SHOPPERS in Horwich will notice the dramatic transformation of a town centre charity store after supporters gave the premises a revamp.

Employees from Marks and Spencer in Bolton town centre went down to the Derian House unit in Winter Hey Lane in an attempt to breathe new life into the building.

The children's hospice, which offers respite, palliative and end of life care to children and young people across the North West, won a £500 grant from the retail giant’s Make Every Moment Special campaign.

The team of 12 visual merchandisers, armed with brushes and tools, repainted the upstairs staff quarters and added new curtains, kitchen cupboards and a dining table.

In the main shop, they re-organised the stock and redecorated, which included a huge mural of Danni, Derian's trademark character, on the wall.

Joseph Broadhurst, Derian House store and retail supply manager, said: "On hearing we had Marks and Spencer coming in I was over the moon.

"I knew they would make a big difference as the building is fairly old and the shop was looking quite tired.

"They definitely didn’t disappoint. The effort and devotion from the team was incredible and a credit to the Marks and Spencer brand.

"The volunteers who give us so much now have an incredible tea room to chat, relax and socialise in, with tub chairs and space to kick-back on a busy trading day.

“The work the Marks and Spencer team has done will be a lifeline for the charity and we cannot thank them enough.”

Staff at Marks and Spencer have raised more than £11,500 over the last year, including a gruelling three-peaks challenge undertaken by the management team and store colleagues in May.

Lucy Crook, visual merchandising manager at Bolton Marks and Spencer, said: “Derian originally asked if we would improve the staff quarters in the Horwich store and we said ‘I think we can do a little bit more than that’.

“We’ve reorganised all the stock into sections, putting the best-selling merchandise at the front, which is homeware.

"We moved the fashion to the back of the store and have colour-coded it. We all had a fab day helping out and it’s our pleasure to be able to help such a worthwhile charity.”