{"id":554190,"date":"2025-11-07T02:34:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T02:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/554190\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T02:34:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T02:34:19","slug":"belfast-millie-christmas-cards-raise-over-8k-for-womens-aid-ni-as-first-minister-visits-volunteers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/554190\/","title":{"rendered":"Belfast \u2018Millie\u2019 Christmas cards raise over \u00a38k for Women\u2019s Aid NI as First Minister visits volunteers"},"content":{"rendered":"

First beginning in 2022, wee \u2018Millie\u2019 is a character Sara designed, inspired by the old textile workers of Belfast.<\/p>\n

The award-winning fashion entrepreneur has had a busy year, having launched her clothing brand \u00c9adach in New York and Paris, but she says the Millie project \u201cis like a non-negotiable\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what else is happening, this project has to happen because it\u2019s just such a joyful part of my year,\u201d Sara said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s lovely to hear from other people that it\u2019s become a tradition for them \u2014 people look forward to it. And obviously, at the very core of it, it\u2019s about fundraising for Women\u2019s Aid and the sadly essential work they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thus far this year, pre-sales for the intricately detailed cards have garnered \u00a38,100 for Women\u2019s Aid Northern Ireland \u2014 the country\u2019s main domestic abuse charity, which currently receives no core funding from the Department of Health.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIn year one, our core funding was cut in half, right down from \u00a3150,000 to \u00a373,000. Last year it was cut in half again<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Since beginning the fundraiser three years ago, \u00a358,100 has been raised for the organisation.<\/p>\n

Sarah Mason, chief executive at Women\u2019s Aid Federation NI, said: \u201cIn year one, our core funding was cut in half, right down from \u00a3150,000 to \u00a373,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year it was cut in half again and the money Sara is raising is keeping us going.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of our work now is going through the Change Fund, but we have no core funding from the Department of Health. So Sara\u2019s social media and her call for action to support Women\u2019s Aid has really, really raised the profile.\u201d<\/p>\n

The First Minister attended the card-packing yesterday afternoon \u2014 which was done entirely by volunteers at Belfast Central Library.<\/p>\n

\"Volunteers<\/p>\n

Volunteers including Michelle O’Neill pack the cards<\/p>\n

Ms Mason said she told Michelle O\u2019Neill how appreciative they are for the Executive Office\u2019s Change Fund, which is linked to the Government\u2019s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls strategy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are running four major outputs of training in early years, in post-primary, in third-level education, and in nursing and midwifery,\u201d Ms Mason explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re being paid for delivering and developing our programmes through the Change Fund, so its a different kind of funding, and it\u2019s funding salaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is coming from the Executive Office, but we have no core structure to keep the organisation going while we\u2019re doing new bids.\u201d<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s Millie design centres on Belfast Central Library, chosen for both its beauty and symbolism.<\/p>\n

The idea began two years earlier, when Sian, a librarian and fellow Dominican College alumna, invited Sara to visit the building and consider a community art collaboration.<\/p>\n

The library has a large front window partially obscured by a lift shaft, and Sara\u2019s artwork was created to cover it, and showcase Millie\u2019s new adventure.<\/p>\n

\"First<\/p>\n

First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Millie creator Sara O’Neill at the Christmas card packing day <\/p>\n

Sara was drawn to the library not only for its architecture but also for its history of civic generosity: it was funded by Belfast ratepayers at a time when many resisted paying for public libraries.<\/p>\n

The project connects to her broader goal of helping people reconnect with Belfast\u2019s heritage, encouraging locals to notice and appreciate the historic buildings they pass every day.<\/p>\n

Follow @saraoneillartist on Instagram or visit womensaidni.org to find out more info about Millie Christmas cards<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"First beginning in 2022, wee \u2018Millie\u2019 is a character Sara designed, inspired by the old textile workers of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":554191,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[2378,35745,5825,1144,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-554190","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-belfast","9":"tag-christmas","10":"tag-niamh-campbell","11":"tag-northern-ireland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115506084337108175","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554190"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554190\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/554191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}