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Waterford Christmas Tree Festival underway

Waterford Christmas Tree Festival underway

The Samaritans in Waterford and construction workers in the city have come together to highlight the high levels of suicide in the Irish construction industry.

A special 6 foot wooden tree is being erected in Christ Church Cathedral as part of the first ever Christmas Tree Festival.

Everyone is invited to submit a tree or just come along and visit as part of the festival, which runs from today until the 15th.

It includes wide range of Christmas Trees imaginatively created and decorated by local community groups, youth groups, schools, businesses, artist and craft groups & individuals.

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The tress are twelve inches to twelve feet tall, made from socks or books, bottles or ties, the challenge was to be as creative as possible.

Martin Hourigan is a Samaritan volunteer and construction worker - he says the industry has a particularly high suicide rate.

"50% of the male suicides in Ireland come from the construction or production background. It also has a detrimental effect on workers in our industry.

Martin says the Christmas Tree Festival is open to all "any groups, charities, schools can come in and submit a tree."

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Pupils from St James's National School in Stradbally created a tree using bottle tops. While students from Christ Church National School used driftwood, bottle tops and nets found washed up on a beach.

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