The organisation is one of six local organisations that have benefitted from part of a £20,000 grant, delivered by SPAR NI as part of their annual Community Cashback Scheme.

The scheme aims to reward local groups and charities for their work and care for their community, helping them to continue, while growing and improving their services.

AANI bring the emergency room where it is needed most, whether that is at the roadside or in a farmyard, attending some of the most traumatic medical incidences across the country every day. The £10,000 grant will not only allow them to respond to more accidents, but in doing so will also enable the organisation to continue providing pre-hospital critical care, which can often be the difference in saving a life.

CRUCIAL FUNDING

Colleen Milligan from Air Ambulance NI said: “Funding is absolutely crucial to keeping us in the air and responding to Northern Ireland’s most critical incidents.

“We are living and working in the most challenging of times with everyone tightening their belts, so to have the Community Cashback Grant Scheme available is quite literally life-saving.

“We want to extend our thanks to SPAR NI for this generous donation, it is support like this that we rely on entirely and without it we wouldn’t be able to keep going, so it is so greatly appreciated.”

‘Our stores are dedicated to their local communities, going beyond their work in-store to engage with shoppers, local groups and charities’

Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group

SOS Bus has received £5,000 from the grant, which the organisation says will go towards the renovation and refurbishment of their new safe-space and first aid bus, while ensuring all medical equipment and provisions are adequate for all needs.

SOS Bus is a volunteer-led charity providing welfare support and first aid to the vulnerable and those in need in Belfast City Centre, relieving the pressure on the NHS. The charity, which currently has 200 volunteers, has been serving the community and visitors to the city for 15 years.

The Eco Rangers, a team committed to litter picking across East Antrim, received the £2,000 grant, which will help them purchase even more equipment to enable volunteers to work effectively and safely throughout the area. The volunteer group work every day of the year, regardless of the weather, to improve their local communities and raise awareness.

SUPPORT GRANTS

Three organisations have received a £1,000 grant each: Street Soccer NI in Coleraine, Heartbeat NI based in Co Down and Pretty ‘n Pink, which has offices and information points in both Belfast and Portadown.

For the second year running SPAR announced £100,000 for charities across the UK, with 1 x £10,000, 1 x £5,000, 1 x £2,000 and 3 x £1,000 grants available for organisations to apply for in Northern Ireland. The popular scheme received 1,400 entries in Northern Ireland alone this year, highlighting the need for more help and support for so many amazing charities across the country.

Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group which owns SPAR in Northern Ireland said: “We are privileged to be able to take part in the Community Cashback Scheme for another year, helping local charities and community groups. It is an honour to show support to such selfless people doing vital work, day in and day out.

“These donations are needed now more than ever, evidenced by the number of entries received this year doubling that of last year. It is easy to see just how many amazing local charities and community groups need help to continue their work.

VOLUNTEER

“Our stores are dedicated to their local communities, going beyond their work in-store to engage with shoppers, local groups and charities, helping out in any way they can and nurturing their neighbourhoods.

“We hope these grants make a difference to these six deserving groups, helping them continue their work and grow the services they are providing.”

The organisations chosen as recipients for this year’s Community Cashback Grant funding are mostly volunteer led. A recent survey from SPAR NI revealed that nearly two thirds (61%) of people in Northern Ireland would like to volunteer in 2023, the most of all UK regions.

66% of those surveyed in Northern Ireland said they had volunteered in their community before, and a whopping 71% said they felt an improvement to their wellbeing – another stat which topped the UK-wide poll.

To find out more about the work of Air Ambulance NI, view the video below:

The post New funding will enable Air Ambulance NI to provide additional critical response this year first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The company’s coffee brand, Barista Bar®, provided ‘keep me’ cups and free beverages to core volunteers in the East Antrim area.

The Eco Rangers group was formed during lockdown last October by retired paramedic Abe Agnew (71).  What started with only a smattering of people has now grown to be a 1,400 strong group including 170 junior eco warriors who carry out litter picking across the East Antrim region, including Larne, Carrickfergus, Islandmagee, Ballycarry, Gleno, Glynn and Carnlough.

The Eco Rangers collect more than 20,000 pieces of litter each week with the most common items being bottles, tin cans and fast food wrappers.

Since the start of the pandemic, discarded items such as old masks, wipes and tissues have also become prevalent. The group isn’t funded and relies on partnerships and in-kind support from local businesses as well as Mid and East Antrim Council. The team also fundraises to help continue their environmental work.

Barista Bar® Brand Manager, Keavy O’Mahony-Truesdale said: “We were hugely impressed and humbled by the invaluable work of the Larne Eco Rangers and were thrilled to be able to support them by donating Barista Bar ‘keep me’ cups and pre-loaded loyalty cards so that volunteers can avail of a well-earned hot beverage of their choice in in participating SPAR/EUROSPAR/ViVo  stores in the East Antrim area.

“As a brand we are conscious of the impact single use coffee cups have on the environment and we encourage the use of reusable cups.  We launched our reusable cups in 2019 and now there are nearly 80,000 in use across Northern Ireland. They are a key part of our brand message and our commitment to being a sustainable brand.

“We are delighted to be celebrating this new partnership with the Eco Rangers on their first anniversary and want to say a big thank-you to Abe Agnew and all the volunteers for their time and hard work in improving the local environment.”

Eco Rangers founder Abe Agnew said: “It’s fantastic for volunteers to have access to a welcome cup of coffee from Barista Bar®, especially in their ‘Keep Me’ cups which is very fitting to our cause. Our volunteers can pop into SPAR/EUROSPAR/ViVo/ViVOXTRA outlets for a top up, especially as we head into the colder autumn and winter days. A single reusable coffee cup can replace 3,000 disposable cups and the Eco Rangers are pleased to promote their use in this way.

“Our Eco Rangers proudly carry out daily litter picking across an area of 650 square miles and have removed thousands of bags of waste material from the local environment in the past 12 months. We have been overjoyed to see the difference our work has made.

“We work closely with Mid and East Antrim Council who supply and dispose of the blue bags we use for litter collection. Building collaborative links with local government, businesses and communities is key to making significant changes in regard to waste and litter and so we are delighted to embark on this partnership with Henderson Foodservice’s Barista Bar.”

To become an Eco Ranger or to support the group in any other way, contact them at ecorangerlarne@gmail.com or via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ecorangersni/

Caption: Pictured with Eco Rangers volunteers is Keavy O’Mahoney-Truesdale, Barista Bar® Brand Manager, and Abe Agnew, founder of Eco Rangers.

The post Henderson puts on free coffee and ‘keep me’ cups for Eco Rangers first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.