“I’m lucky because I work more for the fun than the money at this point.”
Billy Cooper marked his 80th birthday with his colleagues at Asda Bangor
When you think about what you’d like to do to mark your 80th birthday, heading off to work a shift at a supermarket may not be at the top of your list.
But for Billy Cooper, there was no better way to mark his milestone birthday, with the Belfast man taking his seat behind the checkout at Asda Bangor, where he’s worked for 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 birthday would pass off without notice – but it didn’t pan out that way.
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“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. It came after a career as a youth officer, working with young people across Northern Ireland.
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 United 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.”
Billy works at the store two mornings a week – and has no plans to hang up his boots 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.”
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