18 June 2022
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Darina Allen (Centre) cuts the ribbon to open the new NCBI shop at 23 Main Street, Skibbereen, West Cork, P81 HF98
NCBI (National Council for the Blind of Ireland) opened its newest retail store in Skibbereen, Co. Cork which boasts a new, modernised look and feel, supported by a sustainable fit-out.
The NCBI Skibbereen team was delighted to welcome Darina Allen to cut the ribbon opening the store to the public on Friday morning. Ms Allen also spoke at the store launch where she commended the team at the store, NCBI volunteers and the wider organisation for the work done with people who are blind or vision impaired.
She said while speaking to customers at the store: “How about this for a chic charity shop! I’m a real charity shop nerd and I’ve been to many of the charity shops when I visit Skibbereen, so I was delighted to see such a queue outside the door. There’s an extra feel-good factor about buying pre-loved and making it re-loved.”
Speaking about NCBI’s service offering, Darina added: ‘Do spread to the word to people because there are all of these wonderful supports for people who are blind or vision impaired. NCBI has a constant need for volunteers and those of us who volunteer for different things realise that we get much more from it than we give!’
Beverley Scallan, Head of Retail at NCBI added: “We are delighted that Darina Allen joined us in Skibbereen to open our brand new store. Skibbereen is the perfect place for NCBI to bolster our ability to provide supports and services to people who are blind or vision impaired in Ireland. As with all our recent new openings, NCBI Skibbereen will follow the trend in our journey to challenge perceptions of what a charity shop should look like with our new, sustainable fit-out.
“Skibbereen will also be at the forefront of championing the quality of the pre-loved clothing, accessories and more which NCBI has to offer – a model which also contributes to our goal to be as environmentally friendly and as sustainable as possible. We look forward to becoming a cornerstone of the Skibbereen community where locals can shop, donate and volunteer whilst simultaneously raising funds to support life-changing services for people who are blind or vision impaired.”
Although the look inside NCBI shops is changing, a shopper’s ability to bag a bargain or find a hidden gem certainly will not. Our pre-loved clothes and accessories in Skibbereen and around Ireland, provide the perfect alternative to fast fashion. Donations will also be gratefully accepted at Skibbereen or any other NCBI shop around Ireland.
NCBI’s chain of shops, which is the second largest in Ireland, “plays a vital and integral part in the charity’s overall fundraising efforts, allowing the national sight loss agency to provide vital, life-changing services to over 8,000 people each year, many of whom live in Cork.”
