FROM today, the day that The Southern Star is in your shops, it will be 293 days to Christmas.

The countdown is important to people like Mark Lee of Skibbereen Garden Centre because it is one of the three big fundraisers they host every year.

In 2021, at the height of the Covid pandemic, Mark had a brainwave and used his carpentry skills to make a sleigh and reindeer.

He sectioned off a corner of the centre so parents could come in and take socially-distanced seasonal snaps with their children.

A donation box netted €800 and the money was divided 50:50 between West Cork Animal Welfare Group and the Irish Community Air Ambulance.

In 2022, the Make-A-Wish Foundation benefited from a donation of €2,384.57 because that year Santa decided to visit Skibbereen and meet local children over three Saturdays and three Sundays in December.

Santa enjoyed himself so much he has come back every year since, and the West Cork Down Syndrome Support Group received a donation of €3,758 in 2023.Such is the popularity of the Santa experience at Skibbereen Garden Centre that the numbers keep rising and, in 2024, a donation of €4,328.24 was made to Cancer Connect.

Christmas past, 2025, netted €6,150.50 which will go towards the cost of revamping Skibbereen playground.

The rise in the figures also reflects the fact that they have added an annual Easter Egg and Halloween Hunt for children to enjoy.

As part of the Christmas experience, Santa makes a few house visits to those who unfortunately can’t make it to Skibbereen.

These are children with special needs who are overjoyed every time he remembers to pay them a personal visit.

Every year there is a special day set aside at the garden centre for classes, including special needs classes, to come and have the place to themselves.

On occasion, Santa has also been known to go walkabout.

When he calls to Field’s of Skibbereen shoppers take the opportunity to add a generous rattle to the fundraising bucket and Santa’s been made welcome at various play groups and playschools too.

In addition to the €6,150.50 raised this year, Mark confirmed that Skibbereen Garden Centre will be giving an additional €1,000 when it comes to landscaping the revamped playground at Cork Road.

Skibbereen parents have joined forces and formed a committee to get a much-needed upgrade of the playground, with the help of Skibbereen Tidy Towns.

The plan is to do a total refurbishment, to make it purpose-built with new equipment that will provide inclusive play for all children.

The group has established the Skibbereen Playground Facebook page to keep people advised of their progress, and their GoFundMe campaign, which has a fundraising target of €100,000.

The parents say: ‘Any help is greatly appreciated and any little amount you can spare will help.’