METRO FREE Thursday, November 26, 2009 www.nationalcraftsfair.ie see page 17 WIN A CRAFTS HAMPER WORTH 1,000! HELP METRO HELP THE ENVIRONMENT. RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER TODAY INSIDE TODAY See Page 8 How Nelly has a plan to liberate your curves... See Page 16 Irelands own Una of The Saturdays talks to Metro PLUS Whats on TV tonight Pages 16-17 AROUND 750 holidaymakers were left stranded abroad last night as Budget Travel went bust. More than 400 other people who had booked with the countrys largest tour operator were also told to contact regulators to secure refunds. Budget Travel announced yesterday it was going into liquidation, with the loss of more than 170 jobs. The firm, founded in 1975, shut down 14 stores in September with the loss of 95 jobs and a further 17 stores will close as it is wound up. Union chiefs accused Budget of cutting and run- ning from the Irish market and hit out at its parent company, Swedish-based Primera Group, which, they said, made profits of 850million last year. Eileen OSullivan, the companys managing di- rector, said she regretted the impact on staff and customers. This has been a painful and distress- ing time for us all, she said. Budget has 11.4million in a bond with the Commission for Aviation regulation, to be used to bring home holidaymakers and refund bookings. Ms OSullivan said the travel industry in Ireland was facing huge pressure from a collapse in de- mand this year and trading difficulties were com- pounded by the Regulator refusing to renew Budgets licences to operate last month. This blocked the firm from applying to the courts for protection, rather than having to apply for liq- uidation, the company claimed. Irish Life & Permanent board member Gillian Bowler set up the firm in a basement office with two telephone lines. By 1984, it had 25,000 cus- tomers earning the business 8million. Budget changed hands a number of times before Primera bought it in September 2007. Simon Coyle, from auditors Mazars, was appoint- ed by the High Court as provisional liquidator. BY ED CARTY 750 stranded as travel firm folds Women wearing red coats and holding placards in front of their faces line up outside the Dil yesterday to launch the Womens Aid 16 Days of Action Campaign: Breaking the Silence around Domestic Violence. One in five women in Ireland experiences abuse in their homes and the victim could be our mother, our sister, our friend, our workmate, our grandmother, said the charity, which offers support to women and children who are the victims of such abuse Picture: Sharppix 1 IN 5 WOMEN bEATEN UP AT HOME index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html