... and other stories!
It was an Apprentice-Style challenge!
Today groups of office staff took over a number of Marie Curie Charity shops. For the last number of weeks ... months .... they've been collecting items for sale. They've had to sort, bag, transport and then exchange the regular stock with their stuff! At ten o'clock this morning they began trading.
And, as 3.30 pm struck the tills were closed and the money taken recorded against each group of civil servants or whoever!
Judges came to inspect the work, check out the window displays and record marks against each group ... all this information will then be collected and discussed until a winning team can be identified.
So, what's my interest?
Apart from knowing that it is a fantastic charity!
Well ... my sister was on this team!
This is my Wee Sister! The baby of the family! She is, in fact, the grandmother of a small child who calls herself a genius!
The lady with her here is one of the regular volunteers in this particular shop ... she seemed happy enough that a team of workers should take over! They had a tombola as well ... drum supplied by one of the Belfast churches. I'd asked on Facebook if anyone had such a thing as a tumbler for a tombola and one of my colleagues was able to supply the same! Facebook has its uses.
The happy post three thirty picture doesn't show the sore feet! But it was well worth the effort. £2,491 raised in five and a half hours! They weren't allowed to sell anything before ten or after half past three to count in the challenge. If they'd been able to do that then the total would have been much larger!
I wasn't able to arrive at the shop very early so missed the fashion parade that was taken out into the street! Nor was my sister willing actually to model the little frilly skirt ... although one of her colleagues had done so in the afternoon!
You can see how much stuff was left at the end of trading (all that is now simply given to Marie Curie and becomes part of that shop's stock) ... how full must the place have been earlier in the day. They also had pots of daffodil bulbs planted to give to the first fifty customers who spent over £15 and the cafe across the street gave a free tea or coffee to people who spent over £15 in the shop. It became something of a community effort!
I hope they all have deep warm baths to go to this evening!
But it was a good day and a great effort for charity.
Having sunny and dry weather was a bonus ... today's weather watching picture shows cloud ... but lots of blue sky too!
Finally, with the dog in kennels I keep up to date with him via Facebook! Ballygrainey Boarding Kennels (they do cats as well) take pictures of the pampered pets ... fun to see a shot of "himself" that I'd not taken!
So .... just a small glimpse into a fun part of a long day ... back to the computer now to work ... to complete the Parish Magazine and have it ready for delivery first thing in the morning! At least ... that's what I'm aiming for!
Everlasting God,
you have ordained and constituted the ministries
of angels and mortals in a wonderful order:
Grant that as your holy angels always serve you in heaven,
so, at your command,
they may help and defend us on earth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint Michael and All Angels
Book of Common Prayer
