A NEW St Helena Hospice shop in Manningtree opened its doors for the first time on Saturday.

Deputy mayor Lee Lay Flurrie was on hand to cut the ribbon as staff, volunteers and hospice mascot Dandy Lion welcomed residents to the store in High Street.

The new outlet offers clothes, books, DVDs, CDs, accessories and bric-a-brac.

The items have been donated to the hospice and the sale of them will enable the charity to continue with its work.

Indi Allen, head of retail operations at St Helena Hospice, said: “We’d like to thank everyone that came along to the opening of our brand-new shop in Manningtree.

“We are really pleased to have our first shop in the area and hope that everyone comes to visit us soon.”

The hospice is looking for willing and enthusiastic individuals to volunteer in the shop. For more details about volunteering, contact the hospice’s HR team on 01206 931450.