LESS than a year after the closure of its predecessor a new Salvation Army charity shop has opened in Boscombe precinct.

Boscombe Salvation Army branch Major Ray Begley, who helped cut the ribbon on Thursday, said the shop would continue the charity’s 130 years of service to the local community.

Funds raised at the new store through sales of clothes, books, music and bric-a-brac will go towards the Boscombe branch’s BH1 community project, which supports homeless and vulnerable people in the area.

Based in Palmerston Road, the project offers washing facilities, healthy home-cooked meals, entertainment and activities, along with a trained support team and professional drop-in clinics.

“The shop will provide good quality, affordable clothing for the community, and will also serve as a refuge for anyone needing our support,” said Major Begley.

“The volunteers at the shop will be people from the BH1 project, and for every volunteer we can provide we will get more funding for the project itself, which helps about 60 people a day.

“I hope the community will get behind us with lots of donations of clothing and other items.”

Trevor Caffull, left, managing director of the Salvation Army Trading Company, said the charity had opened about 15 new shops in the area between Poole and Portsmouth in the last four years.

One of the new shop’s first customers on Thursday was William Main, 77, who used to volunteer at the old Salvation Army shop before it closed.

He said: “It was a shame when the old store closed as it served the community well, even if there was a good reason.

“But this is good news for Boscombe, and I hope the store will be involved in the community as well as just selling stuff.”

Mr Main, From Christchurch, said he expected the shop would be well-supported by locals.

Another early shopper, Nola Grennell, 43, of Boscombe, welcomed the arrival of a ‘good quality’ charity shop, but said she was concerned about the number of such shops in Boscombe.

“There are a lot about and I don’t think it is good for the town, although they do provide a valuable service as a lot of people around here aren’t well off,” she said.