Westmeath volunteer nominated for national award

One of Mullingar's best known volunteers has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

Brian Fagan, founder of Brian's Treasure Chest charity shop, has been nominated for a Volunteer Ireland Award in the Social Inclusion and Community category.

On its website, Volunteer Ireland outlined why Brian has been shortlisted for the award.

“Brian Fagan is no stranger to volunteering, being active for more than 40 years both at home and abroad. He set up Brian’s Treasure Chest, a charity shop, in 2011 to support local charities and community groups in North Westmeath, and in situations of crisis, charities overseas. He served for 21 years as a member of the F.C.A. (now the Reserve Defence Force) and is now a member of the Organisation of National Ex-Servicemen and Women.

“To date, Brian has raised over € 1.3 million for charities, with Brian’s Treasure Chest contributing over €150,000 of that sum. He started the Sleep Out fundraiser for Midlands Simon and has been recognized personally by the CEO for his €200,000 in donations to Concern Worldwide.

“Beyond Mullingar, Brian has volunteered abroad countless times often with GOAL, including going to Haiti, Ukraine, Afghanistan, several countries in Africa, and even in 1996, parachuting onto the North Pole to raise funds for the Bubblegum Club, which provided holidays and weekend breaks for terminally ill children. He is a trusted expert in not just the human side of charity work, but also the business and logistics sides of an operation, and when the community sees him stand for a cause, they feel confident in its importance.”

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner it was “a nice surprise” to be nominated.

“I wasn't expecting it. It's very nice and thanks very much to whoever nominated me.”

Brian says that there was “no plan” to devote a significant part of his life to volunteering "it just happened”.

“Someone asked if I'd help and I stepped in for a few hours, then hours became days, then months, then years. It is important to volunteer and important to help.”

With the cost of living crisis affecting families at home and abroad, political conflicts raging all over the world and millions of people under threat due to climate change, the work done by volunteers and charities has never been more important, Brian says.

“Things are going to hell in a handcart. It's getting pretty nasty in a lot of places but you don't need to get depressed. You just do the best you can and move onto the next thing.

“...In many cases you don't make things better, you just stop getting worse. Even doing that is a success.”

With Christmas on the horizon Brian has a busy few weeks ahead of him.

“We have the Goal Mile on Christmas morning. We also have a number of collections coming up in the shopping centres and the Christmas Food Appeal in the shop. We raise money to give food to families at Christmas and we do it in conjunction with the Lions Club.

“I do things with the help of other volunteers and the people of Mullingar and the rest of Ireland are extremely generous.”