Best village shop in North celebrates 50 years by giving back to Magilligan

A popular village shop in Magilligan celebrated their 50^th anniversary this month by giving back to their community, through fundraising for much loved local charities.

Spar Magilligan were delighted to mark five decades of being in business, providing a needed and appreciated service in the village, and wanted to thank their loyal customers.

The community spirited business chose Magilligan Playgroup and Altnagelvin Rapid Response Unit as beneficiaries of their anniversary fundraiser, amassing £1,100 for the two charities.

George Canning, owner and proprietor of Spar Magilligan, proudly explained what 50 years of serving the community had meant to the staff and why they have chosen local charities:

''This year we were celebrating our 50th anniversary as part of SPAR group.

“To help celebrate we thought it would be a good idea to try and give something back to the community.

“The community have supported us for over the past 50 years so we thought we would give something back.

“This year, Magilligan playgroup was faced with the possibility of closure because of a low birth rate in the area which affected their funding.

“We thought we should do something to help them as they needed all the support they could get.

“This service is vital to the Magilligan area and will be vital for future generations in the area.

“Secondly, we wanted to show our appreciation to Altnagelvin Rapid Response Unit because in the last few years they have come to the aid of a few family members.

“We could never thank them enough for all the help they have given our family and we know first-hand what a brilliant job they do, so we wanted to show our appreciation for that!”

The shop was also proud to be named as the winner of the best Village Shop and Post Office Champion in Northern Ireland at the Countryside Alliance Awards in April.

George and Harry Canning opened the store in 1974 with just five employees and it has grown to become a sustainable and profitable family business, which now employs 15 people.

Over the years, the shop has grown and diversified, now offering a butcher’s counter, an in-store post office and a variety of local produce.

Spar Magilligan celebrated their 50^th Anniversary with a Customer Appreciation Tea and Coffee morning on Saturday September 28, holding a raffle to raise further funds for their chosen charities.

During the week leading up to the event, they gave away daily prizes with free entry for everyone who spent £10 in store.

George was delighted to be presented with a 50^th Anniversary cake and plaque from Spar NI; he hailed their wonderful experiences serving their community for 50 years and hailed the next 50 to come:

“Thankfully the whole week of celebrating our anniversary was a great success and we raised over £1100 to go to the two causes.

“We would just like to thank everyone who supported the fundraisers and also to all our local suppliers who donated prizes for the raffles.

“We would also like to thank everyone who has supported us over the past 50 years, all our customers from near and far.

“Hopefully we can continue to provide for the local community for another 50 years.''