The Social Development Minister, Maurice Morrow MLA, has announced a £1 million package of funding to encourage more volunteering and community involvement across Northern Ireland.

As part of the Active Community Initiative, the Department for Social Development is inviting project applications from groups who can contribute to rebuilding a sense of community by encouraging a greater degree of volunteering and community involvement.

Successful applicants are likely to get total funding of approximately £50,000 to £60,000 over two years.

Speaking at the Annual General Meeting of NICVA, the Minister outlined his vision for the Active Community Initiative, and said: “A healthy society is one in which everyone feels they have a stake and feels actively able to participate. The Active Community Initiative is about encouraging a broader spectrum of people to become involved in their community. Giving as little as a few hours a month to our local community can make a big difference - to the individual and to the community at large.

“Think of all the activities that wouldn’t happen without volunteers - lifeboats and mountain rescue, Citizens Advice Bureaux, playgroups, counselling and support organisations, sports and leisure clubs, community centres, befriending, fundraising, conservation work, community-based organisations."

Mr Morrow said that he was hopeful that the projects funded under the Active Community Initiative would help to “draw in those people who do not currently participate in their community for whatever reason and leave a lasting legacy of a healthier, stronger and more active community in Northern Ireland”. (SP)