NI’s rural communities to benefit from Arts Council NI investment of £460,000 National Lottery funding

The National Lottery Rural Engagement Arts Programme, was established in 2022 with the aim of providing an integrated, cohesive approach to the needs of rural communities as they emerged from the global Covid-19 pandemic. The overarching theme of the programme is to tackle isolation and loneliness and promote social inclusion and wellbeing through participation in the arts for those living in rural communities.

REAP is one of the Arts Council’s core National Lottery programme areas. Recent Arts Council NI led research (Rural Engagement Arts Programme (REAP) - Round 2… | Arts Council NI) demonstrated the powerful impact the programme is having on rural communities showing that 16,686 participants have engaged with the programme since its inception, reaching audience of 16,686, engaging 1,229 artists, 70% of whom lived in rural areas, and delivering 4,000 artist led workshops - the equivalent face-to-face contact of 352 days (8,472 hours).

Noirin McKinney, Director of Arts Development, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented, “We know that taking part in arts activities brings people and communities closer together, raises self-esteem, boosts confidence and motivation, as well as alleviates isolation and loneliness. The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is delighted today to announce £460,000 of National Lottery funding to support NI’s rural communities.  

REAP has been making positive impacts in NI’s rural communities by increasing opportunities for people to engage and participate in meaningful arts activities, enriching their lives for the better. Thanks to The National Lottery players, this game-changing funding has supported 239 rural arts projects with total National Lottery funding of £1,699,622 since its establishment in 2022. This vital funding enables artists and arts organisations to increase access to the arts across society and deliver great art that is within everyone’s reach, helping to build healthy, integrated communities.”

REAP funding has been offered to organisations located in Local Authority Areas across Northern Ireland, with particular focus in some of Northern Ireland’s most rural areas. Some of the community and arts organisations that have been offered REAP funding include:

Ulster Touring Opera, Fermanagh and Omagh

Funding amount offered: £10,000.

Project title: Ulster Youth Opera (UYO) 2025-26

UTO will deliver an ambitious youth opera programme in Enniskillen, building on the success of their REAP-supported workshops previously undertaken in collaboration with Spark Opera in 2024–25. This new project combines regular youth opera sessions with the preparation and performance of Aesop’s Fables, bringing world-class creative opportunities to Fermanagh. Participants will be gathered from Enniskillen, Ratoran, Kesh, Glencush, and Church Hill.

Down Community Arts, Newry, Mourne & Down

Funding amount offered: £7,050.

Project title: We Are All Patrick.

Down Community Arts, in partnership with Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMADDC), will deliver a cross-community arts project to engage rural communities within the Downpatrick and Rowallane District Electoral Areas. Running from January to March 2026, the programme will deliver a series of workshops by professional artists, supported by rural transport provision to ensure accessibility for up to ninety project participants. Each project will culminate in the creation of artistic content for the area’s Annual St Patrick’s Day Parade.

Jazzlife Alliance, Mid-Ulster

Funding amount offered: £9,725.

Project title: Jazz Juniors

Founded by award-winning musician David Lyttle, Jazz Juniors will create a fourth regional hub at Seamus Heaney HomePlace in December 2025. This will involve monthly sessions and seasonal Jazzlife Jam sessions with David Lyttle allowing young people in rural Mid-Ulster the opportunity to learn and participate in improvisation and connect with Jazz Junior students from throughout NI. As Jazz Life Alliance’s most rural hub, Bellaghy will allow the organisation to continue to bring jazz to rural areas, helping young people reach their full musical potential, improve well-being and a sense of community belonging.

Obon on the Foyle Festival Group, Derry~Londonderry & Strabane

Funding amount offered: £7,144.

Project title: Shared Rhythms: Connecting Rural Communities through Japanese Taiko and Culture.

‘Shared Rhythms’ is a celebration of Japanese culture, designed to bring people together in rural communities through music, stories, and participation. At its heart is taiko drumming with its powerful rhythms which bring joy and instant connection. By combining live performance, cultural storytelling, and the chance for participants to try the drums themselves, this project creates a vibrant, hands-on encounter with another culture while strengthening local community spirit. Areas involved in the project include Gortin, Plumbridge, Newtonbutler, Whitehead, Claudy, Park and Glenariffe.

All Set cross cultural Project, Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon

Funding amount offered: £7,540.

Project title: 'Step with the Music'.

The Step with the Music project will take place in Maghery, a very rural area with limited facilities and limited public transport. It is situated in a tranquil and picturesque location on the shores of Lough Neagh. Participations in this project have restricted access to the arts with many living in isolated areas with no neighbours so the aim of this project is to bring this rural community together through the arts to connect and enjoy music together.

Circusful, Mid & East Antrim

Funding amount offered: £10,000.

Project title: Bringing back the Wonder and Colour of Circus to Glenravel.

Following Circusful’s previous successful REAP project, they will return to Glenravel and District Community and Residents Association to bring a new programme of circus skills workshops to young people and the wider community. Continuing their weekly circus workshops for young people from February to June, Circusful will build on the success from the previous project by adding in an additional trainer to develop aerial skills and introduce some family circus workshops to the project. The project will culminate with a summer celebration day, supporting participants to put on a final outdoor show for the local Glenravel area including the three villages of Newtowncrommelin, Cargan and Martinstown.

Belfast Exposed, Causeway Coast & Glens

Funding amount offered: £9,421.

Project title: It Takes a Village -Intergenerational Therapeutic Photography breaking barriers of Isolation in Garvagh.

Belfast Exposed, in partnership with Hare’s Cooperative and the Northern Health and Social Care Trust, will deliver an intergenerational therapeutic photography project in Garvaghy to combat rural isolation and loneliness. Over nine months, the project will use photography as a creative and therapeutic medium to strengthen relationships within families, reduce isolation and create new opportunities for dialogue across generations. The project will culminate in the creation of a “collective family album” and a public community showcase exhibition, celebrating the resilience of rural communities and give visibility to the lived experience of loneliness in rural Northern Ireland.

Oakleigh Music Trust, Antrim & Newtownabbey

Funding award offered: £6,746.

Project title:

Oakleigh Music Trust’s REAP supported project will engage Cathy Lamb, Director of MusicShare in Staffordshire who is currently shortlisted for Classical FM’s Music Teacher of the Year. Cathy will work with two rural schools that would benefit from enhanced musical training including Fairview Primary School Ballyclare (Antrim and Newtownabbey Council) and St. John The Baptist Drumcree (Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council). The project will lead to two public performances as part of Loneliness Week, 9-15 June 2026. These performances will feature music which uplifts, inspires and offers the audience the chance to participate.

c21 Theatre Company Limited, North Down & Ards

Funding amount offered: £9,687.

Project: Creative Portaferry.

This project will bring together individual communities in Portaferry and the Ards Penninsula, through a series of weekly reminiscence, creative writing, theatre, storytelling, visual art, mindfulness and songwriting workshops, between April and June 2026. The overall aim is to give participants a central position in the telling of their community stories, offering a platform for participants’ voices to be shared, valued, and listened to, and to offer opportunities for social interaction, creativity and a sense of inclusion and belonging.

To view of a list of all those offered REAP funding visit National Lottery Funding 2025-26 | Arts Council NI