The majority of GAA clubs in the country rely on sponsorship from local businesses to help cover some of their expenditure every year and the Gaeil Colmcille club is fortunate to have benefited from the Door Depot Kells. Since opening its branch in Kells last year, the Door Depot has been supplying top quality timber doors, floors and windows to a wide customer base. Sales and Marketing Manager Stephen Milnes spoke to the Royal County GAA Yearbook about how important it is for businesses to give something back to the local community. Gaeil Colmcille is currently undergoing a major fundraising drive in order to gain the finances to develop new grounds that have cost the club in the region of Eu1 million. The North Meath club has already ran a Gala Night where members of the Meath and Cork teams that met in the 1988 All-Ireland final were honoured at a dinner with guests paying Eu100 per head to join some of their idols. A Golf Classic has been held, which also helped raise a substantial amount of funds, while there are numerous other fundraisers in the pipeline. The sale of the club house, Pitch and Putt Course and surrounding area will go towards the development of the new grounds situated on the outskirts of the town on the Athboy road. "A lot of people in the area are spending money with us on a regular basis and I feel it is very important to help out the community in any way I can," said Stephen. "That is why when delegates from the Gaeil Colmcille came to us for some financial assistance, we were only glad to help out and hopefully we can do more for them in the future. "They are after undertaking a massive project and good luck to them; you have to admire anyone who gets involved with such a massive development as they are giving up their spare time to do so, which is an amicable trait for anyone to have. "Clubs like Gaeil Colmcille epitomize what the GAA is all about and it is very important that clubs are helped out as finances escalate on an annual basis. The cost of running any club is not cheap and especially when you're looking to raise the funds that the lads need," he added. Gaeil Colmcille has suffered some lean years on the pitch at adult level and they have not annexed the senior football championship since 1991. Indeed, the club's fortunes hit a major low two years ago, when they were relegated to the intermediate ranks. However, with a large catchment area to choose from and the hard work of a lot of people involved in the club, Gaeil Colmcille are like a phoenix about to rise from the ashes, both on and off the field. The new development will cater for the many teams that play within the club and that includes hurling, football and ladies football on one of the finest grounds in the county. Dublin Door Store was established in 1998 and has become the nation's number one for door requirements. During the intervening years, the company has expanded since then, to include The Door Depot Kells and to Ballincollig, The Door Depot Cork. "I started out in this industry in 1985 and worked for an Indonesian company before going to work for Dublin Door Store in an advisory capacity during the nineties. "From there we decided to open up the Dublin Door Store and we have been operating ever since, with the Kells and more recently Cork depots being opened," said Stephen. The company specialise in supplying top of the range doors, floors, exterior doors, windows and stairs to the general public and private sector. Among the products that the company exclusively supply is the Sorrento Collection, which is totally exclusive to Dublin Door Store and The Door Depot. This unique collection of doors is hand crafted using only selected timbers. The glass panels used are as equally unique, and also mostly hand crafted. Meticulous craftsmanship gives every detail meaning; without doubt these doors speak for themselves. NorDan Windows - Norwegian high performance windows and doors for residential & commercial use, are specially made with top quality timber. Anyone looking for something elegant and different to show off their new home is leaning towards NorDan at a dramatic rate as uPVC begins to come to the end of its lifespan. The Company has invested significantly in recent years and is now the largest manufacturer and supplier in Ireland of doors and door sets of all types. In addition they can supply the full range of joinery requirements for builders and merchants, including windows, stairs and stair parts, as well as mouldings such as architrave and skirting, in a range of timber types and finishes. Among the types of timber used by the Door Depot is Kauri, Cherry, White Oak, Mahogany, Knotty Pine and Caroline Clear Pine, which are shipped in from different parts of the world for manufacturing. "The timber can come from any part of the world and just depends on what type of door is been manufactured, we always have plenty of stock in our depots, so the customer generally doesn't have too wait too long for their product," stressed Stephen. Tweet

Most Read Stories