Lisburn Estate Set to Host Annual Christmas Fair in Support of Local Charities
The Larchfield Estate in Lisburn is gearing up to host its popular annual event, Christmas in the Barn, on 4th and 5th November. Organized by Lucinda Kinnaird, this event attracts visitors from all over who come to purchase beautiful crafts made by local artisans. In addition, the fair also raises funds for charities that benefit the people of Northern Ireland. This year, the chosen charity is the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs (DSM) Foundation, a drug education charity. The funds raised from the fair will go towards the foundation’s new production of the powerful verbatim play, ‘I Love You, Mum – I Promise I Won’t Die’ by Mark Wheeller. This play tells the tragic story of sixteen-year-old Dan Spargo-Mabbs, whose death from MDMA inspired his parents to start the foundation in his name.
The DSM Foundation has commissioned Ballymena and Coleraine-based educational theatre company, Ever Unique Productions, to create a new production of the play for schools in Northern Ireland. The play, which was performed by the company’s youth theatres in 2023, had a profound impact on both the young cast members and their audiences. Co-founders and co-directors of Ever Unique Productions, Hannah Reilly and Martina McAfee, were determined to bring the play to more young people in Northern Ireland.
The foundation’s work has also been supported by Sandra Larmour from County Armagh, who tragically lost her daughter Jeni to drugs in 2020. Along with Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, Director and Founder of the DSM Foundation, the two bereaved mothers are dedicated to preventing harm to other children. They have received support from PCSPs and other public bodies.
Minister for Education Paul Givan of the DUP and Michelle Guy of the Alliance Party, both MLAs for Lagan Valley, will be attending Christmas in the Barn to learn more about the foundation and its efforts to educate young people about drugs and alcohol.
Sandra Larmour, mother of Jeni Larmour, expressed her support for the foundation’s work, stating “Whilst I will never condone drug use, I fully support and endorse this important work that Fiona and her team are doing in educating and supporting school children giving them insight and knowledge that can only be of benefit to them in making future choices.”
Sarah Mackie, co-owner of the Larchfield Estate, also shared her support for the foundation, saying “As parents we feel the need to equip our children with the knowledge to make informed decisions in the life choices they will make as they grow up. When I came across Fiona’s book ‘I Wish I’d Known’, the tragedy of Dan’s death resonated and we hope that the funds raised by the 2024 Larchfield Christmas Fair will both raise awareness of the sadly essential need for drugs education in schools in Northern Ireland, and springboard funding to be able to deliver this to help protect children across the region.”
Martina McAfee, co-founder and co-director of Ever Unique Productions, also spoke about the impact of the play, saying “They truly became invested in telling Dan’s story. Additionally, all the drug education workshops we did around the play inspired them to be more open and honest with their peers and parents about the topic of drugs.”
Fiona Spargo-Mabbs OBE, Director, Founder, and Dan’s mother, is thrilled to bring the new production of the play to schools in Northern Ireland. She said, “We’re so excited to have this opportunity to bring this new production of our play to schools across Northern Ireland, and so heartened by the warm response we’ve received as we explore the potential for our wider drug education program to support the work going on to equip young people in Northern Ireland to manage decisions about drugs and alcohol more safely.”
The fair will be open to all on 4th November from 10am to 8pm and on 5th November from 10am to 5pm at the Larchfield Estate. All proceeds from the fair will go towards the foundation’s upcoming productions in Northern Ireland schools. The foundation team will also be present at the fair, with Fiona Spargo-Mabbs welcoming visitors to the DSM Foundation stand in the Piggery.
The tour dates for the DSM Foundation/Ever Unique Productions performance of ‘I Love You, Mum’ in Northern Ireland are Monday 24th February to Friday 7th March 2025, with a showcase performance on Tuesday 4th March 2025 at Portadown Town Hall.
For more information about the DSM Foundation, please visit their website at https://www.dsmfoundation.org.uk/.
Media inquiries about this press release should be directed to enquiries@larchfieldestate.co.uk
Media inquiries about the work of the DSM Foundation
