It’s been around a year in preparation but a town centre charity shop is finally ready to reveal its new extension.

Players from Maidstone United Football Club will do the honours of cutting the ribbon when MADM (Making a Difference Maidstone) formally opens its extended store in Maidstone High Street next Tuesday, August 20.

Operations manager Rob Foley said: “Plans for our refit started around a year ago.

“Stage by stage we have been changing the look and décor of the shop.

“Moving ever closer to extending the furniture area into the warehouse, thus increasing the shop floor and decreasing the warehouse area.

“We have recently laid new flooring at the front of the shop and new carpet in the extended area.

“Painting has been a six-month slog, but it's there.

“Emma Colhoun, our shop manager, and her team have worked solidly on the ground, while I have dealt with the contractors and larger works like tiling, lagging, flooring, electrics etc.

“We are very proud of what we have achieved as such a small team.”

Sales from the shop, formerly home to an Argos, finance the Christian charity’s work supporting homeless people, those in addiction, the socially isolated and disadvantaged.

MADM was founded by Amanda Sidwell as a limited company in 2015 and became a registered charity in 2016.

She said: “We are really looking forward to opening our extension and meeting the Stones players.

“Please come along at 1.30pm and join us!”