A new convenience store has opened in Chickerell, bringing a jobs boost to the area.

The Co-operative officially opened its doors on Friday on Chickerell Road.

The Co-op was officially opened by Friends of Castle Cove Beach, who have been selected as the fundraising partner of the store.

The charity will also benefit from a £1,000 donation.

Friends of Castle Cove Beach was set up to provide safe access to the local beach after the steps were removed for health and safety reasons.

The partnership comes as part of Southern Co-op’s ‘Love Your Neighbourhood’ community engagement programme which promotes four key social themes - greener neighbourhoods, healthier neighbourhoods, safer neighbourhoods and more inclusive neighbourhoods.

Valerie Graves, trustee and treasurer for the Friends of Castle Cove Beach said: “We are absolutely delighted to be working in partnership with the new Southern Co-op store. The money we have received today will go towards building steps to restore safe access to the beach for our local community.

“We hope our charity’s work will improve and enhance the neighbourhood, adults and children alike, by helping to support a healthier lifestyle. Being by the sea and being active can help to relieve the stresses of our busy day to day life and provide a healthy environment for families. We look forward to a great partnership with this new store so we can continue to make our beach safe and fun for both locals and visitors for years to come."

New store manager at Chickerell Road, Kim Daley, added: “My colleagues and I are thrilled to welcome locals through the doors at our new store and we look forward to getting to know more of them soon.

"We are also very grateful to Friends of Castle Cove Beach for opening the store. We very much look forward to working with them and feel they are a fantastic cause for our community.”

The jobs boost to the area will be increased with the opening of Aldi at Link Park in a matter of weeks, creating up to a further 50 jobs.