CELEBRATED heart charity British Heart Foundation opened its newly refurbished shop in Monmouth last Thursday. Refurbishment has been going on in the shop for several weeks, and was recently completed, with the effort and hard work put in plain to see for those present to witness the rebirth. The store was kindly opened by Monmouth Town Council Mayor Terry Christopher, who made a brief speech remarking on how pleased he was to be given the honour of cutting the ribbon. "The British Heart Foundation is a very important charity and has done tremendous work in the fight against heart disease" he said. "It's a tremendous pleasure for me to re-open this wonderful shop!" One local resident who regularly browsed in and donated items to the previous incarnation of the shop commented: "It's so wonderful to have the shop back looking better than ever before!" The re-opening of the Monmouth branch co- incides with an appeal in the area urging people to bring in any unwanted items they may have to the shop. All donations made at BHF help fight heart disease, which is the UK's biggest killer and affects one in three people. Funding goes towards lifesaving research and equipment, as well as educating people of the dangers of heart disease, and providing support to those suffering from the condition. One bag of quality donations could pay for a Heartstart UK Training pack used in schools which is essential for teaching pupils how to help keep someone alive until professional help arrives, should the situation arise. Four bags could help someone suffering from heart disease set up a Heart Support Group in their community where they could benefit from support from friends and family, and meet others in the area with similar conditions. Julie Dennis, Area Manager for the Monmouth shop urged people to bring any unwanted items gathering dust into the shop as it's the perfect way to give them a new lease of life. "If we all donated just one carrier bag of good quality items this summer, it would help the BHF continue its lifesaving work and keep thousands more hearts beating each year. So come on, help save a life and donate today!"