A rural community group in County Down has been awarded £40,000 to refurbish its building, with plans to install a new kitchen and improve accessibility. The funding will allow the Ballylone Rural Development Association to expand the range of activities it can host.

The money comes from the Northern Ireland Community Infrastructure Fund, which is delivered by the Department for Communities with support from the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. The fund provides capital grants to community and voluntary organisations to upgrade existing premises.

DAERA Minister Andrew Muir visited the Ballylone group to see how the investment will be used. He noted that community facilities are essential for rural life, offering shared spaces that aid social connection, wellbeing and local services.

The minister said his department added £2 million to the fund specifically to address high demand in rural areas. He pointed out that nearly 60 per cent of grant offers from the fund have gone to rural organisations.

The refurbishment at Ballylone is expected to make the building more resilient and better able to serve the local community, the minister added. The project reflects ongoing cooperation between DAERA and the Department for Communities to deliver improvements in rural areas.