The teamwork of volunteers is behind the success of the South Tipperary Hospice Shop

Biddy Ryan is a person who epitomises what teamwork means and has put the concept of a collective approach into practice all of her life.

Best known for her lifelong commitment to the promotion of ladies gaelic football throughout  Tipperary  and at national level, Biddy is also a leader of a very successful enterprise in another fine example of a unified approach achieving great goals.

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The Ardfinnan woman is the inspiration behind the second-hand clothes South Tipperary Hospice Shop that operates in Cahir and is a crucial source of revenue for the Hospice movement.

Teamwork and volunteering has been at the heart of her life for many decades marked by her decision to establish the Ardfinnan Ladies Gaelic Football Club, her influential role in the formation of the Ladies Gaelic Football Association in the country in 1974 and her massive commitment to the LGFA in Tipperary where she has served with distinction in every officer role.

She brought all of that life experience and belief in teamwork to the table when she decided to set up a charity shop for the South Tipperary Hospice four years ago in Cahir. There are now up to twenty volunteers involved in running the successful retail operation which last year, after meeting all running costs, raised a stunning €37,000 for the South Tipperary Hospice.

The idea to establish the shop in Cahir came about through her work with the Tipperary Ladies Gaelic Football Association, an organisation that provides great support to the cause.

She used to organise an occasional second-hand clothes fundraiser event for ladies football, but the quality and volume of clothes that were being offered to her made her believe that there was an opening for a full-time operation.

Biddy decided at that point to set up the shop and sell the clothes exclusively to raise funds for South Tipperary Hospice.
“The amount of clothes we were being given was just too big to cope with. I had them stored in a spare bedroom, and the clothes were too good to recycle, so I decided to open a shop and give all of the proceeds to the South Tipperary Hospice, who do incredible work in communities all over the county. It was local and it was a most deserving cause, every family appreciates the work they do,” said Biddy Ryan.

Biddy said the idea just took off and she was very grateful to so many people for their support over the years. In particular, she said, the support and interest shown by David Anchell of Camida in the early years ensured that the shop survived.

“At the start, my daughter backed me up as well as did my daughter-in-law. There were not too many volunteers at first, but they started to come in, and once it got going, it was like the volunteers fell from heaven. Now we have about twenty volunteers, which means that nobody has to do too much, possibly a half day a week each,” said Biddy.

It is now a thriving retail outlet that is busy six days a week all year round. “In 2024 we made €37,000 for South Tipperary Hospice after paying our rent, rates and electricity, it is a lot of money when you think that in only comes in in €2,€3 or €5 for each transaction,,” said Biddy. The shop sells second-hand ladies, mens and childrens clothes, small pieces of furniture and toys.

"A lot of people just drop in in the hope of getting a bargain but most people come in because they want to support South Tipperary Hospice as the charity would have helped out their family or somebody they knew,” said Biddy.

She said that all of the volunteers have a great awareness of the good work being carried out by South Tipperary Hospice in communities and appreciated how supportive they were to so many people.

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“That is a great motivation for us all, we know our efforts are helping South Tipperary Hospice provide valuable services to help a lot of families. That is what keeps us going. We have a great team and we have a few social outings together as well during the year,” said Biddy. “We are in a great position in the town. We could do with more space. Friday and Saturday are the busiest days. We get tourists coming in for a look as they are walking around the town. All of the volunteers involved are women and we all love being part of it. It is great for us to meet people every day. I love clothes and it is exciting to see what is in the bags that people bring in. You never know what you are going to find and you take out the piece of clothing and you immediately start to think what you will get for it,” said Biddy.