Ballyhale volunteers serve up a masterclass in community spirit

THE people of Ballyhale have joined together to give a master-class in how a community cooperative effort should be done.

This weekend the local Shamrocks hurling team were playing host to the boys of Caryduff GAA Club, so needless to say the South Kilkenny village had plenty of mouths to feed.

And so the task of cooking up a storm fell on the shoulders of the staff at Billy’s Tearooms & Shop, which recently featured on RTÉ Nationwide programme.

While they were well staffed to feed their own hungry hurlers, the extra numbers meant the employees quickly got backed up under the sheer weight of the orders flying in.

Seeing this, one local volunteer at the non-profit eaterie who was helping to stock up the shop jumped in to help with the washing up as the dishes mounted up.

Then another volunteer who was driving by and saw the large amount of cars parked outside, got out and ran inside to give the staff a dig out.

Billy’s Tearooms afterwards paid tribute to all their volunteers, saying: “This is the finest example of us all working together as a community. Thank you all for your help today.”

Meanwhile, the venue has also announced it’s extending its opening hours.

From now on, the restaurant will open from 9am to 5pm on Monday to Friday, and on Sundays from 9.30am to 4pm.

The shop will open from 8am to 6pm on Monday to Saturday, and from 9.30am to 5pm on Sundays.

PICTURE: Billy’s Tearooms & Shop Facebook