Over £500,000 allocated to charities in Northern Ireland

15 Jun 2022

RTÉ Toy Show Appeal –  over £500,000 allocated to charities in Northern Ireland

Over 1.1 million children and families across the island of Ireland to benefit from donations 14 charities in Northern Ireland to receive grants to help change children’s lives for the better.

The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal along with the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and  the Community Foundation for Ireland have announced today that over 1.1 million children and their families will benefit from donations raised during the 2021 Late Late Toy Show Appeal.

Over a memorable weekend last November, an audience of 1.8 million viewers across the island raised over €6.6 million (£5.7 million) to help change children’s lives for the better.

The monies raised will now be used to support the work of registered children’s charities and community groups across the island of Ireland. 154 charities are to receive grants with £500,000 going to 14 charities in Northern Ireland.

Over the past number of months charities working at local, regional, and national levels were invited to apply for a grant under three thematic pillars: addressing essential needs from food to medical equipment, improving well-being including hospital and medical care, mental health supports and grief counselling, and creativity and play.

The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal in partnership with the Community Foundation of Northern Ireland has announced today that the following charities are to receive transformative grants in Northern Ireland are receiving donations, including:

• South Lough Neagh Regeneration Association, which will use its funding to provide children aged 1-11 with mental health and wellbeing support, will receive £20,000
• ADD-NI Limited, which provides empowerment services to young people with ADD and ADHD, will receive £20,000
• Home-Start Causeway, which will use its funding to establish an outreach service for families with young children in the Causeway Coast and Glens area, will receive £17,820
• Drumaness Cross Community Playgroup, which will use its funding to build an outdoor sensory garden, will receive £17,308
• Clonmore Youth Club, which runs activities for young people including social action programmes, will receive £18,677
• Northern Ireland Newpin, which provides evidence-based therapeutic support directly to children and young people, will receive £20,000
• Tiny Tots Community Playgroup, which will use its funding to further enhance the development of children in the early years sector in its local community, will receive £14,999
• Home-Start Banbridge, which will use its funding to upscale its children’s support work due to increased demand due to the pandemic, will receive £19,975
• Brain Injury Matters, which enables families to reconnect, build parental capacity, and develop strategies to manage complex issues around brain injuries, will receive £48,011
• Kids Together Belfast which provides a range of support services for children, young people, and young adults with disabilities and their families, will receive £51,214
• Nexus NI, which supports young victims of sexual trauma to rebuild their lives, feel safe and supported, and enable them to plan for the future, will recieve £71,700
• Royal Mencap Society, which aims to improve the wellbeing of young people with learning disabilities/additional needs in Greater Belfast, Fermanagh, and Tyrone, will receive £74,260
• Circusful, which aims to bring the wonder and colour of the circus to children and young people, will receive £60,423
• Kinship Care Northern Ireland, which addresses the essential needs of children and young people being brought up by grandparents or other family members, often in situations of severe poverty, will receive £75,000

Speaking about the announcement Ryan Tubridy, the host of the Late Late Show, said:

“The Irish public has simply blown us away with their generosity and kindness of spirit. The donations given will enrich the lives of children across our island who need it most to give them the support, care, and encouragement that they need. We want to offer a huge thank you to every single person who donated. We were truly overwhelmed with the response’.

Róisín Wood CEO of the Community Foundation NI said:

“The RTÉ Toy show is a huge favourite watched by so many children, parents and grandparents across the entire island of Ireland. There is huge anticipation in so many households each year. To see that magic and energy continue after the night with so many worthy programmes being funded is something special.

“Some examples for this year include support to families who have experienced brain injuries, aid to help victims of sexual trauma rebuilding their lives, outdoor sensory gardens as well as circus schools. In all, 1.1 million lives will benefit from this year’s appeal.”

Speaking about the impact of the Toy Show Appeal, The Late Late Show producers Katherine Drohan and Jane Murphy said: “We are constantly inspired by children and with the unwavering generosity of TV viewers RTE will continue to work bring the magic of the Toy Show to every child in Ireland in order to change their lives for good”.

Director-General of RTÉ, Dee Forbes said; ‘The Late Late Toy Show is a an evening where generations unite, and the country celebrates some incredible and inspirational children. Viewers once again responded to the call to give with extraordinary generosity, and those donations will make an enormous difference to the work of so many organisations. The fact that this money will impact the lives of over 1.1 million children is phenomenal and we are very grateful to everyone who gave, which is what makes all these grants possible.