THREE Fermanagh groups and projects are to share in an almost half-million pound funding pot from the National Lottery Rural Engagement Arts Programme (REAP).
The Fermanagh/Tyrone Brass Band and the Lisnarick Community Development Association are among six community groups from the Fermanagh and Omagh area, and 55 from across the North, to receive grants from the £460,000 funding round.
Another local project benefiting is the Ulster Touring Opera, which has been awarded £10,000 towards its Ulster Youth Opera project in Enniskillen.
The initiative will deliver a youth opera programme involving participants from Enniskillen, Ratoran, Kesh, Glencush and Church Hill, combining weekly sessions with the preparation and performance of Aesop’s Fables.
Established in 2022, REAP was developed to support rural communities as they emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The programme focuses on tackling isolation and loneliness while promoting social inclusion and wellbeing through participation in arts activities, particularly in some of Northern Ireland’s most rural areas.
Noirin McKinney, Director of Arts Development at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said the organisation was delighted to be supporting community initiatives with the funding.
“Research demonstrates that taking part in arts activities brings people and communities closer together, raises self-esteem, boosts confidence and motivation, as well as alleviates isolation and loneliness,” she said.
