Past pupil Leanne Garde at the Cork Life Centre Christmas Craft Fair. Pic: Larry Cummins. Almost 100 works of art are ready for auction, as students and staff get ready for a busy Christmas. The craft fair — which begins at 7pm on Thursday, December 9 — has been an annual event since the Life Centre’s earliest days, and it has grown in size and popularity over the years. The Life Centre was founded in 2000 by Brother Gary O’Shea, offering educational opportunities to students let down by the conventional education system. When it opened it had five students, but it currently has 55 students. The craft fair is open to the public, and will take place outdoors at the centre’s Winter’s Hill premises in Sunday’s Well for the second year running. Life Centre deputy director Rachel Lucey told The Echo she was hoping for a repeat of last year’s “Christmassy” atmosphere.