Two Westmeath Organisations win big at National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2024
Helium Arts and Mullingar Handball Club win €10,000 each!
Two inspiring Westmeath organisations have come out on top at this year’s National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2024.
Mullingar Handball Club took home the top prize in the Sport category, winning an impressive €10,000. The club, which plays a pivotal role in supporting both elite athletes and the wider community, offers inclusive programmes such as Age Active, All Stars and youth training. Through these initiatives, they enrich the lives of people in this close-knit community by promoting fitness, inclusivity, and social engagement through sport.
Photo Caption: Members of Helium Arts are pictured celebrating as they were announced overall winners of the Arts & Culture category.
Meanwhile, Helium Arts, another deserving Westmeath winner, secured the first-place prize in the Arts and Culture category, also receiving €10,000. This remarkable organisation empowers young people living with lifelong health conditions by using creativity and the arts as a means of connection and joy. Helium Arts offers these individuals a sense of belonging and an outlet for imagination, providing much-needed emotional and mental support.
The event also saw Hand in Hand Cancer Charity in Galway crowned as the overall Good Cause of the Year 2024 and the winner in the Health and Wellbeing category. This nationwide charity works tirelessly with families affected by cancer, offering free, on-the-ground support to help ease the burden of long-distance travel for treatment and the emotional toll of a diagnosis. Their services aim to reduce the stress associated with cancer, making a meaningful impact on families facing one of life’s toughest challenges.
This year’s Good Causes Awards ceremony took place in Killashee House Hotel in Co. Kildare. Marty Whelan hosted the event and was joined by a star-studded line-up of guest presenters who handed out category awards, including TV personality Daithí Ó Sé, author and radio presenter Anna Geary, the inspiring Deborah Somorin, renowned architect and TV presenter Hugh Wallace and dancing sensation Arthur Gourounlian.
The Awards are made up of seven categories: Sport, Health & Wellbeing, Heritage, Arts & Culture, Community, Youth and Irish Language.
A special award category, ‘Hero of the Year’, recognises the outstanding work done by an individual within an organisation.
This year’s Hero of the Year winner is Evelyn Neary, founder of Cian’s Kennels. In the face of deep personal loss, Evelyn has turned her grief into a powerful force for good. As the founder of Cian's Kennels, Evelyn built a dedicated team of volunteers, fostered crucial partnerships, and implemented strong governance to ensure the organisations success. Most importantly, she has brought comfort and joy to families during some of their most challenging times. “Imaginative. Resilient. Determined”, these are just a few words that encapsulate the remarkable spirit of the National Lottery Hero of the Year 2024, Evelyn Neary.
On the night, a total of €100,000 was awarded. The seven category winners each received €10,000; the Hero of the Year received €5,000 and the overall Good Cause of the Year, Hand in Hand received an additional €25,000.
Cian Murphy, Chief Executive of the National Lottery, said: “On behalf of the National Lottery, I want to extend our warmest congratulations to Hand in Hand, as well as to all our outstanding category winners. The work you do to make a tangible, positive difference in people's lives is nothing short of inspiring. It’s been a true privilege to stand alongside such a diverse range of organisations, each benefiting from Good Causes funding, and each playing a vital role in creating a better, more compassionate society."
This year’s National Lottery Good Causes Award winners are:
National Lottery Good Cause of the Year – Hand in Hand CLG, Galway
Arts and Culture - Helium Arts, Westmeath
Community - South Meath Social Economy, Meath
Health and Wellbeing - Hand in Hand CLG, Galway
Heritage - Maharees Conservation Association, Kerry
Irish Language: Cill Dara le Gaeilge, Kildare
Sport: Mullingar Handball Club, Westmeath
Youth: Belong To LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland, Dublin
Hero of the Year: Evelyn Neary, Cian’s Kennels, Longford
Nearly 30 cent in every €1 spent on all National Lottery games goes back to Good Causes in the areas of sport, youth, health, welfare, education, arts, heritage, and the Irish Language. In total, more than €6.5 Billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 37 years ago. In 2023 alone, €227.9 Million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.
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