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BT scheme supports Lourdes trip
Tuesday May 13th 2008. Posted: 09:00
A group of Catholic pilgrims from Co Armagh is heading off to Lourdes in France this weekend - with a little help from BT.
Oliver Byrne, an engineer with the company, successfully applied for funding for the Donaghmore Lourdes Committee through the BT Community Champions award scheme. Oliver, who has been a volunteer with the Jerrettspass-based group for 20 years, was awarded £310 under the scheme, which awards BT people with funding on behalf of local community groups, charities and organisations where they work on a voluntary basis. He said the money is being used to send a group of sick pilgrims to Lourdes this weekend. Lourdes, in the south west of France, has been a major place of Christian pilgrimage, especially among Catholics, for the past 150 years following claims that a young peasant girl saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary there. It attracts five million pilgrims and tourists each year. Oliver said: “We are very pleased with our BT Community Champions award as we are always low on resources and funding is hard to come by. “This money is proving to be of great assistance in helping us to send pilgrims to Lourdes.” BT people can apply for a BT Community Champions award to receive cash grants of up to £500. Funding can be used for purchasing specific equipment or as a contribution towards a particular project. Alternatively, they can apply for a full set of football kit - for an under-18s team or for a team of adults with disabilities.
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Last updated:
15:55
