A CHARITY which supports bereaved families of armed forces personnel has opened a shop in Dumbarton's Artizan Centre.

It is the third shop opened in Scotland by the award winning Forces Support charity.

The store officially opened last Thursday selling furniture, books and clothes and area manager Vivien Hutchinson told the Reporter that the charity is looking forward to becoming part of the community and welcoming customers.

She said: “Our main focus is to support the families of bereaved service personnel, whether it is providing help around the home or creating a memorial garden.

“However our stores are the charity’s main source of income and therefore we rely heavily on our customers’ donations in order to keep offering our services. With the opening of the new Dumbarton store, we look forward to receiving many more donations to enable us to help families further.”

Forces Support was formed by in 2010 by father and son Bill and Billy McCance, after a friend’s husband had died fighting in Afghanistan, and has since worked to help grieving families rebuild their lives. Most recently, the family run charity has won the Queens Award for Enterprise for its innovative approach to supporting more than 80 families per year.

Stewart Gilmour, Artizan shopping centre’s operations manager welcomed Forces Support to the centre as a fantastic addition for the high street.

All donations made to the store are gratefully received.