Kids to close their eggs and honesty box after four robberies near Durrow - Kilkenny Live

People have been ‘brilliant’ in the aftermath of the callous theft of eggs and an honesty money box from children just over the border in County Laois.   

LS Eggs is run by brother and sister Liam,11, and Sophie Ellis,10, who have together donated almost €3,000 to the Laura Lynn children’s charity since starting the enterprise two years ago. 

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“Unfortunately, we have had to make the decision to close our honesty box for the moment.

"We had 23 boxes of eggs stolen at the weekend and our money box was broken today. This is our 4th robbery,” LS Eggs wrote on their Facebook page this week. 

“Heartbreaking for Liam and Sophie to put in so much effort and for this to continue to happen,” the post added. 

Their mother Catriona Ellis said despite the upset, people have been amazing following the thefts. She said the children are now trying to figure out another way of keeping LS Eggs going.  

“People are texting and wanting to give donations and wanting to help. People are brilliant,” she said. 

The Ellis family live between Cullohill and Durrow and during lockdown LS Eggs proved a big success, particularly as a Covid friendly to interact with neighbours, Catriona explained. She said the initiative grew during the lockdown and the children now have 104 hens. 

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Catriona said the children chose Laura Lynn as their preferred charity and have so far donated almost €3,000.

“It is brilliant, everyone has been so supportive and everyone was so honest,” she said. 

Unfortunately, the honesty didn’t last as the children suffered their first theft last October. The incidents continued sporadically culminating in the fourth theft last weekend when not only was money taken but 23 cartons of eggs were also stolen. 

“Up to that point it was just money,” Catriona explained. 

She said the children are now going to look at alternative arrangements for selling their eggs and are determined to keep the initiative going.

Last weekend’s theft has been reported to gardaí.