Christkindl market for Lochlann Doyle Fund

THE FIFTH annual Christkindl Market in aid of the Lochlann Doyle Fund will take place tat Murrintown Community Centre on December 9, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The event is the main fundraiser for the Lochlann Doyle Fund. Lochlann is brain injured after a near drowning accident when he was 18 months old. Though he had hardly any hope of survival he is doing remarkably well now. It was originally feared that he would be blind, deaf and suffer severe learning disabilities but this is not the case and he attends Murrintown National School with the help of a Special Needs Assistant. He has integrated very well and enjoys school.

The Doyles engage with the Family Hope Centre who specialise in helping kids with brain injuries, training parents to do an individualised programme with their children. This is revisited, ideally, every six months by their team and there is continuous over the phone and internet support in between.

However, appointments with this service are expensive and that is where the fundraising is needed, to help Lochlann overcome his last hurdles. At the moment, he cannot control his muscles very well and therefore can’t walk or talk. He is currently using an eye gaze computer for communication and is learning how to spell words on it.

The Christkindl Market will feature all kinds of stalls selling homemade Christmas decorations, handmade soaps, handmade hair accessories, Christmas Cards, stocking fillers, candles, homemade biscuits and sweets, jellies and chutneys, among other arts and craft stock.

There will also be tea, coffee, hot chocolate and mulled wine with freshly baked waffles and cakes.

There will be face-painting and colouring for the kids, with a visit from Santa and his Elves too.

There is no admission charge but tickets will be sold for a raffle with some great prizes up for grabs.