural voluntary and community sector organisations.

Micro Capital grants of between £500 and £2,000 were available to rural community-led, voluntary organisations from the Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) funded Rural Micro Capital Grant Scheme for projects tackling issues of local poverty and / or social isolation or implementing energy efficiency measures/environmental improvements.

Minister Muir was speaking at Upper Cumber Presbyterian Church, in Claudy, where he handed over their grant aid Letter of Offer for £1,571.64, and a Letter of Offer to Upper Cumber Youth Council for £1,052.11 for the purchase of sound equipment to expand on activities and provide new services for more young people in the community.

Minister Muir said: “I am delighted to be able to announce that 915 community-led voluntary organisations have been issued with Letters of Offer awarding total grants of just over £1.5million to help them address locally identified poverty or social isolation issues."

The Minister continued: “The Rural Micro Capital Grant Scheme is an extremely good-fit within my Department’s Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation Framework, helping rural community-led, voluntary organisations to identify and deliver projects which tackle localised issues of poverty and / or social isolation. This bottom-up approach to addressing local issues is to be commended and I sincerely thank all the voluntary and community groups across Northern Ireland for their work in building social cohesion in their areas”

Minister Muir added: “This project at Upper Cumber Youth Council will enable the purchase of sound equipment, including a PA system, amplifier and microphone to expand on existing activities such as music, dancing, singing etc., and provide new services for more young people in the community all of which help to reduce social isolation in the area. These projects that brings these young people together promote a sense of community and wellbeing for participants, and in turn reduce social isolation. This is exactly the type of project the Scheme was designed to help.”

The scheme is being delivered by Rural Support Networks on behalf of DAERA. Speaking at the event, Philip O’Kane manager of Rural Area Partnership in Derry (RAPID) added: “The DAERA Rural Micro Capital Grant Scheme provides a lifeline to many of the small voluntary community groups we support. Without this funding for essential capital equipment these groups would be unable to continue to provide valuable local services to isolated rural communities.”