Attwood announces funding boost for community café in Coleraine

Social Development Minister Alex Attwood today announced funding of nearly £21,000 for the Healthy Eating Community Café in the Ballysally estate, Coleraine.

The funding, from the Department’s Neighbourhood Renewal Investment Fund, will provide salaries for a café supervisor, café worker and stock. The Café is a not for profit enterprise that which provides nutritious, affordable and healthy meals to Ballysally residents and the wider Coleraine community. It also provides a neutral environment for residents to mix irrespective of age, gender, religious or political background.

Alex Attwood said: “This Building Ballysally Together project provides real and significant benefits to people in the Coleraine Neighbourhood Renewal Area. It is helping to improve the health and social wellbeing of clients, by delivering healthy meals and health education seminars. The funding will also enable the provision of volunteer placements for local people.

“I recognise that if we are to tackle the long term spiral of deprivation we must improve the life chances of those living in our most deprived communities. It is vital that all people regardless of back ground are given the opportunity to enjoy acceptable levels of good health.”

The total amount awarded to date by the Department for Social Development to this project is £112,089.

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