WESTBURY’s most renowned charity shop chain, Imperial, has opened up a new branch in the town.

The new branch, which opened on Tuesday (April 3), will sell second-hand clothing, bric-a-brac and other items commonly found in charity shops.

There are already three branches of Imperial in Westbury which sell furniture, sofas and bedding, making this the fourth.

David McCance, Imperial's president, said: “The opening went very well today, the shop was full of people and everyone seemed to like what was on offer.

“This store will add another string to our bow, we already have shops selling furniture and bedding but this one is more like a traditional charity shop, selling bric-a-brac and other common charity shop items.

“At Imperial we raise money for children with special needs and the elderly.

“And we also give money to nursing homes, put on coaches from May to November to places of interest such as the seaside and Stratford-upon-Avon.

“This shop will enable us to give out even more money to those causes and we’re looking forward to doing so.

“Thank you to everyone who helped us with the refurbishment and we look forward to seeing new faces in the shop.”

The shop has been completely refurbished and refitted to a high standard and the charity has high hopes of it being as successful as their other shops.

Staff and Volunteers worked flat out to stock the shop with goods donated by residents of primarily Westbury and suburbs but also from residents of Warminster, Frome, Trowbridge and Melksham.

Over the past year, 450 residents have enjoyed outings on Imperial's monthly coach trips, 800 people attended the three variety shows organised by Imperial and the charity has funded a total of 130 entertainment sessions in care and nursing homes throughout Wiltshire.

The charity has also provided grants to nine Special Needs Schools of up to £1,500 each to facilitate school trips, purchase of new equipment and theatre visits amongst other activities.