THE FIRST week of trade for a new hospice shop and cafe in Worcester is being hailed as busy success story.

The latest addition to St Richard’s Hospice’s chain of shops, in St Swithin's Street, Worcester, opened to the public on Saturday, July 29, following a preview evening which was attended by more than 300 of the hospice's staff, volunteer and supporters.

The premises combines a clothes and book store with a cafe.

The newly refitted shop replaces a temporary store at The Cross and the Snowdrops Bookshop in Reindeer Court.

On its first day of opening, over £5,000 worth of pre-loved and new goods were sold and during its first week, over 2,300 people called in.

Danny Corns, the shop's commercial director, said; “Including a café within the store is something that is quite new for the charity sector, but at St Richard’s we are keen to learn lessons from the wider retail sector. From the many positive comments we have received during the store’s inaugural weekend, we are confident that this will prove to be a sound investment.

“Our dedicated team of staff and volunteers have worked tirelessly over the past few weeks to make the new shop look fantastic. I would particularly like to thank Andrew Farthing, one of our volunteers, who has spent so much time preparing the new bookshop. The success of our shops is down to the dedication of our volunteers and the local community and the hospice is very lucky to benefit from their generous support.”

St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and supports their families. Each year the hospice team supports over 2,400 patients and family members in Worcestershire.