A CHARITY which provides hospice care to people in their own homes has opened its fifth retail outlet.

The Herriot Hospice Homecare charity shop is the first of its kind in the popular North Yorkshire market town of Masham.

Situated at on Silver Street, it was opened this week by two of the charity’s longest-serving volunteers and former trustees - Janet Newey and Joan Howarth, who both live in Masham.

Janet said: “Joan and I first started volunteering over 20 years ago and we are both very proud to have been part of a fantastic local charity that does so much to help people with terminal illness, as well as supporting their families.

“The first Herriot charity shop only opened in 2013, so it’s great that we are now already celebrating the opening of our fifth store.

“This is Masham’s first charity shop and as residents, we know it will receive tremendous support from the community.”

The charity’s head of retail, Kathryn Harrison, said: “As a charity, we need to raise £1m every year to continue providing our services to local families, and our shops account for a third of this income.

“It is, therefore, important that we continue to expand our retail operations and we are delighted to have been able to open our newest shop in Masham.

“Herriot has a massive amount of support in the area, so Masham was the logical choice.”