Killucan and Milltown included in Good Causes Awards
Killucan Raharney Golden Years Club, Milltown GAA Club, and Athlone Sub Aqua Club have been unveiled as the three county winners from Westmeath taking part in the National Lottery Good Causes Awards!
The Westmeath winners will now compete for a place in the national finals judging phase next month, after which the national finalists will be announced.
The initiatives being recognised at the awards are Killucan Raharney Golden Years Club arrange information sessions, crafts, guest speakers, music and a wide range of activities for older people in the community; Milltown GAA Club, a voluntary organisation that promotes Gaelic games for all ages; and Athlone Sub Aqua Club, who provide a voluntary search and recovery service and train adults and children across a range of skill sets including scuba diving, rescue and boat handling to an international standard.
The three County Winners of the National Lottery Good Causes Awards from Westmeath are being recognised as part of the following categories:
Community: Athlone Sub Aqua Club
Health & Wellbeing: Killucan Raharney Golden Years Club
Sport: Milltown GAA Club
The awards aim to honour, showcase and celebrate the inspiring work being carried out nationwide by thousands of projects, clubs and individuals who have received support from Good Causes funding. Nearly 30 cents of every euro spent on National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes all over the country.
Announcing the Westmeath County Winners today, National Lottery CEO, Andrew Algeo, said:
“Good Causes who support communities across Ireland are at the heart of the National Lottery’s purpose. As a result, we are delighted to celebrate each year the exceptional work being carried out by those groups, organisations and sports clubs nationwide. I am thrilled and not surprised to say that we have had another year of inspirational stories from the beneficiaries of National Lottery funding. These stories provide purpose to those of us who work in and with the National Lottery. It has never been easy to narrow down the list of hundreds of entries, however, it is a great pleasure to congratulate the Westmeath County Winners this year and to be able to show our appreciation for their commitment to communities around the country.”
Gráinne Seoige, host of the Good Causes Awards, added:
“This is my fourth year being involved in the National Lottery Good Causes Awards, year-on-year my delight to be involved grows. By working with Good Causes, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many individuals and groups that are doing extraordinary work in our communities. They continue to inspire me each year, and I look forward to seeing who makes it through to the National Finals in October!”
Local or national, large or small, the awards will recognise initiatives across a broad list of categories: Sport, Health and Wellbeing, Arts and Culture, Heritage, Community, Youth, and Irish Language.
This year’s event will take place on Saturday October 21 in Killashee House Hotel, Naas, County Kildare.
The total prize fund available on the night of the Good Causes Awards ceremony is €100,000, whereby each of the seven category winners will receive €10,000 and the overall Good Cause of the Year will take home an additional €25,000.
A special category, ‘Hero of the Year’, will be announced on the awards night in recognition of outstanding work and the recipient will receive a prize of €5,000. In addition, each of the National Finalists announced in June will receive a cheque for €1,000.
In total more than €6 billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 34 years ago. In 2021 alone, €304 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.