Funds of over €70,000 distributed by Court Poor Box system in Laois and Offaly

Funds of approximately €77,000 have been distributed through the system of the Court Poor Box by District Court Number 15, comprising Portlaoise and Tullamore Courts, for 2022.

The allocation of the funds was outlined by Judge Andrew Cody at Thursday's sitting of Portlaoise District Court. 

The money comprised of a range of charitable donations and funding for professional reports, with the balance of the funds going to a number of local organisations. 

Charitable donations, totalling €30,000, were made, at the direction of the Court, to the victims of crime, Offaly Hospice Foundation Ltd, Clara St. Vincent de Paul, Tullamore Tidy Towns, Fusion Project, Community Mental Health Centre, Cystic Fibrosis, Port Project, Irish Red Cross Ukrainian Appeal, Laois Hospice, Laura Lynn Foundation, LSPCA, Merchants Quay Project , My Lovely Horse Rescue, Pieta House, Portlaoise Lions Club, The Cara Curley Foundation, Laois Hospice, St Vincent de Paul Portlaoise and the Fusion Project.  

Court Poor box funds, of approximately €20,000, also funded the professional reports of psychologists and other professionals in instances where children were affected by proceedings involving domestic violence, custody and access disputes.

It’s pointed out that these reports are only paid for by the Court Poor Box only where it is essential, and the means of the family do not permit the commissioning and payment of such reports. 

The balance available for distribution at the end of 2022 was just over €27,000.

Following a meeting of a committee to advise on the distribution of such funds in the last fortnight it was agreed unanimously that the balance be distributed as across a range of local organisations, as follows:

€2,000 each went to Portlaoise Lions Club and Tullamore Lions Club. 

€1,000 each was contributed to St Vincent de Paul Portlaoise; St Vincent de Paul Clara; St Vincent de Paul Tullamore; St Vincent de Paul Castletown; St Vincent de Paul Birr; St Vincent de Paul Abbeyleix; Offaly Hospice; Laois Hospice; Acorn Project; Fusion Project; Block Project; Laois Domestic Violence support and Offaly Domestic Violence support. 

€500 each went to: PATH; Tullamore Rape Crisis Centre; Accessible Counselling; Tullamore Tidy Towns; Portlaoise Tidy Towns; Little Blue Heroes; Cara Projects; and Cara Curley Foundation.