A 'UNIQUE' new shop is preparing to open in a town near York - and staff said it is set to surprise the local area.

The soon to open new-look charity shop in Pocklington is part of St Leonard Hospice's future vision, moving away from the traditional style of a local charity shop.

The charity said the new shop promises to be a unique high street shopping experience, complete with digital displays, modern lighting and touch screen information points where shoppers can learn more about what’s going on at St Leonard’s, such as job roles, volunteering opportunities and events.

The shop will include the latest pre-loved fashion and homewares and offers a modern shopping experience. It will also provide a dedicated denim department, which is part of its drive to be more sustainable.

Jason Lomas, retail development and operations manager at St Leonard's, said: “Thousands of litres of water are used in the manufacture of denim each year, so why not help the environment by buying pre-loved items instead of new?

"We will be focusing one of the areas of the store on denim fashion, which we know is popular with our customers.”

The new shop, which was previously a Barclay’s Bank in the market square in Pocklington, will officially open on Thursday November 9 at 10am, and staff said donations are very welcome from the opening date. It will be open Monday to Saturday from 9am until 4pm.

York Press: Deputy shop manager Olga Head and shop manager Jo Lewis in front of the new St Leonard’s Hospice shop in PocklingtonDeputy shop manager Olga Head and shop manager Jo Lewis in front of the new St Leonard’s Hospice shop in Pocklington (Image: Supplied)

Jason added: “We’ve really tried to offer people a great shopping experience so that they can enjoy coming into the shop just like any other high street store. We wanted to move away from the typical charity-shop feel and create something new, whilst keeping the costs down for the customer.

"It was great to have a blank canvas to work on so we could create our vision for this new-look shop, and we hope the people of Pocklington and surrounding area really like what we’ve done.”

The charity is also looking for people to volunteer to become part of the team in Pocklington. Shop volunteers will develop retail skills, meet new people and help raise funds all at the same time. Contact the Volunteering Team on 01904 777 765 or email volunteers@stleonardshospice.org.uk for more details.

St Leonard’s Hospice provides care and support for terminally ill people, and people with life limiting illnesses. The hospice has been providing care for nearly 40 years within its hospice, in patients’ own homes and in the community.

Jason said: “We need to raise £7.9 million annually to run the hospices services. We make sure as much of the money we raise goes directly to patient care. We now have 13 charity shops in York and the surrounding area which helps us raise these much-needed funds. We very much hope the people of Pocklington will support our new shop and the hospice.”