Newsbees honoured to receive TCC certificate of appreciation
A CERTIFICATE of appreciation was awarded by Tallaght Community Council (TCC) to the co-owners of Newsbees News Agents in Belgard for their work in supporting and serving the community.
Owners Kevin Leydan and Karen O’Riordan said that it was an “honour” to receive the certificate, which was awarded under ‘Our Heroes Your Choice’ initiative, which is being held this year instead of the annual in-person Tallaght Person of the Year Awards and recognises unsung heroes in our communities.
Karen and Kevin took over the running of Newsbees five years ago, and the store has served the community of Belgard Heights for some 30 years.
“It definitely was a surprise getting the certificate, but it was a great surprise,” said Kevin. “It is an honour to be given it and it is lovely to see the recognition from the community.”
Speaking about the challenges that the pandemic brought for Newsbees as a small business, Kevin says that it has been “very difficult”.
“We have done our best here, me and the girls, to try and accommodate the customers when they weren’t well and to make them feel comfortable if they were coming in. We would do home deliveries for the people that needed it as well.”
In addition to serving the community in providing a wide range of goods, Kevin and Karen and the staff at Newsbees are central in supporting the Belgard community with local activities for Christmas, Halloween and Easter.
“We do balloons here in the shop and we try to be creative in the things that we do,” said Kevin. “As well for the kids for Halloween we would always make a special effort. This year we did a drawing competition with the resident’s association for the kids.
“For Easter and Paddy’s Day we do a competition for people decorating their windows and provide the prizes for it. We are very fortunate up here and we have a lot of people coming from around Tallaght to get the balloons.”
Speaking about the ‘Our Heroes Your Choice’ initiative, Liz Kennedy, Voluntary Chair of TCC commented: “It is so important at this time where community means everything to us individually and as a country, that we take the time to say thank you to volunteers, community minded groups and businesses.
She continued: “Tallaght always punches above its weight when it comes to being resilient and having an active volunteering network. Now is the time to recognise and appreciate the unsung hero in your house, on your street, in your club or your local business. Download the cert and make a difference in the last few weeks of 2021.”
