Larch Hill overrun by elves as Santa comes to town

A thousand excited beavers descended on a purpose-built Elfland in the Dublin mountains over the weekend to visit Santa Claus and raise almost €10,000 for charity.

The 14th Annual Santa Days for Beaver Scouts took place in Larch Hill in Tibradden, Co Dublin and featured Jack Frost doing magic, elves doing all manner of artsy things with the children, the Car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – or at least the car inspired by Chitty Chitty Bang Bang that recently starred in the Late Late Toy Show – and, of course Santa Claus himself.

More than 70 volunteers from scout troupes across Dublin worked to make Elfland a reality for 1,000 beavers aged 6-9, and it was project-managed by 20-year-old science student Ruarí Hamaltun.

“It’s been a great two days, and the kids loved it. They loved the magic with Jack Frost and then the elves workshops and especially going through a tunnel to meet Santa,” he said.

Larch Hill, one of five national centres for the scouting movement, is an 88-acre camping site and outdoor centre managed by Conor McKeon.

“This is all created and run by volunteers,” he said. “They are all very committed people and so passionate about this event. I don’t think any money could buy that level of commitment.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for them too to learn things such as project management and working with teams to build something really special,” he suggested.