Laois GAA club champs in the hunt for national prize
Laois GAA three-in-a-row county club hurling champions Clough Ballacolla are chasing another valuable prize that could go to helping support ambitions and ongoing developments.
Clough-Ballacolla GAA Club in south Laois is the County Winner in the Sport category of the National Lottery Good Causes Awards 2023 which has category prizes of €10,000 and a top prize of €25,000.
Last year, they achieved a third Laois senior hurling title on the bounce as they continue to grow from strength to strength as an organisation in sport and for the community.
In 2022 the club announced plans to install a pitch floodlighting system at the Hawthorn Field in Ballacolla. Work is also ongoing to develop new pitches and facilities in Clough village. The club also agreed to dedicate part of its grounds in Clough for use as a playground.
The 133 County Winners will now compete for a place in the National Finals judging phase next month, after which the National Finalists will be announced.
The total prize fund available on the night of the Good Causes Awards ceremony is €100,000, whereby each of the seven category winners will receive €10,000 and the overall Good Cause of the Year will take home an additional €25,000.
A special category, ‘Hero of the Year’, will be announced on the awards night in recognition of outstanding work and the recipient will receive a prize of €5,000. In addition, each of the National Finalists announced in June will receive a cheque for €1,000.
The Lotto says that In total more than €6 billion has been raised for Good Causes since the National Lottery was established 34 years ago. In 2021 alone, €304 million was raised for local Good Causes in communities across Ireland.
National Lottery CEO, Andrew Algeo, spoke about the awards.
“Good Causes support communities across Ireland are at the heart of the National Lottery’s purpose. As a result, we are delighted to celebrate each year the exceptional work being carried out by those groups, organisations and sports clubs nationwide. I am thrilled and not surprised to say that we have had another year of inspirational stories from the beneficiaries of National Lottery funding.
"These stories provide purpose to those of us who work in and with the National Lottery. It has never been easy to narrow down the list of hundreds of entries, however, it is a great pleasure to congratulate the Laois County Winner this year and to be able to show our appreciation for their commitment to communities around the country,” he said.
Gráinne Seoige is host of the Good Causes Awards.
“This is my fourth year being involved in the National Lottery Good Causes Awards, year-on-year my delight to be involved grows. By working with Good Causes, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many individuals and groups that are doing extraordinary work in our communities.
"They continue to inspire me each year, and I look forward to seeing who makes it through to the National Finals in October,” he said.
The Lotto says the awards will recognise initiatives across a broad list of categories: Sport, Health & Wellbeing, Arts & Culture, Heritage, Community, Youth, and Irish Language.
This year’s event will take place on Saturday, October 21 in Killashee House Hotel, Naas, Co. Kildare.