A brand new charity shop has opened in Swindon, hoping to help fund life-changing community work.

Prospect Hospice charity shop opened on Maizey Road in Swindon’s Tadpole Garden Village on Tuesday, November 14, and staff say it is a charity shop like no other.

Officially opened by Swindon's Mayor Councillor Barbara Parry, the newly renovated shop brings ‘chic’ and ‘vintage’ into the world of charity clothing, by creating a modern classy shop.

“This is the 17th store that we are opening and it's like nothing we’ve done before because we have done a lot of upcycling and completely renovated,” explained Victoria Canavan, head of retail.

“We're really excited because it feels more of like a boutique shop with some vintage finds, but still at great low prices.”

By 10.30 am, the new store was already flooded with customers, including Hannah Mapson and her daughter Myrah, who were first to step through the door.

Swindon Advertiser: Hannah Mapson and her baby daughter Myrah.Hannah Mapson and her baby daughter Myrah. (Image: Newsquest)

“I think it’s in a great location because it will bring in even people just popping to Sainsbury's next door,” Hannah said.

“There are not many other charity shops in North Swindon, so this shop will definitely be a huge asset to the community. It’s great what they’ve done with the place.”

For charities like Prospect, the new shop will bring more than just great bargains.

“Prospect provides end-of-life care for over 300,000 people in Swindon and Wiltshire, and everywhere there’s a community hospice I’d like there to be a shop,” said Jeremy Lune, CEO of Prospect.

“A lot of people think that our hospice is completely funded by the NHS, but actually less than 25 per cent of our funding comes from the NHS.

“Most of our funding comes from shops like this, and it is the community allowing us to support the community."

Swindon Advertiser: The new charity shop has a 'vintage boutique' feel.The new charity shop has a 'vintage boutique' feel. (Image: Newsquest)

Speaking about the turnout for the shop’s grand opening, the CEO added: “We are so blessed to have such a supporting community so that we in turn can support them. We service this area and our nurses come out here so we feel we need to have a presence here.

“We will all at some point experience grief and our vision is a community where death is no longer a taboo,” Jeremy added.

“And while a lot of people come in here because they want a bargain, in the background charity shops like this one create a lot of awareness of Prospect.

“They are literally the shop window for our charity.”

But while Tadpole Garden Village’s new charity shop boomed on its first day, retail team leader Tracy has urged more volunteers to get involved.

“I really think this is going to be one of our flagship stores, but we always need more volunteers. We can't run without them."