12 year old opens newest charity shop

Young charity supporter Bailey Wood has officially opened the doors to Blackpool’s latest charity shop.

Bailey, 12, has been raising money for Brian House Children’s Hospice for the last few years by asking for donations to his house on Vicarage Lane at Halloween. As a special thank you, the charity invited him to do the honours for its latest shop – a superstore just down the road.

Head of Retail, Paul Guest, said: “It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Bailey to our latest shop and have him open the doors to the many people waiting to go inside.

“He has done so much to support our charity in recent years, and with him living so close it was something we were delighted he could do for us. He did a wonderful job.”

As the doors opened, scores of waiting shoppers stepped inside to browse the pre-loved items on sale, ready to grab a bargain.

Bailey, who goes to nearby St George’s School, said: “I felt a little bit of nerves, but I was also really happy! The store is really big and nice, and there's lots of stuff."

Bailey has already raised more than £1,000 for our hospice and has become quite famous for fundraising at his house on Halloween.

"When I went into Brian House, I saw how much the money helps the kids and what the money goes towards.

"We haven't got any plans at the moment for what we're going to do next. We'll probably buy more decorations for Halloween and just make sure people are more aware of Brian House; where it is and what it does. Mainly, I just want to keep adding to what I've already raised."