* Pat Broadhead, professor of playful learning in Leeds Metropolitan University, will speak about the importance of giving children the opportunity to create their own free-play environment at the Galway Childcare Committee’s Annual Conference in the Galway Bay Hotel this Saturday. Rollercoaster.ie founder and child psychologist Anne O’Connor will talk about the importance of good relationships between childcare providers and parents. Cost €10. Tel: 091-752039, galwaychildcare.com.

* How to encourage and raise funds for research into rare diseases will be discussed at a conference in Farmleigh House, Phoenix Park, Dublin this Friday. Hosted by a group of organisations including the Genetic Rare Disorders Organisation, the Medical Research Charities Group, the conference is part of a European initiative to develop national plans for rare diseases. See europlan.ie.

* The Sudden Cardiac Death (in the young) Support Group is holding Christmas memorial services in Monkstown Church of Ireland parish church, Monkstown, Co Dublin, at 2pm on Saturday, December 11th, and in St Dominic’s Retreat House, Ininismore, Montenotte, Cork, on the same day at 3pm, Tel: 086-2043932, scdyoung.ie.

* Munster Rugby has linked up with a Cork- based charity to help promote awareness of suicide. Last week, Munster and Ireland rugby player Mick O’Driscoll helped launch its support for Suicide Aware, a charity which provides training courses in suicide-intervention skills for people working with youth and sports clubs and college societies.

Suicide Aware has set up alert committees in many towns throughout Munster and plans to develop this service nationwide. See suicideaware.ie