RNIB NI wins Coca Cola's 125 year Thank You Fund
On Wednesday 2 November, The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB NI) achieved success in 'Coca-Cola's 125 Years Thank You Fund'. £4,350 was awarded to support tandem cycling for blind and partially sighted people in Lisburn.
The Lisburn in Focus project, led by RNIB NI in partnership with Guide Dogs, Lisburn City Council and Lisburn City Centre Management, held Ireland's first tandem only cycle event "It Takes Two to Tandem" at the Maze racecourse in June 2011. This new funding will allow local blind and partially sighted people to cycle regularly in preparation for the event next year.
Fifteen other organisations from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland also received awards through the fund, which was launched back in May, earlier this year, to mark Coca-Cola's 125th birthday celebrations in Ireland.
The 'Coca-Cola 125 Years Thank You Fund', which is being operated in partnership with the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) and the Wheel, Dublin supports projects and initiatives that have a positive impact on the quality of life of communities on the island of Ireland. The RNIB NI application was made under the Healthy and Active Lifestyles category.
Jenny Heaphy, Coca-Cola Ireland, said the company was excited to be able to support some valuable community projects happening around the country. She said,
"We are delighted with the response to the 'Coca-Cola 125 Years Thank You Fund'. We received over six hundred applications from all over the island of Ireland. The applicants proposed some very innovative projects and schemes which could have a really positive impact on their communities. We would like to thank everyone for taking the time to enter and for showing us what great work is happening in communities every day."
The 600 entries were narrowed down to a shortlist of 45. This 45 then went to the public vote during the month of September. During that period, the judging panel also came together to vote. Following the outcome of both the judges and the public vote the winning 15 groups were decided upon.
The judging panel was made up of a variety of community leaders who were selected because of their proven track-record in making positive contributions to society including Dame Mary Peters, Past Olympian and James Laverty, NICVA.
The Lisburn in Focus team would like to sincerely thank all those who voted online for RNIB NI's application.
For further information regarding the Lisburn tandem group please contact the Lisburn in Focus team on 028 9260 0388 or email lisburninfocus@rnib.org.uk