Loom Band Of Gold

t started out as a simple tribute to his late grandad, but before long, Tyler Maher found himself swamped with orders.

To the point that, despite the fact that his simple handmade loom bands sell for just 50c each, in just one week, Tyler made a staggering €110.

All from outside his Charlesland home after school.

And all to raise money for the homeless.

“My grandad struggled towards the end of his life,” says this remarkable 11-year-old, “and he was pretty much homeless when he passed 6 weeks ago. I just wanted to do something as not only a tribute to him but to help others in that situation. Even the gesture of help can make a big difference to someone without a bed, or food…”

Naturally, €110 was able to buy quite a bit of bread, tins and Tayto down at the local supermarket, and Tyler’s food hampers were soon winging their way into Dublin, in the back of Colette Talbot’s car for her regular weekend soup kitchens.

Suffice to say, grandad would be proud.

Just how this small tribute grew into a major success we decided to find out by catching up with Tyler in sunny Charlesland this evening…

You can catch Tyler down outside his Charlesland home, just opposite the playground, from 3.30pm to 6pm. Depending on the summer rain.