A Barkingside charity shop re-opened on Thursday after being closed for nearly a month.

The Saint Francis Hospice shop in High Street, Barkingside, opened its doors in style to celebrate being refurbished.

Shoppers poured in as soon as the ribbon was cut to snap up bargains and in an hour, the shop had taken more than half its usual weekly takings.

Manager Lindsey Parrish was joined by volunteers May Gardener, 81, and Ann Williams, who has worked at the shop since it first opened in 1998.

May, of Hainault, has been sorting and pricing donations to the shop for more than a year.

She said: “I do like helping as my husband Mick was really cared for well at Saint Francis Hospice.”

The hospice, in Havering-atte-Bower, provides care and support to people with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

All Saint Francis shops are being refurbished. They raised more than �400,000 towards the charity last year.

The Barkingside shop is open from Monday to Saturday and welcomes donations of clothes, furniture, DVDs, good quality toys and bric-a-brac.