Nicholas Owen cutting the ribbon to officially open the new Oxted shop.

St Catherine’s Hospice supporters turned out in style to celebrate the official opening of the charity’s new Oxted shop. St Catherine's staff, volunteers and supporters celebrated the opening of the outlet on Station Road East at an event on Saturday 1st February. St Catherine’s patron and Surrey resident, Nicholas Owen cut the ribbon and declared the shop officially open for business.

Also present to help St Catherine’s celebrate were Mrs Sally Marks, Vice Chair of Surrey County Council, Cllr Beverley Connolly and Town Crier Sonia Hunt. Although St Catherine’s provides hospice care for local people in Oxted, this is the first time it has had a retail presence in the area.

The new shop will play a vital role in helping St Catherine’s generate the funds needed to care for local people, as well as raising awareness of how the hospice can help local people living with a terminal illness.

The outlet boasts a selection of new items including pet products and knitting products, as well as quality used goods like women’s clothing, books, DVDs and ornaments. It will also accept donations of good quality unwanted items, which you can either take directly to the shop, or ask for St Catherine's volunteers to pick up from your home. Christian Denman, Retail Development Manager at St Catherine’s Hospice, said: “We were delighted to open our doors on Saturday.

It was great to see so many people celebrating our new shop and, fortunately, it stayed dry while we cut the ribbon”. He added: “We have to raise £15,000 every day to keep providing care and comfort to local people across Sussex and Surrey.

Our shops play a vital role in that and you can now help your local hospice by bringing your good quality unwanted goods to our new shop, or even by dropping in to see what you might like to buy." To find out more visit www.stch.org.uk.