Ten charities in the North will receive a share of £55,561 from the Allen & Overy Foundation, which is funded by contributions from A&O partners worldwide.

The annual funding initiative is managed locally by the Belfast grants committee.

A record 27 applications were submitted this year and ten were selected to receive a share of the funding package including two successful Belfast-based organisations – The Turnaround Project and Cara-Friend.

Chair of the grants committee Simon Wagstaff said that giving back to others is an important part of the firm’s ongoing commitment and investment in the local marketplace.

Job opportunities

The Turnaround Project, based in south Belfast, provides transitional employment opportunities for people leaving the justice system. It received £7,328 to provide strength-based coaching to support people moving into new mainstream employment.

Cara-Friend will get £5,000 to provide access to mental health and mindfulness support for secondary level pupils.

The ten organisations receiving funding are Young Enterprise NI, The Brilliant Club, The Turnaround Project, Ashton Community Trust, Cara-Friend, Extern, Ulster University, the Human Rights Consortium, the Children’s Law Centre and Kinship Care NI.