A county Roscommon charity organisation that supports those who fulfill a primary or secondary carer role in the home, took a national title yesterday at the National Lottery Good Causes Awards.

Roscommon Young Carers Project scooped €10,000 as the overall winner of the youth category at a ceremony which took place in Killashee House Hotel in Naas, County Kildare.

The National Lottery Good Causes Awards honour the inspiring work and achievements of thousands of projects, clubs and individuals from all over Ireland who, with the help of National Lottery Good Causes funding, have had an extraordinary impact on their local communities.

Roscommon young carers look after a family member with an illness, injury, disability, mental health issue or addiction. National Lottery funding allowed the group to set a foundation for its ‘Art of Caring’ programme, which uses the arts as a medium to connect young people in an area of their personal interest for example drama, music, creative writing etc. The project offers them a mechanism for self-expression and self-care which may have been lost in their role as a young carer.

Gráinne Seoige hosted this year’s event and was joined by a star-studded line-up of guest presenters who handed out category awards.

The Awards are made up of seven categories: Sport, Health & Wellbeing, Heritage, Arts & Culture, Community, Youth and Irish Language.

The seven category winners each received €10,000; the Hero of the Year received €5,000 and the overall Good Cause of the Year, Meath Women’s Refuge Support Services received an additional €25,000.