Celebrations at Asda Bangor for colleague Billy's 80th birthday
When you think of what you would like to do celebrate your 80th birthday - heading off to work might not be top of your list.
But that’s exactly what Billy Cooper did last month to mark his milestone birthday, taking his seat behind the checkout at Asda Bangor, where’s he’s worked for the best part of two decades.
The grandad-of-six, who still considers himself a ‘blow-in’ to the seaside city 50 years after moving there from Belfast with his wife, hoped his big day would pass off without much notice – but it didn’t quite work out that way.
“When my wife Pat dropped me off, I said to her, ‘don’t be letting on to anyone that it’s my birthday’,” said Billy. “But somebody somewhere must have known because they had a lovely birthday party ready for me here in the morning when I got here.
“There was cake, balloons, a badge and a card. They even had me in a pink feather boa with something silly on my head.”
Billy’s retail career began when he was already in his 60s – the same time most of his peers were stepping back from the world of work.
“Before that I had my whole career as a youth officer, working with young people all over Northern Ireland,” he recalls.
It was a career that gave him a number of extraordinary opportunities, from travelling to India where he worked with the network of Mother Teresa to help disadvantaged children and the homeless, to a trip to the States, where he brought 10 young people from Northern Ireland to meet then-First Lady Hillary Clinton and Senator Ted Kennedy in Washington.
“It was a very rewarding career,” says Billy. “But when I eventually stepped back at the age of 58, I wasn’t quite ready for my pipe and slippers yet. At first, I started some work with the Samaritans, and eventually came for a wee job here at Asda in 2007. I don’t suppose at the time I thought I’d still be here at 80, but it’s been brilliant.”
And as he enjoys his job with Asda so much, working two mornings a week, Billy says he has no plans to stop any time soon.
He said: “As long as I’m in good health, I’ll keep coming in. My colleagues are lovely to work with and after nearly 19 years, I know a lot of the customers. It’s nice with the older ones that we get to spend a bit of time reminiscing, because things have changed a lot since we were young.”
In lieu of birthday gifts this year, Billy asked friends and family to make a charity donation, raising more than £850 for Northern Ireland Heart Chest and Stroke.
He said: “At my age, there’s not much I need, so I was delighted so many people chipped in and raised such a good figure. I had a pacemaker fitted more than 10 years ago, and there’s a fantastic young woman who comes into the store and fundraises for them, so they seemed like the perfect choice.”
With no signs of slowing down on the work front, Billy says keeping up with the “young ones” is a must.
He said: “I've certainly seen some changes, including get used to new technology, but it’s not beyond us.
“I’m lucky because I work more for the fun than the money at this point. I’m a people person, so getting out to work isn’t a chore for me, it’s something I love to do.”
Lynsey McAlonan, Customer Services Manager at Asda Bangor, added: “Billy is such a fantastic member of the team, we were delighted to share in the celebrations for his big day – a special birthday for a very special colleague.”