My Country Living: ‘Without volunteers we’d be nothing’

I’m originally from Kilcormac, Co Offaly, but I moved down to Pullough when I was 12, so I’m as good as from Pullough in our village. Apart from moving out to Moate for three or four years and back with my family, predominantly I’ve been in Pullough all my life.

We’ve a church, a national school, a community hall and a GAA pitch. The post office closed in January of last year.

A couple of years ago, I was at home minding my kids, I wasn’t working at the time. I was looking to get involved in something in the community. I went over to a meeting one night in the hall for community alert. Over two or three months, I got more involved in the community.

We had lost a shop two years previous to this. One night, I had to drive to Ferbane to pick up milk late, – it was a dirty winter’s night. Coming back, I started thinking: “I wonder could we set up a shop as a community venture, rather than for profit.” Two people had tried to set up a shop, but there was no profit to be made out of it. It hadn’t the footfall.

I approached people who were involved in other community committees. We called a public meeting in February 2017, formed a committee and went down to look at a community shop in Lorrha, Co Tipperary.

We looked at different venues around the village, but all agreed the best place for it was where the shop was originally. The owner was willing to give us the building for three months, to see would anything come of it, rent free

We fundraised and the €1,200 we made was matched by Offaly Local Development. The money was put straight into the shop to get it up and running. It opened then in June 2017.

We’re non-profit. We might charge a little bit more than what we buy it in for, but because we’ve no wages we don’t need to charge an awful lot. It’s just to cover the insurance, ESB and a few other little bits. From time to time we apply for grants from the county council or whatever’s going.

Growing opportunities

During the week, we open from 10am to 1pm, and then again from 3pm to 7pm. On the weekend, there’s a full-day Saturday and a couple of hours Sunday.

Initially, we weren’t sure about opening in the afternoon as well. Thankfully we did, because we realised the kids, they were huge customers. They were coming in after school buying their products and hanging around.

Pullough Youth Space was set up then in conjunction with the shop. It’s a room at the back and a phone-free zone! If they’re coming in they have to chat to each other and play a game of pool or whatever.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to walk through the door, but if you can, it opens up a different world

The youth space is a club that’s moving over to the community centre now and we’re turning that into a room for cyclists and walkers, where they can have a cup of tea and a scone.

We’re on the Grand Canal see, so the Greenway is passing by us. In the last few months, especially with the pandemic and people getting out more, there’s a lot of cyclists and walkers about. They’re popping into the shop for tea, coffee, ice creams, taking a break and then going on about their cycle or walk after that again.

Stepping stones

Without volunteers we’d be nothing. People have given up a good bit of time to volunteer in the shop. We also have a guy on a community employment (CE) scheme. That helps us out an awful lot. Six of the volunteers that originally worked in the shop have gone on to get employment.

I’ll give you my own example: having been at home with kids, I helped set up the shop and got involved in my community. I realised I like being involved in the community and working with people. I thought I’d like to do a bit of studying and see where that takes me.

I went to Moate Business College to see how going back to education would work for us, because I have two kids and my wife is working full-time. From Moate, I got my level six and from there I went on to NUI Galway and got my level seven diploma in community development.

I started looking for work. A job came up in Tullamore with Rehab Care, supporting people with disabilities and nearly 12 months later, I’m there still.

I still volunteer in the shop, though. I do the odd Sunday and a couple of hours on a Friday evening. Now I’m also on the board of directors for Offaly Volunteer Centre.

I remember the first night going down to the community alert meeting, I didn’t know what I was walking into. I wanted to get involved, but I was a bit hesitant. If anyone out there is thinking about getting involved in their community, all community groups would welcome new faces at all times.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to walk through the door, but if you can, it opens up a different world.

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