Sanctuary Runners to develop app with Begin Together funding

The Sanctuary Runners are among 68 community projects to receive financial support from Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together programme in 2022.

Using running to bring together refugees, asylum seekers and people from the wider community, The Sanctuary Runners is a solidarity-through-sport movement.

Begin Together Community Fund will support the group in the development of an app, providing a tool to keep group participants informed and engaged.

The app will provide information on the Sanctuary Runners and on running events, online classes, access to merchandise, the opportunity for feedback and links to other community support.

It is expected that the app will be downloaded by 4,000 participants a year and will be free to users.

“We’re immensely proud to support a wide range of community groups, charities, and social enterprises working across Ireland. What they do unites, supports and protects local communities and the most vulnerable in society,” said Laura Lynch, Chief Marketing Officer at Bank of Ireland.

In total, €500,000 is being allocated to groups across the island of Ireland in year three of the fund, delivered in partnership with the Community Foundation for Ireland. This will bring the total value of grants issued via the Community Fund to €1.5M since 2020.

The Fund is one strand of the Bank of Ireland Begin Together programme, a three-year, €4 Million initiative to support community groups, local enterprises and the arts across the island of Ireland.

The Community Fund aims to support initiatives that are improving the financial, mental, or physical well-being with initiatives receiving up to €20,000 each for projects spanning financial literacy and wellbeing, mental health, disability, inclusion and diversity and social isolation.