A HEREFORDSHIRE shop will be holding its grand opening today (May 23) after months of work.

The new St Michael's Hospice shop and cafe, in Whitestone, will open its doors to the public from 10am.

The opening at the site of the former I&JL Brown furniture showroom and workshop comes after the closure of the hospice's Holmer Road shop on January 6.

Since opening in 2013, the Holmer Road Home and Living shop had been a key part of the Hospice’s retail portfolio, helping raise a significant amount of funds to enable St Michael’s to continue providing its palliative and end-of-life care across the community.

But now the hospice, which operates shops across the county, will be welcoming people to what they say is believed to be "the largest charity shop in the Midlands, after spending the last few months transforming the space into a vibrant community-focused destination.

ALSO READ:

The shop will be filled with pre-loved and upcycled items, including fashion, furniture, books, and children’s toys. In addition, we have created a beautiful café, with hot and cold drinks, home-made cakes and snacks on offer, fun play spaces that are perfect for little ones and big kids, and their first bridal and occasionwear department.

"We’re so proud to be opening this store, which we believe will be the largest charity shop in the Midlands," said income generation, marking, and communications director Rachel Jones. 

"Every purchase will help our patients and families get the care and support they deserve and need, and having a fantastic new space to buy affordable pre-loved items will be great for the whole community.

"We want the site to be a real experience to visit, with something for everyone.  We have made lots of adjustments to the site to make sure it’s fully accessible, including redesigning the steps, installing a passenger lift, and adding an accessible toilet and baby changing facilities.   

‘We want to thank everyone who’s been involved in making the vision for this site become a reality. It’s taken a huge amount of hard work and commitment. We can’t wait to open the doors."