Northern Ireland sports minister Nelson McCausland has attended the launch of a new National Lottery-funded community initiative in Belfast.

The Belfast Active Communities Programme is part of a wider scheme that aims to train and employ a network of coaches and leaders across the country. Sport Northern Ireland has invested £2.67m in the Belfast Active Communities initiative, which will see 22 new posts created across the city.

The project also aims to strengthen partnerships between the local authority, community groups and national governing bodies for sport. McCausland said: "It aims to improve participation rates in sport across the population and amongst under represented groups of people.

"It also recognises the importance of providing communities and individuals with a range of activity choices that will enable them to identify those that they most enjoy."