ORGANISERS of Malvern's charity Christmas card shop have announc-ed a big jump in profits in its first year at a new location.

Shop manager John Rowe said the venue took £21,620 in its eight weeks of operation in the run-up to Christmas.

The shop, run by Midlands Charities Association, was this year based at ARCOS at Whitborne Lodge, Church Street.

Its traditional home has been Malvern Library but it was forced to move due to changes at the library, including the creation of the Malvern Hills Customer Contact Centre.

Last year the shop was based at Malvern Town Council's offices on Belle Vue Terrace, where takings were £4,500 less than this year.

Shop manager John Rowe said that although takings were down on the £26,000 record achieved at the library, there was still reason to be pleased.

"We can celebrate our success as some of the association's shops in other Midland locations have not been as successful as previous years with a few reporting small downturns in trade," he said.

He thanked Kay Coombes and Frank Hare, of ARCOS, for their support and added that it was likely that the shop would be based at the same location again next Christmas, due to uncertainty over further changes at the library.

Planning permission was granted for a new library extension by Worcestershire County Council in December.

The £1.5 million project will put a two-storey extension on the back of the library, in the place of the current 1940s one. It is hoped the work will be finished by October.