22nd July 2021 NCBI (National Council for the Blind of Ireland) is celebrating its 90th year of serving people with sight loss in a series of planned events, including marking it in one of their oldest shops, Thomas Street, Dublin 8.
In attendance were some long standing local service users, NCBI staff and shop volunteers both past and present, and The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Alison Gilliland, who addressed the celebration by saying. “Today, we invite you to celebrate with us this significant milestone by a very well-known charity who has supported people who are blind or vision impaired over the decades to ensure they can live independently and has helped to the dismantle structural and attitudinal barriers they face on a daily basis.”
Established initially by Mrs Quin, NCBI retail is now the second-largest charity shop chain with over 130 shops countrywide. They are a core part of the NCBI organisation as all profits raised go towards the delivery of life changing services to the over 55,000 people living with sight loss in Ireland.
Beverley Scallan, NCBI Head of Retail said, “Today is an important day for NCBI and for the community around Thomas Street who keep this shop going. As one of our oldest stores in the country, it is great to see the store is as popular as ever! As we look to the future, our stores are champions of the sustainability agenda in encouraging all customers to play their part in helping save the planet by buying our quality pre-loved clothes and accessories. It is crucial all aspects of NCBI must be included in the 90th celebrations; we are delighted to have so many to share this milestone with.”
