Child services in Waterford have suffered a major blow with the announcement that the ISPCC will be shutting the local branch of it’s childline phone service.
An anonymous donor came forward in the past week with an offer to pay the rent, insurance, lighting and heating at the premises in the Cleaboy business park for 12 months.
The cost of calls to the service is currently covered by Vodafone.
Despite this the organisation annoucned that it would be pressing ahead with it's plans to close the service.
Speaking to Eamonn Keane on Deise Today, Fianna Fail's Mary Butler said she was very disappointed.
"I was so hopeful when this generous benefactor came forward," she said, "I was at pains to see how something couldn't be worked out when you have a unit, you have volunteers and you have Vodafone covering the calls."
ISPCC CEO Gráinne Long said the money wasn't there to keep the service running.
"Personally I'm really disappointed," she said, "But if we think there's an opportunity that we can make this stack up, then of course we will do that."
