Some 800 handcrafted toys will be delivered to children’s charities and hospitals across Ireland, Britain and continental Europe this Christmas, as Sisk carpentry and joinery apprentices mark 50 years of the company’s festive toymaking tradition.
The construction and engineering company’s apprentices have produced an estimated 20,000 handmade toys since the tradition was established by its founder John G Sisk at the group’s Naas Road workshop in Dublin half a century ago.
Embracing sustainability and new digital tools in the construction industry, this year’s toys are more wooden-based, including rocking horses, trucks and art stations, and were designed by apprentices using a CAD programme which significantly reduced total design time.
The toys are made using 70 per cent recycled wooden materials from offcuts from Sisk construction sites nationwide, while some include medium density fibre board (MDF) made from disused site hoarding and signage.
One-third of toys are delivered to Sisk construction sites across Ireland, Britain and Europe to donate to local charities, with the remaining two-thirds delivered by apprentices to children’s charities and hospitals throughout Ireland.
Sisk elves will be finishing up the last of their toy deliveries on 21st December, just in time for Christmas.
Ronan Murphy, Sisk joinery and training manager said the tradition “gives everyone connected with Sisk a real sense of pride”.
“Our apprentices participate in the whole toy making life cycle having physically produced the toys right down to delivering them into the hands of the end user. In this case usually very sick or disadvantaged children,” he said, adding that it is a key part of the apprenticeship programme which “enables us [Sisk] to mould good people upon completion of their time with us.”
Sisk employs around 2,300 people and provides construction and engineering services across Ireland, Britain and Europe. The company takes on between 10 and 12 apprentice carpentry/joiners each year.
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