A LOCAL hospice opened its 28th charity shop in Gwent on Thursday.

St David’s Foundation Hospice Care opened its new shop on Commercial Street in Newport which is its biggest shop to date.

Former Welsh rugby international Rhys Williams was the guest of honour marking the shop open for business at Thursday's grand opening.

The former Cardiff Blues star said it was a privilege to have been asked to open the shop.

He said: "The shops are a vital aspect of the charity’s income and I would encourage anyone with goods cluttering the house to donate them to St David’s and help change the lives of others.”

The charity shops across Gwent help support the work of the hospice's clinical services staff and sell a range of goods including good quality clothing, furniture, shoes, handbags, accessories, books, DVDs, toys and bric-a-brac.

Some of the shops now stock washing machines, fridge freezers, tumble dryers and cookers with the charity offering a free collection service for larger items.

The charity's operations director Adrian Hadley said: “We have nearly 1,000 patients and their families under our care on any one day and so the money raised from our shops is very gratefully received.”