Dromara GAC given award for investment

Dromara GAC given award for investment

17 July 2019

DROMARA GAC picked up a Highly Commended trophy in the Open Space Improvement category at the inaugural Whitemountain Programme Awards last week.

The award was in recognition of the success of their recent work to make their grounds more family and environmentally friendly.

Niamh-Anne McNally, Communications Officer at Whitemountain, commented, “Enhancing the environment, improving community sporting facilities and supporting volunteers are key elements of the Whitemountain Programme.

“This project encompasses all three elements and we’re delighted to acknowledge Dromara GAC’s achievements.”

The club used a £50k grant from the Whitemountain Programme to create picnic areas, improve disabled access, develop new walking tracks and plant 500 trees.

Dromara GAC chairman Declan McCann said: “As a club we’ve invested a lot of time and resources into making our grounds better for future generations. It’s great to receive this recognition from Whitemountain and to be able to bring a new trophy back to the club.”

Liam McDonald, Whitemountain’s Finance Director, said: “The Whitemountain Programme is successful primarily because of the efforts of local community groups, sports clubs and environmental organisations, and we wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge this commitment and hard work through the Whitemountain Awards.

“It was great to hear from previously funded recipients, and it was a difficult task shortlisting the submissions as there were so many very worthy entries.”

The Whitemountain Programme has supported 189 community and biodiversity projects since it was launched in 2008.

It has distributed £6.15m through the Landfill Communities Fund to projects dedicated to bringing positive change to communities within a 15-mile radius of the landfill site at Mullaghglass on the outskirts of Lisburn.  The programme is managed by Groundwork NI.

Applications for the next round of Alpha Programme funding close on Friday, July 26. Anyone considering applying to the Programme is encouraged to contact Richard Rogers at alphaprogramme@groundworkni.co.uk to discuss their application prior to submission.