Lottery Winners Help Revitalize Boxing Club on World Mental Health Day

 _{Lottery Winners Repaint Boxing Club for Mental Health Day. (Image: Allwyn)}

On World Mental Health Day, a group of National Lottery winners helped bring a spark of hope, and fresh coats of paint, to a boxing club in Northern Ireland, underscoring the power of community to build resilience.

For the event, Allwyn UK gathered winners from across Northern Ireland to volunteer at a local Good Cause. The setting was Monkstown Boxing Club in Newtownabbey, which has long been more than a gym, serving as a youth hub supporting mental, emotional, and academic wellbeing.

Participants included:
    •    Frances Connolly (from County Tyrone), who won £115 million on EuroMillions six years ago
    •    Jonny and Christina Johnston (County Fermanagh), winners of £3.8 million in 2023
    •    Catherine Kidd (Draperstown), a £1 million winner in 2017
    •    Claire Marks (Ballyclare), who won £250,000 in 2015

These winners joined local volunteers and the club’s staff to redecorate and refurbish key spaces.

Monkstown Boxing Club was established over 40 years ago. Over time, it has received more than £1.6 million in funding from the National Lottery Community Fund Northern Ireland to support youth initiatives, particularly for children at risk of leaving mainstream education. The club describes itself as providing 

“a safe, welcoming space for local young people, supporting their mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.”

Using youth work methods, Monkstown offers programmes that build social, emotional, and mental health resilience, combined with mentoring, wellbeing activities, and academic support.

As head coach Paul Johnson put it,

 “We are so much more than a boxing club, we are a place where cycles are broken, potential is unlocked, and greatness is truly unleashed."

 We can’t wait to unveil our new look to our members, and we’re thrilled to have had the winners along to help make this a reality.”

 

Initiative Brings Together Winners with Youth Programmes

Mental health remains a pressing concern, especially among young people facing social or educational challenges. Grassroots, community‑level support is often the most effective first line of defence. On World Mental Health Day by bringing together lottery winners and local youth programmes, this initiative bridges resources and community energy, reinforcing how local networks can amplify wellbeing work.

Monkstown’s role is particularly important in its area. The club’s In Your Corner project works with youth disengaged from mainstream education, connecting them to wellbeing services, mentorship, leadership training, employability supports and more.  

In recent years, the National Lottery Community Fund has expanded its focus in Northern Ireland under the “Strengthening Communities” programme, with multi-year grants between £20,001 and £500,000 aimed at reducing health inequalities, improving mental wellbeing, and giving children and young people the support to thrive.   In 2025 alone, over £8 million was allocated to 151 community projects across Northern Ireland.  

The involvement of lottery winners in volunteering speaks to a broader narrative: that those who benefit from such funding engines can also contribute directly, not just through cash but through time, skill, and symbolic solidarity.