VIEW, Issue four, 2012
Website:
viewdigital.org
Page 8 Salute the ladies
Brian Pelan talks to a group of volunteers at the Concern shop in Newcastle, Co Down, after they raised £1 million for the charity
T
teers was evident. They say that one of the secrets of any business – big or
small – is team effort. The Concern team that I met have this ingredient in abundance.
on display and various pieces of bric-a-brac on the shelves, the sound of constant laughter rang throughout the small shop as the volunteers kept themselves busy and smiling as they served customers. Pauline O’Neill, who is from Newcastle, has worked in
the shop for 17 years.
started there. We then moved, after about two years, to our present premises. “It’s all teamwork here,” said Pauline. “There are a few
“Concern opened a shop in the town in 1992 and I
good reasons why we have been successful. Firstly, the shop is in a good location in the town; secondly, many of the clothes and other items donated are of good quality; and finally, the customers who come in love to have a bit of craic with the volunteers.
land, has lived in Northern Ireland for more than 33 years. She echoed Pauline’s sentiments. “We all really enjoy working with each other. There is great camaraderie amongst us.” All of the volunteers expressed their delight at the news that the Concern shop has now raised £1 million since it first opened its doors. “We’ll just keep on going,” says Pauline. “This shop also represents our social life.”
‘It is a great shop to work in and the girls all really love the voluntary work’
1992, businesswoman Nelly Hill decided to do something after she, along with countless others, watched the unfolding horror of the famine in Somalia on her TV. She opened a temporary charity shop in aid of Concern
According to an article in The Democrat newspaper in
on the Newcastle promenade. Her gesture sparked a huge reaction from members of the public in the town and further afield. Donations of clothing and other items poured into the shop. And what was meant to be a temporary shop became a
permanent fixture in the town. The business developed so rap- idly that the Concern volunteers had to move to their present premises at the Newcastle Shopping Centre. Pay a visit to the shop the next time you are in Newcas-
tle. You are sure to appreciate the charm of the lovely ladies who work for Concern.
• Concern Worldwide works with the world’s poorest people to transform their lives. They are an international humanitarian organisation dedi- cated to tackling poverty and suffering in the world’s poorest countries.
http://www.concern.net/en
Nettie Halyburton, originally from Lanarkshire in Scot- Amidst the racks of clothes – of all shapes and sizes –
HE mist and rain swept over Newcastle on the day I visited the Concern charity shop on Main Street in the Co Down town. But, inside the premises and away from the drenched streets, the warmth of the volun-
Teamwork: Volunteer Nette Halyburton (left), with Concern fundraiser Claire Fitzsimons, and volunteers Liz Balie, Anne Gelston, Margaret Scullion, Pauline O’Neill and Mary Guthrie
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