Drumsurn GAC and 'Hands that Talk' awarded £1,000

‘Hands that Talk’ will use their funding to continue to improve the quality of life for the deaf community and those with hearing loss in the north-west, while St Matthews GAC funds will go towards their new community walkway project, allowing residents to exercise in a safe and secure environment, promoting mental health and physical wellbeing.

The £5,000 Centra Choices Community Fund was launched by the leading convenience retail brand as part of the Centra Choices campaign and is focused on four behaviours that promote happiness in ourselves and others: positivity, kindness, respect and attitude. Applicants for the grants had to demonstrate how their group benefits the wider community and how their work aligns with one of the four behaviours celebrated in the campaign. With five individual pots of £1,000 available, ‘Hands that Talk’ and St Matthew’s were selected from more than 150 applicants.

Martina O’Connor, committee member of St Matthews GAC, said: “St. Matthew’s would like to thank Centra for their fantastic contribution of £1,000 towards our new community walkway project. This will allow all our residents to exercise in a safe and secure environment seven days a week and have a big impact on the physical and mental health and wellbeing of everyone in the community.”

St Matthew’s aims to provide a community hub and welcomes members of all ages to engage in sport and leisure activities. It also runs charity events, health initiatives, tea and coffee mornings, and has welcomed Centra’s charity partner, Action Cancer, and its Big Bus to its ground for health checks.

‘Hands that Talk’ is a cross-community charity based in Dungiven which encourages social inclusion between hearing and the deaf. The charity is committed to overcoming communication barriers and providing training and education to make the hearing community Deaf aware, and the Deaf community hearing aware. They are using the funds to purchase 10 lecture chairs which feature a movable desktop. This will benefit the group when they are both communicating using sign language and teaching it. Sign language hand gestures and movements are mostly made from the waist up and members find tabletops can get in the way yet are often required for note taking.

Ann Owens, Interpreting and Finance Manager, Hands that Talk, said: “On behalf of ‘Hands That Talk’, I wish to thank Centra for their very generous support. Centra operates in the heart of our local communities and this support is a game changer for ‘Hands That Talk’. It not only helps us improve our professionalism, but it also contributes towards meeting the needs of the deaf community in a better way. Kitting out classrooms in this way helps deliver accredited and recreational classes for our members. Thank you Centra."

Jennifer Morton, Centra Brand Manager continued: “At Centra, we choose community. We launched this fund to give back to the neighbourhoods in which we operate and show support at a grassroots level. I am thrilled to see ‘Hands that Talk’ and St. Matthew’s GAC as two of the five recipients of this fund. We hope this money will help them to continue their important and meaningful work.”