A BLANDFORD funeral directors has unveiled its first new branch in over 100 years.

The Lesley Shand branch is the eighth site of Douch Family Funeral Directors, located at East Street, which was celebrated during a recent dedication ceremony.

Rev Stephen Coulter led the opening, with Lesley Shand herself, whose Corfe Mullen business was taken over by the group in 2000.

Shane Watson, who has been with the company for over 20 years, has been named as the site's manager.

Nick Douch, managing director, said: “We have been pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome we have received and have been made to feel very much at home. Our Dorset Funeral Plan has been popular across the county for a number of years so people in north Dorset already know about us.

“Blandford is a natural place for us to expand and we are looking forward to a long and happy association with the town. We aim to become involved within the community and want to reach out to the villages."

Other branches of the company, which started in Wimborne in 1910, include AE Jolliffe & Son in Ferndown, James Smith in Swanage and Ives and Shand in Parkstone.