Playhouse raffle to raise money for families

AFTER walking into a freezing cold house and seeing a young child sitting on an empty beer crate, Damian Gartland decided it was time to do something to help local people whose lives were being plundered by poverty.

About five years ago, Damian, a qualified architect with a talent for carpentry, was dropping a sofa off to a local family who had made him an online offer of £30.

However, when he arrived, the Beragh man had his eyes opened to just how deep the pits of local poverty sink.

“When I say they had nothing, I mean they had nothing. The house was freezing, there was hardly any furniture, and a wee child was using an empty beer crate as a seat.

“I went home and gathered up everything that I wasn’t using, from curtains to cloths and everything in between, and I went back to the house and gave them all of it.

“I suppose that was the start of it,” said Damian.

Since then, with the support of his girlfriend Laura Fitzgerald, Damian has ramped up his efforts to help local people who have fallen upon hard times.

“We started by giving what we didn’t need anymore and now we are giving what we can afford. We encourage other people to do the same in the true meaning of Christmas.”

This December, Damian is raffling off a top quality timber and slate playhouse in order to raise money for local charity, Kindness of Strangers.

“Kindness of Strangers identify specific needs of people and families in the local area and then use people’s donations to purchase those items.

“All the money I raise in the raffle, which for the small price of £10 gives people the chance of winning a £600 playhouse, will go straight to our local Kindness of Strangers branch.”

A few years ago, Damian explained, he made a playhouse for a young girl who had lost both her parents and was being raised by her 18-year-old brother.

“I decided at that time that I would ask people on Facebook to nominate families who they thought could really benefit from a playhouse, free of charge, of course.

“I put up the appeal and within a few days I got about 150 replies. Every comment would have broke your heart.

“There were so many stories of people who had been through unbelievably hard times and being inundated with that sort of stuff really makes you realise just how many people out there could do with a bit of help.”

One way you can do a bit this Christmas is by buying a ticket in Damian’s raffle, plus you’ll be in with the cheap chance of winning a high spec playhouse.

Just go to either Damian or Laura’s Facebook page to secure your spot in the raffle.