THOMAS Miller Investment (Isle of Man) Limited has donated £40,000 to The Children’s Centre.

The donation includes £14,500 used to buy a minibus for the centre’s Out2Play mobile play scheme.

A sum of £10,500 will cover the costs of running the scheme while the remaining £15,000 will be used by The Children’s Centre for other projects.

Thomas Miller is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year and the company has decided to make The Children’s Centre the focus of its support for charities in 2010.

The Children’s Centre chief executive John Knight said: "I am constantly amazed at the generosity of both the Manx public and the Island’s corporate sector.

"This donation is just incredible; it enables The Children’s Centre to not only develop Out2Play but also a number of our other charitable initiatives.  We are pleased to be associated with Thomas Miller Investment and hope to continue our relationship in the future."

Chairman of Thomas Miller (Isle of Man) Limited Ian Jarrett, said: "The Children’s Centre makes a valuable contribution to the Island’s community in helping children and their families.

"In particular, the Out2Play scheme illustrates how the centre reaches out to communities across the Isle of Man and we are delighted to support it with the purchase of the new minibus and funds to cover running costs of the scheme."

The Out2Play scheme travels around the Island during the school holidays organising free play sessions. The sessions are run by The Children’s Centre play workers supported by volunteers.

As well as being fun for all of the children who take part, the Out2Play sessions promote healthy living and offer an opportunity for children to make new friends and develop social skills.