Brides preparing to walk down the aisle have an extra spring in their step – thanks to a local carpet company’s donation to the bridal room at St Giles Hospice’s Swadlincote shop.

Castle Gresley-based Toons Carpets and Furniture Centre have laid a plush new carpet at the store.

Swadlincote Shop Manager Penny Lovatt approached the company, and they were only too happy to offer their support to the store, which raises funds for St Giles Hospice to help care for local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses.

Belinda Toon, Managing Director of Toons Carpets and Furniture Centre comments: “The hospice provides a really important service to the community and we wanted to help at a local level.

“Re-carpeting the bridal room at the Swadlincote store was the perfect opportunity, and we hope that the new-look room attracts customers to the store and raises even more money for the vital services the hospice provides.”

Lynwen Truesdale, St Giles Hospice Shops General Manager, said: “We are very grateful to Toons Carpets and Furniture Centre for their generosity – the plush new carpet has made such a difference to the bridal room and really lifts and brightens it.

“Providing the carpet at such a substantial reduction has made it an affordable store improvement for us and we hope the added comfort makes a difference for soon-to-be-brides shopping for the perfect dress.”

Brides can save hundreds of pounds when choosing from the extensive collection of brand new, nearly new and sample wedding dresses in the bridal room. Bridesmaids and Mother of the Bride are also catered for, and can chose from a selection of outfits and hats at the charity’s Swadlincote store.

To make an appointment to visit the bridal room at 8 Midland Road, open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 4.15pm, or call 01283 551591.

The service is extremely popular and donations of wedding dresses are welcome at any St Giles Hospice shop.

St Giles Hospice’s fourteen charity shops are located in major towns throughout the hospice's patient catchment area, which ranges from Ashby de la Zouch and Atherstone in the east, to Cannock and Walsall in the west – and from Burton and Uttoxeter in the north, to Sutton Coldfield and Coleshill in the south.

St Giles Hospice is one of the best-known and most respected charities in the region, offering high-quality nursing and medical care for people with cancer and other serious illness, as well as providing support for their families and carers.

Care is offered at the hospice's facilities in Sutton Coldfield and Whittington between Lichfield and Tamworth, or in patients' own homes across the region.

St Giles spends over £5million every year providing its specialist services. With just a third of this funded by the Government, the registered charity relies heavily on donations and fundraising.