Oxfam Ballymena unwraps new ‘all-in-one’ store in time for Christmas

Oxfam proudly opened its new state-of-the-art shop in Ballymena on Thursday (13th December 2018) – and warmly invites the local community to come browse and buy, raising vital funds that will save and transform lives worldwide. 

The new and larger shop is on 6-9 Wellington Street and Oxfam Ballymena store manager Rebecca McCoy said: “We are very excited about our ‘all-in-one’ shop, which boasts a larger floor area and is elegantly separated into 3 distinct zones. I’m sure people in Ballymena and beyond will be suitably impressed too!

“The new premises combine a dedicated Oxfam Books section, a Six 4 GOOD section full of brand new jewellery and fashion accessories, as well as a generous range of traditional charity shop goods, including pre-owned quality clothing, homewares, music and DVDs. So it really is a diverse one-stop shop.”

The shop is also currently offering Oxfam’s Christmas 2018 range of Fair Trade and ethically-sourced gifts and the Unwrapped gift card range that change and save lives while catering for all your Christmas essentials. 

Rebecca McCoy added: “It’s great to have unwrapped and opened this shop just in time for Christmas – it’s like an early present for the people of Ballymena and for the vulnerable people Oxfam works with.

“Everything in-store is guaranteed to help beat poverty for good by raising vital funds for Oxfam’s work across the world – from development projects that change lives in Rwanda, Tanzania and beyond, to saving lives in places like Yemen where millions of people face hunger and disease.”

Oxfam’s Ballymena store is also looking for additional enthusiastic volunteers to pledge their time and make a difference to the lives of people around the world. “It’s a great way to meet new people and gain new skills, as training will be provided,” said deputy shop manager Laura Gaston.

“However you choose to support Oxfam Ballymena – whether by volunteering, shopping with us or donating your pre-loved but now unwanted goods to us – you’ll be supporting our work worldwide, helping to change lives for good through our long-term development work, emergency response and campaigning to tackle the root causes of poverty and injustice.” 

If you are interested in volunteering, or wish to donate items for sale, please drop in to 6-9 Wellington Street, Ballymena or contact Rebecca or Laura on 028 2565 8341.

ENDS

For more information, to request further images or for case studies of how shopping at Oxfam makes a difference, please contact: Phillip Graham on 07841 102535 / phillip.graham@oxfam.org

NOTES TO THE EDITOR:

Available in-store and online via oxfamireland.org/unwrapped, the Unwrapped gift card range starts at just £7 and support a wide range of life-changing projects. 

• Images of the new Oxfam Ballymena shop and staff are available to download here: https://oxfam.box.com/v/OxfamBallymenaDec18 

Photos by Jonathan Porter, Press Eye Photography. (Left to Right: Michael McIlwaine, Head of Retail, Oxfam Ireland; Laura Gaston, Oxfam Ballymena Deputy Shop Manager; Margaret Pajakowska, Oxfam Ballymena shop volunteer; Rebecca McCoy, Oxfam Ballymena Shop Manager; Trevor Anderson, Director of Trading, Oxfam Ireland;  Mark Kinneen, District Retail Manager, Oxfam Ireland)

Photos by Jonathan Porter, Press Eye Photography. (Left to Right: Laura Gaston, Oxfam Ballymena Deputy Shop Manager; Margaret Pajakowska, Oxfam Ballymena shop volunteer)