THE P RTAL
February 2017 Page 8
We asked if the shop does well .
Fr Ossie said proudly , “ I mustn ’ t make comparisons , but it is making good money for the charity because she ’ s very astute ; she knows the value of things ; she has even sent items to auction because quite exciting things are given . She will not allow things to go for tuppence because she feels she owes it to the donor to get the most from it .”
Jackie wondered , “ What ’ s the most exciting thing she has come across ?” Fr Ossie said excitedly , “ A lady who illustrated children ’ s books died and a whole portfolio of her watercolours came in . Margaret got in touch with Tennants of Leyburn , an outstandingly good auction house who valued and sold them for the charity , together with a pre-World War II toy Zeppelin which also raised a lot of money . There is a gentleman in the market who gives her advice as well as a local jeweller so she is able to know the value of things She never minds asking and learning .”
Ronald opined , “ You need people like Margaret , Father Ossie , because I ’ ve discovered throughout my career , that if a church or a charity is involved then people often want things for nothing . Fr Ossie said , “ Absolutely ”. Then , with a smile he said , “ Margaret sits here with her eye glass examining jewellery , polishes the silver and looks up prices on the internet .
Jackie , clearly warming to the whole subject , asked , “ Did Margaret come from that sort of background ?” Fr Ossie said , “ Not at all . Her father was a photographer and her mother was a dancer .
Ronald reminded Fr Ossie of something he had said earlier , that at the other end of the financial scale , Margaret is pretty astute with things that other people would think worthless . Margaret had been delighted that “ Mog ” a toy cat that was used to advertise Sainsburys two Christmases ago and had subsequently been donated by them to “ Save the children ” shops had been raffled to raise £ 125 at the Ulverston shop . Despite a hard day at the shop she comes home tired but happy . She has amazing energy and she ’ s using that to get better at the moment . She has such a strong will .”
We asked , “ How long has she been involved in the charity shop ? Fr Ossie thought she had been manager for three years . “ Only the day before they had a Health and Safety inspection by the Area Manager and had passed completely so that was good . Everyone at the shop is a volunteer . I couldn ’ t tell you how many because they each do different and flexible hours , but they could always do with more . A video was once made for the Annual Conference ; the video operator remarked , “ This isn ’ t a shop ; it ’ s a party !” It is a lovely experience .
As part of the “ Heart of Ulverston 2016 ” celebrations Margaret was nominated and became winner of the , “ Helping Hands ” category and was awarded a beautiful Cumbria Crystal rose bowl engraved with her name and the Heart of Ulverston logo . This was presented at a magnificent Gala Dinner evening .
Jackie asked , “ Before Margaret did the shop and when she was younger , did she work ?” Fr Ossie told us , “ She is a Graduate in Modern History and was mainly a primary school teacher , but when I went to be a chaplain in Spain for three and a half years she worked at the International School covering maternity leaves and taught all ages . It ’ s no surprise to tell you that she also worked in the charity shop that financed the Spanish Chaplaincy .
We asked , “ If Margaret were here , we would say , is there anything you want to say to our readers that we haven ’ t asked you ? Now what do you think she ’ d say ?
Fr Ossie flashed that smile again and said , “ She would agree with me , that coming into the Catholic Church has been absolutely the right thing . It means “ fullness ”. Having entered into the fullness of the faith , she couldn ’ t be happier or more positive that we ’ ve made the right decision .” Jackie said , “ She would obviously encourage anyone to go into working with charity shops .” Fr Ossie replied , “ Yes , that ’ s true , that ’ s how she lives .”
Thank you , Fr Ossie . It was a privilege to meet you and to chat about Margaret , the charity shop , and your life .