The pupils from St George's Lower School and Gilbert Inglefield Middle School were presented with donations of £100 for each of their school's funds by store manager Phil Crawley to mark the occasion.

He said: "As a community retailer it is appropriate that we involve the community in our special events and we are delighted that our local schools are playing a role in the re-launch of our store. We provide a much valued service for the local community and I am confident our shoppers will be delighted with our improved store and wider selection of goods which will better meet all the community's daily grocery needs."

The store has been fully transformed in a £150,000 revamp. The decoration has been updated, it has a more shopper-friendly layout and the emphasis is towards fresh food with a noticeble increase in the fruit and vegetable ranges.

These changes are part of a national improvement and modernisation of the Co-Op's 4,500 outlets in the UK, including travel agencies, pharmacies, funeral parlours and bank branches, as well as shops.