Christmas comes early to the Crann Centre in Ovens
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Daniel and Gwen Whyte from Blarney with their chidren Ava, Elena, Oliver and Joy.Image 2 of 5
The O'Brien family from Cobh, dad Killian, mum Niamh and children Conor and Ella.Image 3 of 5
The Madrid family from Midleton, dad Gustavo, mum Karen and children Mateo, Emelia and Isabelle.Image 4 of 5
The Dunlea family from Cathedral Road, dad Mark, mum Triona and son Oscar along with some of Santa's helpers.Image 5 of 5
The Costello family from Aghada, dad James, mum Samanta and children Ameila and Danni.A charity providing whole-family support for adults, children and families living with neuro-physical disabilities brought a weekend of festive cheer to its community last weekend.
Calling it an accessible Christmas at Crann Experience, the playground and car park at the centre in Ovens were transformed into a winter wonderland by a team of staff, and volunteers including Greenveldt who fitted outdoor lighting and Passage West Men's Shed who built a wheelchair accessible sled.
More than 50 families including 150 children from around Munster were greeted by Santa’s elves upon their arrival and taken on a festive adventure around the wonderland. The experience included Christmas cookie making, design your own tree decoration, face painting and a much-anticipated stop at Santa’s grotto. The tree decorations were generously supplied by With Love From Laurane, whose family are clients to Crann.
Alex Leahy from Glounthaune is one of the children availing of services at the Crann Centre. Three year old Alex has Spina Bifida and he and his family have attended a range of services to support their physical and mental wellbeing through Crann’s innovative 2Generation model of care. Alex was given the honour of turning on the Christmas lights to celebrate the occasion.
Alex’s mother Kara Leahy said: “We’ve been coming to Crann for a little over two years now and it’s like we’ve always been here - it’s like a home away from home for me. As a family, we use a lot of services at Crann and they’ve really helped us.
“Crann has given a sense of security to know that someone is at the other end of the phone or a ten minute car journey, waiting for us to talk about whatever we wish to talk about. It was a thrill to see Alex so excited meeting Santa - and for all of us - to help bring the Christmas sparkle to our second home at Crann.”
Over 600 families have now availed of services with a 40% increase in session attendances this year at the Crann Centre which is determined to meet community demand for its supports and services for families in 2025.
Crann’s Chief Executive Padraig Mallon said: “Christmas at Crann is a wonderful event that we’ve been fortunate to put on for the last four years. We couldn’t do it without the help of our wonderful staff, funders and a fantastic group of volunteers. They’ve created a Christmas experience in a fully accessible environment that is inviting for client families to participate.”
“One of the key issues that continuously comes through from families of children with disabilities and from people living with disabilities is the lack of accessible facilities and experiences, which creates social isolation, so our social capital programmes like Christmas at Crann promotes inclusion and gives people and families the opportunity to come together and enjoy events without any apprehension. This has been a great team effort from our staff that’s a culmination of a lot of work and we have received great support from The Community Foundation Ireland RTÉ Toy Show Appeal and Rethink Ireland’s Disability Participation and Awareness Fund as well as from businesses locally and I’d like to thank everyone for making this event possible.”
For more on how to support the Crann Centre or to avail of their services go to cranncentre.ie.