Charities in Northern Ireland have received more than £2.6m in National Lottery funding to run community projects.

The funding from the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) has been handed to 81 projects, with grants ranging from £1,000 to £500,000.

This includes schemes to tackle social isolation among older people, support pupils and communities affected by poverty, health conditions or disability.

Those handed grants include the Stroke Association, which has used its £498,771 funding to provide emotional support to stoke survivors and their families. This includes counselling and events to share experiences and meet new people.

Ursula Ferguson, service and engagement lead at The Stroke Association, said: “Stroke survivors and carers tell us that they struggle emotionally with the impact of stroke” and this funding has helped “use our expertise to get vital support to people across Northern Ireland”.

Another to benefit is the Mae Murray Foundation, which has used its £9,983 grant to help people with complex disabilities to take part in surfing activities.

“Family members have joined in either on the water or back at shore too, meaning over 300 people have benefited from this inclusive project already, having so much fun together,” said the Foundation’s operations manager Kyleigh Lough.

NLCF Northern Ireland chair Paul Sweeney added: “I’m looking forward to seeing how these projects improve the lives of people from across Northern Ireland as we start to re-build and re-connect following our experiences of the pandemic over the last 18 months.”

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