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Irish Independent
14-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Wexford childcare centre to benefit from Late Late Toy Show fund
Almost €30,000 has been awarded to the Southwest Wexford Family Resource Centre and Sugradh Childcare Centre through the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal grants by Community Foundation Ireland, which has generated a great excitement among the local community following the success of their grant application for the funding. The grant will fund the installation of a sensory space, tailored specifically for neuro-divergent individuals, offering a safe, adaptable environment with sensory tools and calming features to support self-regulation, reduce anxiety, and enhance well-being and help to change children's lives for good in the Wexford area. The staff at the service said that to have their application approved is an 'honour' as they can now 'extend further much needed services in the community.' 'With this support, the service can install a new Cubbie Hub, which will support individuals with sensory processing needs, including those with autism, ADHD, and anxiety,' a spokesperson for the SWWFRC said. "This new space will offer a calming environment, featuring sensory tools such as soft lighting, noise-cancelling headphones, and tactile objects, allowing users to regulate their emotions and reduce stress,' they added.
Irish Times
05-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Will the Government really put McDonald's ahead of children in poverty?
With billions flowing into the Government's coffers from our corporation tax bonanza, there were some big winners from last year's pre-election budget. Among the biggest were the children of wealthy parents. While CSO statistics show that an average person receives about €100,000 in gifts or inheritances from their parents over a lifetime, Budget 2025 announced a €25,000 tax cut for the tiny fraction who receive more than €400,000. Such giveaways contrast sharply with below-inflation increases to most social welfare payments over recent years. This has left core rates of payments worth less today than they were in January 2020: a remarkable situation given the strength of economic growth and the tens of billions in new spending announced. These real-terms cuts have contributed to stagnating incomes for the poorest households as well as stubbornly persistent levels of child poverty. READ MORE Research published by the ESRI in partnership with Community Foundation Ireland has shown that 250,000 children live in households below the poverty line after accounting for housing costs: more than one in five children. A wealth of evidence shows this has enormous economic and social costs , with a lack of adequate resources compromising the ability of children to grow and thrive, even in adulthood. The importance of reducing child poverty has been recognised by successive governments, with ambitious targets set out in various plans, strategies and roadmaps since 1997. However, we have seen no real progress for the best part of two decades. Shockingly, the share of children below the poverty line after housing costs is no lower than during the worst years of the financial crisis. The reason child poverty persists is that whenever the opportunity comes to translate words into action there is always some higher priority. This year that higher priority looks to be the hospitality sector, which has engaged in a sustained, well-funded lobbying campaign for even more preferential VAT treatment than it currently enjoys. VAT is currently levied on accommodation, catering and restaurant services at a reduced rate of 13.5 per cent, compared with the standard rate of 23 per cent. Estimates by Revenue suggest this amounts to a tax relief of almost €2 billion per year. Cutting the rate further to 9 per cent would cost more than €800 million more a year, sucking up most of the space available for new measures in the forthcoming budget. This is despite the fact the sector is – by any objective measure – doing well. CSO data shows that hospitality employment was 7 per cent higher in the first quarter of 2025 than a year earlier, while figures from the Companies Registration Office show there were 11 new companies incorporated for every liquidation in the sector. Even if the sector were struggling, a VAT cut makes little economic sense. Rather than supporting struggling small restaurants or cafes, the biggest beneficiaries would be large operators with the highest turnover. On what grounds can a multimillion-euro tax cut for outlets such as McDonald's possibly be justified? Yet the Tánaiste's recent elevation of this expensive and economically illiterate tax cut to a 'solemn commitment' would seem to place it ahead of all other promises in the programme for government. This includes a pledge to 'lift more children out of poverty, giving them the futures they deserve'. Doing so would have immense benefits, but unavoidably requires spending money. The most effective way of spending this money is to introduce a second-tier of child benefit. This would leave the current universal child benefit payment as it stands but give an additional amount to lower-income families with children, replacing the inadequate patchwork of existing supports. Recent estimates from the ESRI suggest such a reform would reduce child poverty by more than a quarter. This amounts to lifting more than 50,000 children out of poverty at a cost of €772 million. While substantial, this cost is