A £10,000 grant received by Victim Support NI (VSNI) will enable the organisation to continue providing comprehensive and exceptional support to all victims of crime in Northern Ireland.

The organisation is one of seven local organisations that have benefitted from part of a £20,000 grant, delivered by SPAR NI as part of their annual Community Cashback Grant Scheme.

The scheme aims to reward local groups and charities for their work and care for their community, helping them to continue, while growing and improving their services.

For over 40 years, VSNI have been delivering emotional and practical assistance, supporting victims from the initial report of a crime right through to the end of their criminal justice journey. Each year, VSNI receives over 40,000 referrals from individuals affected by crime. The £10,000 grant will enable the organisation to purchase essential safety items that have been requested by victims and witnesses but are currently beyond the organisation’s financial means.

Janice Bunting, Chief Executive of Victim Support NI commented, “Funding is absolutely crucial to keeping our services running, especially as we are volunteer-led. Our 130 volunteers bring a wealth of experience and a shared commitment to supporting victims and many have served for over 10 years, a testament to their integrity, compassion and dedication.

“We wish to extend our thanks to SPAR NI for this generous donation, it is support like this that we rely on and without it we wouldn’t be able to keep going, so it is so greatly appreciated.”

Live Music Now has received £5,000 from the grant, which the organisation says will help them continue to bring their services to over 600 disabled children, 1,000 primary school children and 50 isolated adults and their families to support mental wellbeing.

Live Music Now is a UK wide organisation dedicated to improving lives through the power of music. The Northern Ireland branch, which opened in 1992, develops innovative musical approaches to support the wellbeing of children and adults facing challenging circumstances. 30 Northern Irish professional musicians are employed to provide these high-quality music sessions and each year 400 sessions are delivered by the organisation, reaching over 9,000 individuals across the country.

Five organisations received a £1,000 grant each: Knitted Knockers and Lakers Wheelchair Basketball, both from Craigavon, Kindness Postbox from Enniskillen, Rural Support from Cookstown and The White Butterfly Foundation from Ballymena.

There are over 300 SPAR stores in Northern Ireland, each acting as community hubs and are dedicated to supporting local charities and community groups, from hospice centres to foodbanks, with store teams going beyond their roles in-store to engage and help their local communities thrive.

Bronagh Luke, Corporate Marketing Controller at Henderson Group, commented, “We are privileged to be able to offer the Community Cashback Grant Scheme for another year, helping local charities and organisations across Northern Ireland. It is an honour to show support to such selfless people doing vital work, day in and day out.

“These donations are much needed across the country. Each year the numbers show us just how many amazing local charities and community groups need help to continue their work.

“We hope these grants make a difference to these seven deserving organisations, helping them continue their work and grow the services they are providing.”

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