Lysette Golden, Wicklow Rapid Response, Enniskerry Boxing Club, Ninth Wicklow Arklow Sea Scouts and Birdwatch Ireland are the five Wicklow beneficiaries announced today as county winners in the National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2022.
The awards were created to honour and showcase the inspiring work being carried out by thousands of projects, clubs and individuals in their local communities across Ireland thanks to National Lottery Good Causes funding. Nearly 30 cent of every euro spent on National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes all over the country.
Announcing the County winners today, National Lottery CEO, Andrew Algeo, said: “The stories and insights that we read in this year’s entries truly exemplified the positive impact that the groups, sports clubs and organisations who receive National Lottery funding, are having in towns and villages all over Ireland. Celebrating the inspirational work being carried out by these extraordinary beneficiaries and recognising the effect that they have on their communities is exactly what the Good Causes Awards are all about.”
The National Lottery CEO went on to describe how significantly more individuals, charities, groups, projects and organisations all over Ireland could benefit from Good Causes funding if a ban on lottery betting were to be introduced.
“Our ambition is to do more for communities all over Ireland and we hope that soon, this will become a reality. If the practice of betting on lottery games were to be finally banned in Ireland, as it is in most EU countries, our research shows that National Lottery sales would increase by at least €228 million which would result in approximately €63 million in additional funding for the Good Causes fund which would have a huge impact on communities all over Ireland. Last year, Benefacts established that 34% of all charitable giving in Ireland in 2021 was attributable via the National Lottery. We believe that even more charitable and community groups would directly benefit if a ban on lottery betting was put in place.”
The Wicklow winners are:
- Lysette Golden – Arts & Culture
Lysette Golden is an aspiring flying trapeze artist devoted to her dream of performing. Her training with Flying Monkey’s Trapeze greatly impacted her level which led to Lysette being offered a professional contact. Through funding she received from the Arts Council, part-funded by National Lottery Good Causes, she was able to train one on one with professional coaches. This is a huge steppingstone for the Irish Circus Arts because there has never been Irish flying trapeze artists, until now. Lysette is now on her way to becoming the first professional flying trapeze artist ever produced in Ireland.
- Wicklow Rapid Response – Health & Wellbeing
Wicklow Rapid Response is a voluntary charity who provide a high-level, pre-hospital critical care service and who work in partnership and support the existing Emergency Services. Funding received via the HSE National Lottery Grant Scheme allowed the WWRR to complete their fundraising to purchase a critical care ventilator and also contributed toward the fundraising for the loan on their new rapid response vehicle.
- Enniskerry Boxing Club – Sport
Enniskerry Boxing Club are a voluntary boxing club made up of approximately 40 members between the ages of 7 to senior. Alongside the club’s five coaches, there are members training competitively as well as those training to keep fit. The club has two elite boxers who are currently preparing for Paris 2024 as well as World Championships in June. Thanks to a Sports Capital Equipment grant, they were able to purchase much-needed boxing equipment.
- Ninth Wicklow Arklow Sea Scouts – Youth
With 236 youth members, the Ninth Wicklow Arklow Sea Scouts have been able to offer even more water activities since receiving Good Causes funding through the Sports Capital Programme and the HSE National Lottery scheme. The group purchased a new rib and inboard Diesel boat and 4 Pico’s which means that they can now offer the full Sea Scout program with rowing, paddling and sailing. This has benefited both the adult volunteers and youth members who have gained additional skills as well as increased confidence.
- Birdwatch Ireland – Heritage
Established in 1968, Birdwatch Ireland is the largest independent conservation organisation in Ireland. The aim of the registered charity, which has over 15,000 members, is to conserve wild birds and their natural habitats. During the Covid pandemic, birds became a significant source of entertainment, comfort and solace for people which led to an increase in enquiries about Irish wildlife. Thanks to the Heritage Council and Good Causes funding, their ‘Outreach for Nature’ project aimed to assist and engage better with the public and educate them on the role they could play in supporting nature conservation.
Entrepreneur, Fashion Designer and Businesswoman, Sonya Lennon, who is Chair of this year’s judging panel, spoke about the tough job that the panel faced in narrowing down the entries: “This is my first year involved in the Good Causes Awards and it’s really opened my eyes to the crucial work that so many extraordinary groups and individuals carry out within their communities each and every day. It was no easy feat to select our 118 county winners out of the hundreds of entries that we received as every application had an inspiring story. A big congratulations to all who have made it to the next round – we are one step closer to the big night now!”
The awards, which culminates in a Gala Awards Dinner in Kildare on Saturday 1st October, has seven main categories: Sport, Health & Wellbeing, Heritage, Arts & Culture, Community, Youth and Irish Language.
The full list of County Winners can be found at www.lottery.ie/good-causes-awards/county-winners
The 118 County Finalists will now compete for a place in the National Finals judging phase next month, after which the 35 National Finalists will be announced.
The total prize fund for the Good Causes Awards is €130,000 and each of the 35 finalists will win €1,000 when they are announced in June. At the awards ceremony in October, each of the seven category winners will receive €10,000 and the overall Good Cause of the Year will take home an additional €25,000.
Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on all National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage, and the Irish Language. In total more than €6 Billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 34 years ago. In 2021 alone, €289 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.
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