about a quarter of achieving the same reduction by increasing the universal child benefit payment. Strikingly, it is also less than that of the planned cut to VAT for the hospitality sector. This is the reason a second tier of child benefit has been called for since 2007 by a range of expert bodies, including the last government's Commission on Taxation and Welfare (which I was part of). A second tier of child benefit would mirror reforms implemented in the UK over the 2000s by then chancellor Gordon Brown. Writing in these pages last year, he described the approach as a 'progressive universalism' that ensures 'a floor of basic social rights for all, but with more support for those who need it most'. When Brown gave a keynote address to the Irish Government's inaugural Child Poverty Summit last year, he was introduced by then taoiseach Simon Harris, who declared that 'ending child poverty is a defining challenge for any leader' . After 20 years without progress in reducing – let alone ending – child poverty, it is a challenge our leaders are failing. Whether that failure defines their legacies depends on the decisions they take in the coming budgets. Dr Barra Roantree is director of the MSc in economic policy at Trinity College Dublin
Irish Independent
26-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Independent
Dozens of Cork children to benefit from ‘crucial' RTÉ Toy Show Appeal grant for care centre
The Crann Centre, a facility in Ovens which cares for people with neuro-physical disabilities, will receive €140,000 over two years through the Toy Show Appeal's partners, Community Foundation Ireland. The grant will fund the centre's Social Capital Programme, which includes fully inclusive summer camps, youth clubs, ecology workshops, conservation, visual arts and music activities and family barbecues. The programme also consists of the youth theatre group 'Breaking Barriers', which staged two performances of Aladdin in Cork City Hall last Friday night. The Social Capital Programme is led by Tara O'Donovan, who said it is important to develop initiatives which offer unique experiences to children and help them to grow their confidence and abilities. 'We are extremely grateful to the Toy Show Appeal for including the Crann Centre this year. This funding will go a long way towards achieving our goals,' Ms O'Donovan said. Crann centre spokesperson Louis O'Sullivan said the grant will be vital. 'It is critical because we grew by over 30pc, which takes us to over 100 families now, and in order for us to continue to grow and deliver high quality services, we need funding,' he explained. Additional funding would allow the Crann Centre to accept more families into its programmes, which would be 'phenomenal'. 'At Crann, we do a lot of research, and we listen to our families to make sure they are receiving the types of services they actually need and want,' Mr O'Sullivan said. 'The money allows us to do that correctly, which is really good.' The Crann Centre provides care and programmes for a growing number of children and adults living with conditions such as cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida and osteogenesis imperfecta. In total, the centre currently provides support for 700 families of those with challenging conditions from across Munster. For more information on the Crann Centre visit:
RTÉ News
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
RTÉ AND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IRELAND ANNOUNCE RTÉ TOY SHOW APPEAL GRANT AWARDS 2025
To date the Toy Show Appeal has raised over €26 million since its inception in 2020 169 grants to benefit over one million children in every county in Ireland Full list of grants available here Today RTÉ and Community Foundation Ireland are announcing the 169 recipients of the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal grant awards in 2025, with the lives of Irish children right across the country set to be changed for good in a variety of ways. All of this is possible due to the remarkable generosity of RTÉ viewers of last December's Late Late Toy Show. The kindhearted response from The Late Late Toy Show viewers to the appeal will help transform the lives of over one million children, young people and their families in Ireland, with every county on the island benefitting from grants totalling 5 million euro. To date, the Toy Show Appeal has raised over 26 million euro for Irish charities since its inception five years ago. The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal began in 2020 and was inspired by the story of Saoirse Ruane from Kiltullagh, Co. Galway, who – along with her beloved teddy Slush – captivated viewers with her appearance on The Late Late Toy Show. Saoirse sadly died aged 12 in March 2024. Announcing the grants, RTÉ Director General, Kevin Bakhurst said: 'The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal is one of RTÉ's most important initiatives – we are humbled by and grateful for the generosity of our Late Late Toy Show audience. Your continued support has ensured that the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal will continue to make a positive difference to the lives of thousands of children and their families, across the island, north and south. The memory of Saoirse Ruane lives on with every annual RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, as thousands of young lives are transformed year after year.' The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, in partnership with Community Foundation Ireland, also announced today