Charities get €5.3 million Telethon funds boost

Irish charities have received a €5.3 million windfall today after People In Need announced the allocation of grants from its Telethon 2004 funds.

Almost 760 charities will benefit from the money, including organisations working with the homeless, children's charities and organsiations for the elderly.

The eighth RTÉ People in Need was one of the most successful to date. More than 4,000 events took place around the country to raise fund for the event. Since it began in 1988, more than €34 million has been raised through the Telethon.

The grants range in size from €250 to €40,000, and any funds raised in a particular county will be allocated to organisations within that county.

The St Vincent de Paul charity received some of the largest grants, the most significant being €40,000 in Waterford and €30,000 approved for Donegal. Other charities also got a siginificant cash boost, including Senior Citizens Concern in Wexford (€40,000); Threshold in Cork (€35,000); Irish Wheelchair Association in Wexford (€35,000); Cobh Youth services (€35,000); Breffni Community Development, Leitrim (€35,000); the Cork Simon Community (€32,500); Muscular Dystrophy Ireland in Sligo (€30,000); the Children's Sunshine Home in Dublin (€30,000); South Dublin Senior Citizens (€30,000); and the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin (€30,000); and St Aidans Housing in Wexford (€30,000).