A CHARITY shop that was closed for ten months after a fire has reopened. 

Scope, in Bridge Street, Taunton, reopened on Friday, August 4, at noon. 

Mayor of Taunton Deane, Hazel Prior-Sankey, attended to officially open the shop. 

She said: “To see how hard the local staff and volunteers from this community have worked to re-open Scope in Bridge Street, makes me extremely proud to represent this borough.

“Scope carries out incredibly important work supporting disabled people and their families and relies on donations from generous volunteers in the community to do this.

"I would encourage anyone who is looking for a bargain or is able to volunteer some time, to visit Taunton shop and help to make a difference to the lives of disabled people.”

The team say they are excited to get back to work in the store, and that donations are welcomed. 

Shop manager, Eithne Cusack-Atkinson, said: “The Taunton team and our volunteers have all been working hard to ensure the shop will be better than ever and look forward to welcoming our wonderful customers once again.  

“We’ve have a fabulous range of fashions and bric-a-brac to suit all tastes. Whether you’re a budding fashionista or just love finding hidden gems, with great donations from this community, our new look shop is the perfect place for canny shoppers to get catwalk looks without breaking the bank.  

“If you have unwanted items at the back of your cupboards, Scope will always find a good home for every donation. On average, each bag of donated goods raises £20 – that means you could help us raise millions of pounds to support the country’s 13 million disabled people and their families. 

 “We are also looking for new volunteers, so if you have a few spare hours a week and would like to become part of our friendly volunteer team, we would love to hear from you."