Bosses of a Trowbridge shopping centre have come to the rescue of a charity that last year raised £20,000 for the Royal United Hospital.

The Bath Cancer Unit Support Group usually rents a pop-up shop in Castle Place to sell Christmas gifts during the all-important festive trading period in December and January.

But this year it was unable to obtain a unit donated free of charge because of the Castle Place sale by online public auction on Wednesday - when it was sold for £534,000 to a mystery buyer.

The charity’s local volunteer Sue Oliver-Porter turned to The Shires shopping centre in nearby Fore Street to see if it could help.

The Shires manager Sarah Moore offered the charity the use of the former Game unit as a pop-up shop from Wednesday, December 13 to Sunday, January 21.

Mrs Oliver-Porter said: “We’d like to thank Castle Place for its generous support over the past few years and we are extremely grateful for Sarah's kind offer.

“We normally have a lot more stock than at present but we have been very busy and took £600 on the first day so that is quite good.”

Wiltshire Times: The BCUSG pop-up was very busy on the first day and volunteers raised £600 by selling Christmas gifts to shoppers. Photo: Trevor Porter 70427-2The BCUSG pop-up was very busy on the first day and volunteers raised £600 by selling Christmas gifts to shoppers. Photo: Trevor Porter 70427-2 (Image: Trevor Porter)

The charity raises funds to buy essential equipment and resources for the RUH Cancer Unit in Bath that the NHS cannot afford on its budget.