SPAR Northern Ireland has crowned the charity, Plough On as the top prize winner of this year's Community Cashback Grant.

A £10,000 grant will be allocated to the charity, which is based in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, and the funding will go towards supports that address rural isolation and loneliness amongst older farmers.

SPAR NI outlined that the grant will be distributed across the 17 rural locations that are covered by Plough On, providing "highly cost-effective intervention that improves health, wellbeing and social inclusion for older farmers" across Northern Ireland.

Nikki Foster-Moreira, who is the social farming and innovation programme manager at Plough On, noted that the charity was "delighted" to be presented with the £10,000 cheque.

Plough On

Foster-Moreira said: "This funding will make a real difference by supporting our Plough On groups, which provide a welcoming space for older male farmers to come together, connect with others, and support their mental health and wellbeing.

"Farming can often be an isolated profession, particularly for older men, so these groups play a vital role in reducing loneliness, encouraging conversation, and building a strong sense of community.

"Thanks to this grant, we'll be able to continue creating opportunities for people to share experiences, form meaningful connections, and access support in a relaxed and understanding environment," she added.

Community Cashback Grant

SPAR NI's competition also provided funding to six other charities, with Skywatch NI taking the second-place prize of £5,000.

As a charity that provides drone-based search and rescue support to emergency services, the funding will go towards strengthening Skywatch NI's operational capacity to ensure that the charity can continue providing their services, particularly in rural areas.

The supermarket stated that the following five charities will also receive £1,000 each from the grant:

Accidental Theatre;
K9 Search & Rescue NI;
The Road Ahead NI;
Together 21 Northern Ireland;
 Include Youth’s Give and Take programme.

Speaking on this year's competition, Bethany Priestly from SPAR NI highlighted that "each charity organisation that is receiving a grant this year provides voluntary services across NI communities", from support for families affected by road traffic collisions to social meets and support sessions for children with Down Syndrome.

SPAR NI stated that over 400 organisations applied for the 2026 Community Cashback Grant, with this year's prize pool standing at £20,000.

Now in its seventh year, the competition has reportedly distributed £140,000 to 60 organisations since it begun in 2020.