A NEW 'sit and chat' bench is taking pride of place outside of an Oswestry shop.

The handmade wooden bench, built by Oswestry Men's Shed members, is situated right in front of the Co-Op in Cabin Lane.

Money for the wood was raised by members of staff from the store and manager Ruth Brown through raffles and other fundraising events.

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Amanda Byrne, Co-Op community pioneer for the neighbouring Ellesmere branch, said that the bench was somewhere to encourage people to sit down and have a chat.

"The Co-Op is a big promoter of National Inclusion Week and supports the unique and diverse needs of our communities so the bench is just somewhere for people to sit and chat," she said.

"All it takes sometimes is a little 'hello' to change a person's life forever and with mental health and wellbeing being one of the Co-Op's 2022 vision, this is just a lovely thing to do.

"Oswestry Men's Shed is one of the Cabin Lane and Victoria Road's nominated causes."