Bus receipts windfall for 210 charities

More than 200 community groups and charities have profited by €350,000 from unclaimed bus passenger change receipts collected by Dublin Bus.

The unclaimed money goes into the Dublin Bus Community Support Awards scheme and was awarded yesterday to 210 non-profit groups in grants ranging from €1,000 to €5,000.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, accompanied by the scheme's patron, Sunderland football club chairman Niall Quinn, presented the awards at a special ceremony in Dublin.

The Taoiseach presented grants of €5,000 each to 14 non-profit groups which made proposals adjudged as of "highest value".

These included the Clondalkin Teenage Parenting Programme, the Solas Bereavement Counselling Service for children and the Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team.

A total of 88 other groups received grants of €2,000 each for proposals of high value, while 148 groups received grants of €1,000 each for proposals found to be of significant value.

The groups include sporting and disability organisations and are based across Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow. The amount of awards increased by €100,000 on last year's figure.

Mr Ahern praised the work of the groups present and of Dublin Bus in assisting communities and people with disabilities.

He noted the Government had agreed that the company should have extra buses.

Niall Quinn said the awards scheme came about to help promote the idea that Dublin Bus was for the people of Dublin.

The work of the 210 groups "is vital to keeping alive the pulse of communities", he said.