A charity for people with learning disabilities has opened a refurbished store in Harpenden.

Harpenden Mencap opened its revamped shop on Friday in Southdown.

The charity has worked with local project-based charity Seva St Albans to repaint, lay new flooring, add mirrors, build shelving, refresh the changing area and much more - making the long standing shop look unrecognisably refreshed. 

Councillor Teresa Heritage said: "Mencap Harpenden provides outstanding support to the learning disabled and their families and carers. 

"Its shop in Southdown provides an extraordinary opportunity for retail and general life skills training to its client group. I therefore have no hesitation in supporting their initiative to modernise their shop, ensuring its competiveness in the charity shop environment."

Karen Stafford, Director of Harpenden Mencap, said: "All of us at Harpenden Mencap are indebted to Seva St Albans for kindly offering to project manage our charity shop makeover. The shop has become a vital link with the local community, and we are now able to offer our customers a pleasant welcoming shopping environment. Our shop is run by our dedicated shop managers and their wonderful team of volunteers, whose help is fundamental in the running of the shop. Our very grateful thanks are relayed to Seva and the numerous volunteers and trades involved with this project. We could not have done this without their dedication and hard work."

Gee Jagota, of charity Seva St Albans, said:"Working with Mencap Harpenden to co-ordinate the re-fit of their excellent shop has been a great pleasure. The shop is clearly well-loved and is now back to its very best playing a key role in life in Southdown."