A well-known figure in the British Heart Foundation's fund-raising shop in Townhall Street, John Jones (52), from Barranderry Heights, Enniskillen heads off to Dublin's famous Blackrock Clinic tomorrow to undergo a triple by-pass heart operation.

He has been a committed volunteer in the shop for the past three years, having driven their pick-up van for the year before that: "I had to give up the driving because it meant so much walking, going to each house to collect the bags of stuff for the shop. For instance, there are 500 houses alone in Cornagrade, and when it came to Ballinamallard, my pedometer showed I was walking 13.8 miles from start to finish."

It was seven years that he retired from his previous job where he was based for 20 years, and it was five years prior to that he had his first heart attack.

"I went through the whole lot, angiogram, angioplasty and I had six stents put in, but as regards my operation, it would be wrong to say I've been waiting for the simple reason I never wanted it, although they've been telling me for the last six months that I would be.

"They could have done the operation 12 years ago when I had my heart attack, but they put in the stents instead. Now the arteries are narrowing around the stents."

What came through as the minutes ticked away was John's love for his voluntary job in the BHF shop. He explained that he and his business partner, Paula Kerr run a holistic therapy shop in the Buttermarket in the town and that he is able to devote day hours to the shop because the bulk of their clients come in the evening time.

This week, as he operated the till in the shop, it was evident it does a good trade: "It's a very good shop with a very good manageress", he stated. "The bags I used to collect are emptied and the stuff sorted and priced, and they stay on sale for two weeks. After that, the stuff that for recycling is taken away and the good stuff moved on to our other shops.

"There has to be 300 fresh items put up each day. Here I do everything. I do what is required. You just fill in where it's needed, but we need more volunteers, and I know people would like it here. I have only good to say about the people that work here, especially the manageress, Marion Mitchell who has got a great team of workers around here and, as they say, the craic's mighty."

John expects to be discharged from hospital after six days and, after a period of rehabilitation, he has plans to resume his voluntary work, including driving.