A CHARITY shop in a North Yorkshire town, which has helped raise over £2 million, celebrated 50 years of service recently with a commemorative plaque.

Yorkshire Cancer Research’s Tadcaster charity shop celebrated its 50th anniversary on Tuesday, October 5. Staff and volunteers were presented with a commemorative plaque by the charity’s chief executive, Dr Kathryn Scott.

The Tadcaster shop, which first opened in 1971, is managed by Linda Park, who alongside a team of long-standing volunteers, ensures the smooth running of the store.

Linda said: "The Tadcaster shop is special because we have a group of really passionate volunteers. Some of them have been affected by cancer themselves, others have loved ones who have had cancer.

"It means that we’re all really dedicated to raising money for the charity and helping fund life-saving research in Yorkshire.”

The shop first started trading when local butcher Les Emmott began selling books from a table in his shop to raise money for Yorkshire Cancer Research.

After retiring, Les arranged for the opening of the charity shop in Bridge Street, which has since raised over £2 million.

Audrey Fothergill first began volunteering at the Tadcaster shop 34 years ago and worked alongside Les Emmott.

"The best thing about working here is the people, both the fellow volunteers and the people who come in. I still love it after all of these years", Audrey said.

The shop, which is open from Monday - Saturday, is the oldest of four charity shops run by Yorkshire Cancer Research, alongside Northallerton, Knaresborough and Ripon. The charity said it aims to expand to every high street in the region.