In pictures: Marvellous sense of charity and Christmas spirit in Glenties

A Christmas Coffee Morning was held to officially open the Downstrands Shop and Share in Glenties, where all income made by the shop goes directly to charity. Please click on the arrows to go through the gallery

Downstrands Shop and Share opened in late July after Maria Rafferty approached the Family Resource Centre about bringing it under the charity umbrella.  Maria originally founded the shop 15 years ago. 

When a new location was needed, and thanks to local councillor Brian Carr for speaking with the landlord, Laurence Hegarty, the vision became a reality. The shop returned to the town and to Main Street once again. It has become a lovely space where locals can donate their unwanted items and drop in for a friendly chat.

“We have a fantastic group of local volunteers and staff who help run the shop, which is based on the Main Street in Glenties and is open Monday to Friday from 11am to 5pm,” they said.

“The shop has gone from strength to strength since it opened in August, and we wanted to donate some of the funds to local charities while hosting our first coffee morning. Thank you to everyone who attended and to all who helped with the setup on the day.”

The following groups received cheque presentations - Ardara SVP: €300, Glenties SVP: €300, Kilclooney SVP: €300, Glenties Care of the Aged: €500 and Ethiopian Charities: €300.

The group also decided to contribute €500 to the Downstrands Family Resource Centre Christmas Hamper Appeal and €1,500 to Downstrands FRC Play Therapy Service. It was a wonderful morning, and the shop was officially opened by the original founder, Maria Rafferty, along with Cllr Carr and Breasey Willow.