A £16.7m 'pot' to fund rural development projects has been served up to 100,000 people living in the Armagh, Craigavon and Newry & Mourne council areas.

Rural dwellers can apply for a slice of the money to undertake development works that will potentially improve their businesses.

Last month saw the first call for the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme across the SOAR region - the newly launched Southern Organisation for Action in Rural Areas Partnership - which is made up of local councillors and community representatives from across the three council areas.

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Mayor of Armagh Thomas O'Hanlon said: "The fund itself is available to all rural areas across all of the three council areas. In fact the programme is available to a total of 101,000 rural people that we represent."

Alderman Sidney Anderson, Chairman of SOAR Joint Committee, highlighted the potentially significant impact which the rural development funding could have on rural communities and businesses.

"This funding will create a much needed boost for the local economy, helping to strengthen the social and economic infrastructures of rural areas, creating employment opportunities and making the most of our heritage and tourism potential which exists in abundance across all of the SOAR region."

Miceal McCoy, Chairman of the SOAR Local Action Group, said: "I would encourage all those with project ideas to contact us for more information and benefit from what is the largest ever allocation of central government and European funding to this region of Northern Ireland."

(PR/BMcC)