Last month two of the Trustees from the Brighter Futures Community Fund paid a visit to the Prom Friendship Group, after having donated a £500 grant to the group towards the end of 2022.
The Prom Friendship Group is a voluntary community outreach programme organised by Louise Magill, owner of the Prom Café in Larne. The group aims to assist local people suffering from dementia, by providing a safe and supportive environment for these individuals to participate in leisure and social activities, with the help of trained volunteers.
Back in 2022, our Trustees provided a £500 grant to support the group to relaunch its monthly get togethers post-COVID. The donation was used by organisers to provide trained volunteers with uniforms to wear during each session – ensuring that they were instantly recognisable to those taking part in the activities.
During the recent visit, Trustees Gregg Humphrey and John McKinstry were provided with an insight into the structure of one of the monthly sessions, alongside meeting the volunteers, as well as those participants in attendance.
Reflecting on the visit, Gregg commented:
“I would like to thank Louise [Magill] and the team involved with the Prom Friendship Group for inviting us down to their most recent session. Having provided a grant donation last year, it’s fantastic to see the funding being put to good use by people who are passionate about helping others.
“Dementia is a terrible illness that affects so many older people within our community, and it is vitally important that programmes such as the Prom Friendship Group are available and sufficiently funded to provide a safe environment for leisure and social activities for those suffering from the disease.
“As a charity, we look forward to following the progress of the group and have no doubt it will continue to go from strength to strength in the future. We would also like to thank Kilwaughter Minerals, our principal funder, for their continued support, which enabled us to provide the £500 grant at this time of need.”
