In association with Aviva Community Fund 2017
I
love the ethos of community. It one of the very reasons I stared my blog - I
love the people of Belfast and how we support one and another. Given this, I
was delighted to go and see a group that benefited from the Aviva Community
Fund last year. I visited the team at Girl Guiding Ulster at their home in
Lorne Estate in County Down. The estate is magnificent - with walking trails,
archery, abseiling and accommodation, it’s a little hidden gem just off the
main Belfast to Bangor carriageway. I met their managing executive, Claire at
the estate to hear why Girl Guiding Ulster decided to submit for funding and
hear how small things can make a big difference to local community groups.
The
team at Girl Guiding Ulster benefited hugely from receiving £5,000 in funding which
enabled them to buy Resusci Anne dolls dolls to teach both adults
and children much needed CPR skills. This is an investment that not only will
help the girls to reach their first aid badge but give them skills for life
that could save someone when they are extremely poorly.
I am
delighted to be partnering with the Aviva Community Fund to encourage local groups
here in Northern Ireland to apply for funding. Whether you are a local football
team, mental health charity or a school that needs a new library, the Aviva
Fund is open to all sorts of projects to.
Aviva
is offering four funding levels, from up to £1,000 to up to £25,000 To apply
for funding, just tell Aviva how your project will make a positive change in
one of these categories:
•
Health and wellbeing
•
Skills for life
•
Community support
•
Inclusivity
You
need votes to get your project to the finals, so start rallying friends, family
and neighbours now!
However,
Aviva knows how much work it can take for volunteers in smaller projects to
pull their entries together and rally voters.
Most
smaller projects ask for funding up to £1,000, so to recognise all their hard
work, Aviva will automatically give the first 200 projects to reach 1,000 votes
in this funding level the funding they ask for. If you’re one of the lucky 200
projects, Aviva will let you know. If you’re not one of those 200 projects,
you’re still in with a chance of winning your funding. See terms and conditions
to find out more.
To
get involved, submit a project or vote visit http://www.aviva.co.uk/community-fund. Entries opened on 12th
September, closing dates for entries on 10th October 2017.