The brand new Barnardo’s charity shop in Southport has taken a step closer to opening with smart new signs appearing above the front entrance on Chapel Street.
Workers continue to renovate the building, which was previously occupied by HMV until the doors closed three and a half years ago.
The site has remained empty and derelict since then, with the takeover by Barnardo’s set to breathe more new life into Chapel Street.
The shop has been closed since February 2019 when the chain was sold to Canadian firm Sunrise Records & Entertainment.
Barnardo’s has confirmed that it is carrying out work in the building, but still doesn’t have a confirmed opening date yet or other details that it is able to share at this stage.
The British charity was founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children. As of 2013, it raised and spent around £200 million each year running around 900 local services, aimed at helping these same groups.
It is the UK’s largest children’s charity, in terms of charitable expenditure.
The work is the latest in a series of work taking place to rejuvenate a series of empty buildings on Chapel Street.
In July, Stand Up For Southport revealed how priority building work at the former BHS department store on Chapel Street will begin this September.
The JSM Group will convert the upper floors of the 19th century building into 30 self contained apartments, with a pub, a cafe and new retail units on the ground floor.
Sefton Council has also committed £400,000 to improving Cambridge Arcade.
Work is currently taking place to convert the former Peacocks store on Chapel Street into a new Waterstones bookshop, as the chain prepares to move into a vacant unit directly opposite Southport Train Station.
Last year saw the opening of new businesses on Chapel Street including One Below, The Fragrance Shop and Hugo Lounge on Chapel Street, with the number of vacant units on the street continuing to reduce.
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