Wee ‘Millie’ was created by award-winning artist Sara O’Neill, whose fashion designs have been seen worn by U2 guitarist The Edge, and onstage at the Oscars last year by creatives from An Irish Goodbye. Based on the north coast, her work is inspired by Irish stories, folklore, history and women. Three years ago, Sara released Millie to the world, and she has now become an annual festive fundraising initiative for Women’s Aid, with all profits from the sales going to the local domestic abuse charity.
Each year, Sara creates Christmas cards and seasonal postcards which feature Millie in different surroundings. There were six designs to choose from in the latest batch, including five Belfast settings and one Dublin theme. “I just thought, we are being inspired by women, so we have to give back to women,” Sara explained.
“I know that here in Northern Ireland, we have such an issue with violence against women and girls, and Women’s Aid do incredible work. “I reached out to them and we came up with this fundraiser, which has just grown year on year. “We opened our sales on a Tuesday evening and by Sunday, when the online shop closed, we had reached £12,500.
” Millie helped raise just under £4,000 in her first year, and then £9,000 in 2023. Sarah Mason, chief executive of Women’s Aid Federation NI, praised the glamorous illustration and noted that because sales were all driven through social media, “it has raised so much awareness also of the work done by.
