A cooling circuit for a turbine bucket having a shank, a platform and an airfoil. The cooling circuit includes a first cooling passage extending from an inlet located at a radially inward end of the shank and adapted to communicate with a turbine wheel-space, the first cooling passage, in use, supplying cooling air to a serpentine cooling circuit extending within and across at least one region of the platform. The serpentine cooling circuit connects with a separate internal cooling circuit in the airfoil, such that the cooling air used to cool the platform is re-used in the airfoil cooling circuit.