Hospice charity prepares to open largest store

Volunteer Carol Davies said she was excited about the store's opening

Volunteers have spoken of their excitement as a hospice charity prepares to open its largest ever shop.

Dougie Mac will be launching its new 12,500 sq ft (1,161 sq m) outlet on Etruria Road in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, on Friday.

It will be the Staffordshire charity's 22nd store and comes 30 years after their very first one opened in the same town.

Volunteer Carol Davies told BBC Radio Stoke it was an exciting and hectic time as preparations for the opening continue.

She said it had been a "mountainous" task to sort through the donations they have received for the store.

"It's amazing to see all the wonderful donations that people are bringing in," she added.

Liz Clarke, head of retail, said it was "fantastic" to return to Hanley

Liz Clarke, head of retail at Dougie Mac, said the work was "going really well" and the team had been "fantastically organised".

"We're just excited," she said. "We were here 30 years ago when our first store was opened by volunteers in Hanley.

"Now we are back, 30 years later. It's fantastic."

Dougie Mac has about 500 volunteers across its stores, which receive about 50 donations in total every day.

The money raised from the stores goes towards the hospice services it provides for people with life-limiting illnesses in Stoke-on-Trent and north Staffordshire.