DAERA Minister Announces £1.5m In Grants For Rural Community Groups

The 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 £1.5 million in grant aid to 915 rural voluntary and community sector organizations.

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

Minister Muir made the announcement at Holywood Shared Town Men's Shed, where he presented grant aid letters of offer to the organization and to the Helen's Bay and Crawfordsburn Residents' Association for their Bayburn Community Garden project. "I am delighted to announce that 915 community-led voluntary organizations have been issued with Letters of Offer awarding total grants of just over £1.5 million," Minister Muir said. "The Rural Micro Capital Grant Scheme is an excellent fit within my Department's Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation Framework, supporting rural community-led, voluntary organizations to identify and deliver projects that tackle localized issues of poverty and/or social isolation."

The Minister praised the bottom-up approach of the scheme, highlighting its effectiveness in addressing local issues. He also commended the work of the voluntary and community groups across Northern Ireland for their efforts in building social cohesion in their areas.

The project at Holywood Shared Town Men's Shed will help to modernize their premises, creating a space that brings people together to undertake practical projects for the good of the community. This will promote a sense of community and wellbeing for participants, reducing social isolation.

The scheme is being delivered by Rural Support Networks on behalf of DAERA. Nicholas McCrickard, manager of County Down Rural Community Network, expressed his enthusiasm for the wide range of projects benefiting from the Rural Micro Grants. He emphasized the positive impact these projects have on mental and physical health and thanked the volunteers involved and DAERA for their commitment to supporting such initiatives.