THE Mayor and Mayoress of Winchester officially opened the city's annual charity card shop.

Situated in the tourist information centre of Winchester Guildhall, the shop, open till December 16, raises cash for more than 50 local and national charities. Last year alone the shop raised £60,000, with every penny going straight to worthy causes.

On opening the shop Winchester's Mayor, Cllr David McLean said: "We really enjoyed opening the Charity Christmas Card shop.It's great to see the people of Winchester coming together to support charity. It was heartening to see the shop already humming with customers, including my wife clutching an armful of cards."

Pam Chrismas the shop's coordinator said she couldn't do it by herself and praised the work of fellow coordinator Cathy Willis, and the teams chairman Louise Woods :" It's a team effort, and something I believe is beneficial to Winchester, it brings people in."

However, despite being a popular attraction for over 30 years, the card shop's future could be under threat as organisers need to find a new home for the shops card racks when they are not being used and are looking for someone in the local area with spare storage to keep them safe during the off season.