Residents Lead the Way in Allocating £98,000 to Community Projects

Residents in Newry, Mourne and Down have voted for 98 projects promoting good health and wellbeing to receive public funding.

The awards of up to £1,000 per group were made through the Communities Leading Change Participatory Budgeting campaign. The initiative allows residents to decide how a portion of public funds is spent by voting for the projects they believe will have the greatest benefit and impact on their community.

A total of 98 projects were funded through Market Stall events across the seven District Electoral Areas (DEAs), with an unprecedented number of people attending to vote. Applicants set up stalls to showcase their projects, with attendees required to visit all stalls and then vote for their top five favourite projects. These Participatory Budgeting events were also compered by the Chair and Vice chair of each DEA.

After the votes were counted and verified, 70% of the groups were awarded funding. The other 30% who did not receive funding on the night have been given support from Council partners to apply for different sources of funding or have been signposted to free resources to help deliver their project.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Chairperson, Councillor Philip Campbell said, “I am delighted that we have had such a massive turnout for this year’s Communities Leading Change project. Over 6000 votes have been placed in a very short space of time, and we have awarded £98,000 to community groups across Newry, Mourne and Down. Feedback has been very positive with almost all groups commenting on how these events have given them an opportunity to engage with the wider community and the other organisations in their area.

“Congratulations to all the projects who have received funding. The range and diversity of projects was fantastic. I look forward to their completion and seeing the positive impact they will have on their communities.”

Each group will now have until 31 March 2026 to spend their funding. The Council will be hosting events in May 2026 for the public to attend to hear how these projects have benefitted the area in which they live.

A list of the successful projects can be found at: https://www.newrymournedown.org/communities-leading-change

If you would like more information on how to get involved contact communityplanning@nmandd.org

Participatory Budget Funders and Partners are Newry, Mourne and Down District Council; PHA; Southern Health and Social Care Trust; South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust; Northern Ireland Housing Executive; Shared Housing Programme – Radius/Clanmil/Ark/Arbour Housing Associations; The Executive Office; PSNI; Department For Communities; County Down Rural Community Network and Confederation of Community Groups.