Power NI, Northern Ireland’s largest electricity supplier, has donated two community grants of £300 each to All Saints Old Boys Football Club and Doogan Dance Academy as part of its sponsorship scheme ‘Helping Hands’.
The initiative encourages staff members to nominate local community groups and organisations to receive funding.
Ballymena based football team and current league champions All Saints Old Boys FC was nominated by Power NI employee and All Saints player Alex Telford, and the funds were used to buy new footballs for the club to use during training.
Speaking about the donation, Alex said:
“I was delighted to be able to nominate the club for funding. Our team brings together people from different backgrounds and beliefs who all have the same passion for football. The club plays an important role in the local community and the donation from Power NI will be put to good use in purchasing vital training equipment.”
The second donation was made to Doogan Dance Academy, which is situated on the Enkalon Industrial Estate on the Randalstown Road. They were nominated by Caitriona McGuigan who also works for Power NI and whose daughter dances with the academy.
Young dancers from the academy are gearing up to represent Team Northern Ireland at the Dance Academy World Cup, which takes place later this year in Braga, Portugal. The academy plans to use the donation from Power NI to help with funding expenses for the trip.
Gillian Doogan, who co-founded the Academy said:
“Our goal is to ensure all our kids that have qualified for the Worlds have the chance to represent Team Northern Ireland which is a massive opportunity.
"Thanks to Power NI we’re able to put the donation towards funding the trip. We’re very proud to have helped build cross community relations locally through the medium of dance, and seeing our young dancersachieve their dreams at the World Cup this year will be an amazing milestone."
To find out more on how Power NI is energising local communities click here.