£4,000 up for grabs in Rural Awards

The organisation’s awards aim to improve community spirit within rural neighbourhoods and there’s is a prize fund of £4,000 on offer, with four prizes of £1,000 being awarded to help and support those communities working to improve their respective area.

There are two categories: The Cleaner and Greener Award and The Community Spirit Award, which are open to all rural neighbourhoods, not just Housing Executive estates.

Within each category there are two prizes, one for villages with a population of less than 1,000 and one for populations of 1,000-5,000.

So if you have an active community group, are proud of your local neighbourhood and live in a community which comes together to improve the local environment, you’re encouraged to enter.

Siobhan McCauley, the Housing Executive’s Director of Regional Services, welcomed the launch of the awards: “The Rural Community Awards are in their third year and have gone from strength to strength. Last year’s entries were superb and clearly demonstrated how rural communities are actively seeking to protect their rural landscape.”

If you feel inspired then download the application form, www.nihe.gov.uk. The deadline is Friday, July 29.