Over €184k for Telethon beneficiaries in Westmeath

Fourteen charities from Westmeath received grants totalling over €184,076 from the People in Need Trust from funds raised during the 2007 RTE People In Need Telethon supported by eircom.The People in Need Trust announced the final tally last week at an event to mark the completion of the grant distributions.In accordance with the policy of the People in Need Trust, all funds raised in Westmeath were distributed to charities based in the county.The chief Westmeath-based beneficiaries were the Irish Wheelchair Association in Mullingar and South Westmeath Hospice, both of which received €25,000.The Mullingar office of the IWA will allocate their monies towards new furniture and equipment, while South Westmeath Hospice will spend their grant on a new building extension.Other main beneficiaries include the Mullingar-based Irish Autism Action, which received €23,300 for the purchase of national centre office equipment, and Killucan Area Services Ltd and Killucan Care Ltd, which has been allocated €19,635 for the purchase of a car.The TEAM (Temporary Emergency Accommodation, Mullingar) facility at Green Road, Mullingar has received €20,000 to cover the cost of furnishings and fittings, while Lissadel Day Care Services at the Athlone Road, Mullingar has been granted the same figure for the purchase of a new bus.Other Westmeath beneficiaries include Mullingar's 1428 Active Retirement Club (€12,000 for the purchase of indoor games equipment), the Irish Wheelchair Association in Athlone (€2,400 for wheelchair accessible equipment), Cairdeas Kinnegad Community Childcare (€12,000 towards a new outdoor play area), the autistic unit of Milltownpass NS (€1,000 for the provision of weekly swimming lessons), New Beginnings Counselling Ltd, Drumraney (€5,000 for a new counselling room), the Mullingar Carers' Association branch (€3,741 for new office and computer equipment, and decorating costs), The Meningitis Trust (€5,000 towards a mascot suit and poster printing) and the Women's Community Project at the Parish Community Centre, Mullingar (€10,000 for the provision of an electrical lift and computer equipment).According to David Harvey, Chief Executive of the People in Need Trust: "The people of Westmeath were extremely generous during the Telethon campaign and it is thanks to their efforts that we were able to help so many charities in the county. The funds distributed over the last few months have made a huge difference to people's lives."Since its inception in 1988, over €42 million has been raised by People in Need through the RTÉ People in Need Telethon to support a wide variety of charitable organisations. The Telethon has always had a special emphasis on smaller, low-profile groups who otherwise would have difficulty in raising sufficient funds for themselves.