The National Council for the Blind of Ireland have opened three new charity shops in Donegal, where three women at the helm working to combine fashion and fundraising.

Jackie Coyle

Donegal Town, Ballyshannon and Letterkenny have welcomed three NCBI charity shops to raise funds to support the 2,000 people with sight loss in Donegal.

All shops offer quality second-hand clothes, books and other items. Jackie Coyle, Sinead Gallagher and Naomi Brady have taken charge of the three stores and will be promoting stock and welcoming customers throughout the New Year.

NCBI’s charity shops around the country make a vital contribution to its fundraising efforts. All three Donegal shops are seeking donations of clothing, books and other items. The shops also bring volunteering opportunities.

The Letterkenny shop which just opened today on the Main Street is managed by Jackie Coyle. Jackie said she is delighted to be managing the shop and looking forward to welcoming the people of Letterkenny into the new shop.

NCBI Letterkenny

The Donegal Town charity shop in the Diamond Carpark opened in December last year and is managed by Sinead Gallagher. Staff are very pleased with the amount of customers buying from the shop this month, and hope people will continue to support the shop throughout 2017.

Sinead explains “Not all items are previously-owned either, there are lots of new shoes and jewellery that is bought in at reduced rates, allowing the shop to sell them on at very low prices.”

NCBI Donegal Town

The Ballyshannon shop off Main Street across from Dorrian’s Imperial Hotel is managed by Naomi Brady. According to Naomi, “The locals are fantastic; there has been a huge response to the opening of the shop. I want to create a place where customers can come in and have a chat and an overall good experience in the shop”. She adds, “We have new stock coming in constantly at bargain prices, we have something for everyone.”

NCBI Ballyshannon

The NCBI must raise €4 out of every €10 it spends on services. The services include emotional support and counselling, low vision solutions like magnifiers, assistive technology advice and training, rehabilitation training (including independent living skills and using a long cane), a large print, audio and Braille library. The organisation also has an online shop with lots of practical solutions.

If you would like to get involved and join a team of volunteers in Donegal, contact Sinead for the Donegal Town shop on 087 0931957, Naomi for the Ballyshannon shop on 087 0905543, Jackie for the Letterkenny shop on 087 0961510.

Are you involved in charity work? Tell us about it and inspire others by emailing news@donegalwoman.ie