• Cheque presentation in Wilton in the  presence of Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Chris O’Leary
• Funding recipients include Cork Simon Community, Good Shepherd Services, Blackwater Sub Aqua Search & Rescue and TechSpace 
• ESB has donated over €10m to charities across Ireland in past ten years – and €1m in Cork city and county

CORK , 10 June 2016 - ESB has awarded funding of €20,000 to four Cork-based charities at a special cheque presentation that took place today (10 June 2016) at ESB Networks offices in Wilton, Cork City.

Now in its 11th year, the Fund has awarded total funding of €10m to over 400 local and national charities around Ireland since it was launched in 2005, including almost €1million to organisations located in Cork City and County

Funding was awarded to the four organisations working in areas of homelessness, suicide prevention and educational attainment - Cork Simon Community, Good Shepherd Services, Blackwater Sub Aqua Search & Rescue and TechSpace.

Cllr Chris O’Leary, the Lord Mayor of Cork commended ESB for its awarding of significant funding to four organisations highly regarded for their work in Cork. “This financial support is hugely important for charities to maintain and broaden their valuable services. During my visit to ESB’s offices in Wilton, I was also impressed with the wholehearted  encouragement given to ESB staff in volunteering their expertise to good causes, conservatively estimated at 30,000 hours annually across the company.”

ESB Deputy Chief Executive Jerry O’Sullivan spoke of how the company seeks to empower and enrich the lives of individuals and communities across Ireland through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. “ESB has a long tradition of supporting individuals and communities around Ireland.  It is a genuine pleasure to be here today to recognise the efforts of four tremendous organisations working in very practical and effective ways in the city and county. These four charities exemplify the spirit of the Energy for Generations fund – which has delivered €10m to worthy causes across Ireland, including €1m in Cork, over the last ten years.” 

Cork Simon works in solidarity with men and women who are homeless in Cork, offering housing and support in their journey back to independent living.  Dermot Kavanagh says that his organisation relies on the generosity and understanding of people, communities and businesses in Cork and beyond for over half of the funding they need . “The funding helps keep our doors open around the clock for an increasing number of people turning to us for help. This grant from ESB will help us to support people experiencing the trauma of homelessness to start getting their lives back on track.  It’s a real example of believing in people.”

Good Shepherd Services offer a range of services for women and children who are homeless or vulnerable to homelessness in Cork.  Tony O’Riordan says : “We are indebted to ESB’s Energy for Generation Funds for their support to our various projects over a number of years.  The generosity of the ESB and the support given by ESB staff has had a very positive impact on the lives of the women and children we serve.”

Blackwater Sub Aqua Search and Rescue provides rescue cover for all water based activities on the River Blackwater, sporting clubs and assisting the Gardaí and Coast Guard when requested to search and recover missing  persons. Matt Culloty says that today’s funding will enable his organisation to complete the purchase of a much needed replacement rescue boat. “People always ask ‘how do you do the search and recovery of missing persons ?’  We in Blackwater Sub Aqua Search and Rescue train for such events constantly; simply put, it's what we do. But we could not do it without such funding.”

Meanwhile, Steven Daly explains how TechSpace works through a network of youth organisations, projects and schools to enable participants to creatively express themselves using technology. “We are delighted to receive further support from ESB, which will allow us to build on previous funding from ESB to expand the reach of our 'Maker Programme'. TechSpace trains youth workers to use technology in youth work, and ESB’s support means we can give more young people across Ireland the chance to create, invent, and make with electronics, circuit boards and programming kits. We are giving them vital skills to make their futures successful.”

Each year, ESB awards funding to approximately 150 projects across Ireland. The last round of successful projects were wide-ranging and included counselling services, childhood literacy and numeracy programmes, educational activities for adults  and workshops on mental health and well-being.  ESB also supports and encourages staff volunteering, with over 30,000 hours of staff volunteering hours recorded in 2015.

Over the past 10 years, ESB has awarded approximately €10million through the ESB Energy for Generations Fund to community-based projects around Ireland. These projects are primarily in the areas of educational disadvantage, suicide prevention and homelessness. Full details on applying for funding including eligibility criteria for projects, can be found here.

ESB’s Energy for Generations Fund is open to organisations within the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

ENDS