NCBI celebrates the opening of our new store in Skibbereen with Darina Allen

Darina Allen cuts the ribbon to officially open Vision Ireland Skibbereen alongside Elaine Williams (left), Vision Ireland Retail Area Manager and Orly Berkovich (right), Vision Ireland Skibbereen Store Manager.

Friday, 17thĀ June 2022 –Ā NCBI (National Council for the Blind of Ireland) is delighted to announce the opening of its newest retail store in Skibbereen, Co. Cork which boasts a new, modernised look and feel, supported by a sustainable fit-out.

This wide shot inside NCBI Skibbereen shows colourful clothing on the left, right and middle of the store.

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: ā€œHow about this for a chic charity shop! Iā€™m a real charity shop nerd and Iā€™ve been to many of the charity shops when I visit Skibbereen, so I was delighted to see such a queue outside the door. Thereā€™s an extra feel-good factor about buying pre-loved and making it re-loved.”

Speaking about NCBIā€™s service offering, Darina added: ā€˜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!ā€™

Beverley Scallan, Head of Retail at NCBIĀ added: ā€œWe 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.

ā€œSkibbereen will also be at the forefront of championing the quality of the pre-loved clothing, accessories and more which NCBI has to offer ā€“ 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.ā€

Although the look inside NCBI shops is changing, a shopperā€™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.

NCBIā€™s chain of shops, which is the second largest in Ireland, plays a vital and integral part in the charityā€™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.

ENDS