that the following four charities are to receive transformative grants of between €95,000 and €140,000 each. EXCHANGE HOUSE Thriving Together is a community-led mental health initiative designed to improve mental health outcomes for Traveller children, young people and families by fostering resilience through peer-led support and crisis intervention. This programme directly supports Traveller children and young people, who face significant discrimination, mental health challenges and barriers to accessing services. The programme aims to increase access to culturally appropriate mental health support through peer-led services and improve resilience among Traveller youth. There is a focus on crisis response, peer mentoring and capacity building, reflecting a proactive, early intervention approach. The peer-led model and inclusion of community voices in programme design demonstrates the emphasis on including beneficiary feedback and creating strong community impact. Amount awarded: €140,000 THE CRANN CENTRE CLG The Crann Centre CLG transforms the lives of children and families living with neurophysical disabilities through a unique programme of accessible play and recreation supported by a world class multi-disciplinary team and facilities. Crann has identified that a lack of accessible, purpose designed, inclusive spaces for play and recreation means that their clients do not have opportunities to engage in play, nature and social activities which are key to their development, health and wellbeing. Crann has developed a unique Social Capital Programme of activities in their accessible spaces to provide these opportunities to children and families with neuro-physical disabilities in Munster. Crann offers a unique programme of events and activities delivering year-round play, creativity, social connection and participation in Crann's purpose-built indoor and outdoor accessible facilities for children and families living with neuro-physical disabilities. Their Social Capital Programme activities include regular access to Crann's unique accessible playground and conservation area, fully inclusive summer camps, Ireland's first accessible theatre group, conservation events, nature hunts, picnics, family barbecues, music performances as well as an accessible Christmas Winter Wonderland. Amount awarded: €140,000 THE JACK AND JILL CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION Jack and Jill currently provide home nursing care to children up to the age of 6, by providing vital in-home nursing and respite support, that is bespoke for every family. In 2025, they propose to extend the age criteria to 7 years. Jack and Jill is a nationwide charity that funds and provides in-home nursing care and respite support to families caring for children up to the age of 6 currently, who have severe to profound cognitive delays, associated with complex medical needs. This includes children with brain injury, genetic diagnoses and undiagnosed conditions. A critical part of their service is end-of-life care for all children up to the age of 6, irrespective of diagnosis. In 2024, Jack and Jill supported 539 families across Ireland with in-home nursing care and delivering over 129,000 respite support. Currently, they are caring for 436 families and since their founding in 1997, they have supported 3,147 families. Based on immediate results from their pilot extension to 7 years, they plan for this to become the standard age offered by Jack and Jill going forward. This means when a child in their care turns 6, parents will have the option to continue receiving up to 20 hours of home care per month for an additional year. Amount awarded: €140,000 WOMEN'S AID Women's Aid plan to expand the impact of the unique Too Into You project for youth at risk of or subjected to intimate partner abuse by educating those working with children/youth and creating awareness and advocacy among young people from diverse communities. Women's Aid has been working to prevent and address the impact of domestic violence and abuse, including coercive control against women and children since 1974. Their work has been based on a multi-faceted approach that combines direct services with research, training, education and advocacy. Their vision is an equal Ireland with zero tolerance of domestic abuse, and all forms of violence against women. Amount awarded: €95,000 The remainder of the donations will be split amongst 165 charities across the island of Ireland by charity partner Community Foundation Ireland who manage the grant process on behalf of RTÉ and its viewers. Among the recipient charities are organisations like Pieta House, The Saoirse Foundation (Bumbleance), Oscar's Kids Ireland, Nasc the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre and Irish Aerial Creation Centre. Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland said: 'Turning the huge generosity of The Late Late Show viewers into actions which support children and families in every county is a huge honour and one which all of us at Community Foundation Ireland are immensely proud. Once again, we have used both our expertise as a grant-making philanthropic hub of 25 years as well as insights from communities, advocates and researchers to deliver grants which deliver positive impacts and results. Those insights allow us to respond to both long-standing and emerging challenges. Congratulations to all who have been successful. Your work with families will ensure that the magic of the Toy Show will continue to happen every day in our communities.' Local projects and organisations in every county of Ireland will receive grants to help with a diverse range of needs including meeting basic needs like food and essentials, disability supports, creativity and play and bereavement support. Over £325,000 has been awarded to 20 charities and organisations in Northern Ireland including Rainbow Child and Family Centre, The Cedar Foundation, In Your Space Circus, Lightyear Foundation and Sticky Fingers. ENDS For further information and images please contact: Caoilinn Putti, RTÉ Communications Lead, Rayna Connery, RTÉ Senior Communications Lead, Note to Editors: Images are available here. The photos include The Late Late Show presenter Patrick Kielty meeting children, parents and carers at the Laura Lynn Hospice. Grants are being provided under three main areas of support: Addressing Essential Needs to assist those children in every county who face the greatest challenges. Projects include family support for children across Ireland at risk of food poverty, therapy and counselling for children and young people facing homelessnes, and specialist legal support for children in the care system. Health and Wellbeing focuses on supporting children living with disabilities and life limiting conditions. In total, over €1.5M is being awarded this year to provide health, disability supports, mental wellbeing and therapy services. Creativity and Play will ensure the lives of marginalised and disadvantaged children are full of colour, creativity and fun. RTÉ Toy Show Appeal Founded in 2020, the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal has raised over €26 million for children's charities to date. Each year it is estimated that the Appeal helps more than 1 million children and family members. The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal exists as a Donor Advised Fund with registered charity The Community Foundation for Ireland (Registered Charity Number: 20044886). Grant applications from the 2024 RTÉ Toy Show Appeal were independently assessed following an open application process which opened in early 2025. Community Foundation Ireland Community Foundation Ireland, its donors and supporters are on a mission to ensure Equality for All in Thriving Communities. Since the year 2000, the Foundation has been a philanthropic hub working with 5000 voluntary, community and charitable partners. It has been the charity partner of the Toy Show appeal since its establishment in 2020.
RTÉ News
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Over 1m children to benefit from Toy Show Appeal grants
It has been announced that over a million children and their families will benefit from donations to the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal. 169 grants, totalling €5 million, will be distributed following the generosity of Late Late Toy Show viewers last December. The grants will support the work of registered charities and community groups across the island of Ireland. The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal began in 2020 and was inspired by the story of the late Saoirse Ruane from Kiltullagh, Co Galway, who won the hearts of the nation when she appeared on The Late Late Toy Show. Since its inception, the Toy Show Appeal has raised over €26 million. Announcing the grants, RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst said: "The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal is one of RTÉ's most important initiatives - we are humbled by and grateful for the generosity of our Late Late Toy Show audience. "Your continued support has ensured that the RTÉ Toy Show Appeal will continue to make a positive difference to the lives of thousands of children and their families, across the island, north and south. "The memory of Saoirse Ruane lives on with every annual RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, as thousands of young lives are transformed year after year." The RTÉ Toy Show Appeal, in partnership with Community Foundation Ireland, has also announced that four charities - Exchange House, The Crann Centre CLG, The Jack and Jill Children's Foundation, and Women's Aid - are to receive transformative grants of between €95,000 and €140,000 each. The remainder of the donations will be split amongst 165 charities across the island of Ireland by charity partner Community Foundation Ireland who manage the grant process on behalf of RTÉ and its viewers. Other recipients include Pieta House, The Saoirse Foundation (Bumbleance), Oscar's Kids Ireland, Nasc the Migrant and Refugee Rights Centre, and the Irish Aerial Creation Centre. Over £325,000 has been awarded to 20 charities and organisations in Northern Ireland including Rainbow Child and Family Centre, The Cedar Foundation, In Your Space Circus, Lightyear Foundation, and Sticky Fingers. Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of Community Foundation Ireland, said: "Turning the huge generosity of The Late Late Show viewers into actions that support children and families in every county is a huge honour and one which all of us at Community Foundation Ireland are immensely proud. "Once again, we have used both our expertise as a grant-making philanthropic hub of 25 years as well as insights from communities, advocates, and researchers to deliver grants that deliver positive impacts and results. "Those insights allow us to respond to both long-standing and emerging challenges. Congratulations to all who have been successful. Your work with families will ensure that the magic of the Toy Show will continue to happen every day in our communities."
