Young VIP opens new Maghull shop

Eight year old Lia Rawling, from Southport, received the VIP treatment today (Thursday 3rd November) when she cut the ribbon to officially open the brand new St. Joseph’s Hospice shop in Maghull.

Lia, who is a pupil at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School in Southport, performed the official opening on behalf of her mum Corrina Winning (33) who has been a patient at the Thornton-based hospice for over six years, receiving specialist nursing care for brain damage.

The shop has relocated from its previous home on Central Square to the more prominent and larger shop on the main road through the town and is the first to contain the new St. Joseph’s Hospice brand, unveiled earlier this year.

As well as carrying the hospice’s new logo, the shop has been completely redesigned in a contemporary ‘boutique’ style that is brighter and lighter, providing a more spacious and pleasant shopping environment for customers.

Lia said: "I loved opening the hospice's brand new shop. It was really exciting. It’s nice that we can do something for the hospice as they have done so much for my mum and our family over the years.”

Lia’s guardians, Michelle and Graham Rawling, said: “Corrina is the centre of our world and the amazing team at the hospice has supported us as a family for such a long time.

“Lia really has grown up with the hospice and so the nurses and staff there are a part of our extended family so it was a real honour for Lia to be invited to open the new shop and we are all immensely proud of her.”

Jo Rigby-Clare, St. Joseph’s Hospice Retail Manager, said: "Patients like Corina and their families, like Lia, Michelle and Graham, are why our shops are here and so I am delighted that Lia was able to join us to do the honours and officially open our brand new shop in Maghull.

"The hospice operates a network of nine shops across Merseyside and raise over £100k each year for the hospice so they are such a valuable source of income for us.”