£4,000 up for grabs in Rural Community Awards

Launching the 2016 Housing Executive Rural Community Awards (l-r) Mary Watson (Camlough Community Association), Mike Jones (Castlerock Community Association), Eileen McGovern (Tirgan Community Association), Sinead Collins (Housing Executive), Orla McCann (Supporting Communities), Eoin McKinney (Housing Executive) and Clifford Wylie (Huntly Community Estates).

The Housing Executive is calling for entries to the 2016 Rural Community Awards.
 
The organisation’s awards aim to improve community spirit within rural neighbourhoods.  There is a prize fund of £4,000 on offer, with four prizes of £1,000 being awarded to help and support those communities working to improve their respective area.
 
There are two categories: The Cleaner and Greener Award and The Community Spirit Award, which are open to all rural neighbourhoods, not just Housing Executive estates.
 
Within each category, there are two prizes, one for villages with a population of less than 1,000 and one for populations of 1,000-5,000.
 
So if you have an active community group, are proud of your local neighbourhood and live in a community which comes together to improve the local environment, you’re encouraged to enter.
 
Siobhan McCauley, the Housing Executive’s Director of Regional Services, welcomed the launch of the awards saying: 
 
“The Rural Community Awards are in their third year and have gone from strength to strength.  Last year’s entries were superb and clearly demonstrated how rural communities are actively seeking to protect their rural landscape through a range of innovative projects. 
 
“As our Rural Awards grow I hope they will bring more of the significant work being done across Northern Ireland to improve and maintain the valuable rural neighbourhood spirit to the fore.”
 
Sinead Collins, the Housing Executive’s Rural Co-ordinator commented:
 
“I would encourage all rural groups to look at entering our Rural Community Awards.  It is a terrific opportunity to showcase what they are doing and illustrating what they have achieved to both statutory agencies and the communities they work in.”
 
If you feel inspired then get more details on the competition and download the application form from www.nihe.gov.uk
 
Deadline for submission of applications is 4pm Friday 29 July 2016. Email your application form to rural.housing@nihe.gov.uk, or send to The Rural Unit, Housing Executive, The Housing Centre, 2 Adelaide Street, Belfast, BT2 8PB.