Clare Fm - Podcasts

A Clare charity which provides free therapy to children with special needs has been described as an example of "best practice" at a national level. Government funding of €300,000 for the Clare Crusaders Clinic in Barefield has been announced during a ministerial visit to the facility today. Set up in 2007 by former Independent Councillor Ann Norton along with a group of parents, Clare Crusaders is a self-financing charity that gives more than 450 children with special needs in the county access to free therapy and specialist treatment. The organisation's management has long lamented the fact that it receives no State funding and instead has to raise upwards of €250,000 each year through a busy calendar of fundraising events. Today represents a significant milestone in the clinic's journey, however, as for the first time, a Government funding allocation amounting to €300,000 has been announced. It's understood the money will go towards information and communications technology as well as related equipment