Bell Coote

Isobel (or Belle as she is commonly known) is an inspirational mother and grandmother, employer, community organiser and friend. Belle is well known and liked across the local community irrespective of traditions or religion. Family, work and village life would not be as rich or as enjoyable without her ongoing spirit, efforts and indefatigable energy. Belle, a single mother of 5 children and grandmother, provides continual support to both her daughter Adele who has a chronic disability and her son Alan who has cerebral palsy whilst solely managing her business (Coote's Builders Merchants), which employs 10 people locally. In addition to her familial and business responsibilities, she is a mainstay of our local village community; continually involved in a wide variety of church and charitable organisations, for example, Belle is a founding member of the Ballygawley Development Association which delivered a series of village projects including community buildings and playing fields, she is the treasurer of a cross community organisation to promote village life, the Ballygawley Community Initiative, organising a series of events to bring all of the local community together (e.g a Soapbox Derby on 11 June), and she has set up and runs a weekly dancing class in a local hall. Belle has succeeded in the face of adversity, as her father died when she was 2 and her childhood was overshadowed by her brother and sister's illness and subsequent death from cystic fibrosis