Ealing's favourite Christmas card retailer, the Ealing Charity Christmas Card Shop (ECCCS), opened its doors this week for its 37th year at the Church of Christ the Saviour, New Broadway.

The unique shop is one of the few charity card stores where 100% of the money raised goes to charity.

Led entirely by volunteers, the shop sells cards from 27 charities and marked its 37th Christmas this year.

Sue Green, who co-founded the ECCCS as a stay-at-home-mum in 1985 said: "In 2020 we couldn't open because of the COVID restrictions.

"Though we did very well with an online catalogue, thanks to our 70 incredible volunteers we're able to be back in business with a physical presence."

Among the first customers were long-time supporters Dr Rupa Huq MP for Ealing Central and Acton and Stephen Pound, the retired former MP for Ealing North who officiated at the 1995 opening when he was mayor of Ealing.

Dr Huq said: "I'm delighted to see the welcome return of this veritable local institution after being online-only last year.

"It's marked the start of the Christmas season for me ever since my first visit in 2015."

Mr Pound added: "As we emerge from the dark days of Covid into the winter sunshine, where better to start the season by adding to the £800,000-worth of cards that have been sold by the Michaelmas Marvel that is the community effort behind the Ealing Charity Christmas Card Shop."

With total sales since 1985 topping £800,000, the ECCCS has supported more than 100 charities and sold 5 million cards to over 21,000 customers.

The cards on sale in 2021 support the following charities: Age UK Ealing, Alzheimer's Society, Amber Trust, Book Aid International, Bridge of Hope, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Cardiac Risk in the Young, Christian Aid, Combat Stress, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes UK, Ealing Samaritans, Ealing Amnesty International, Epilepsy Research UK, Facing the World, Friends of Hammersmith Hospital, Meadow House Hospice, Motor Neurone Disease Association, Mind, Multiple Sclerosis Trust, Parkinson's UK, RNLI, Save the Children, Soil Association, St Mark's Hospital Foundation, Stella Maris.

The Ealing Charity Christmas Card is open 10am until 4pm until 18 December, Mondays to Saturdays at the Church of Christ the Saviour, New Broadway, Ealing, London, W5 2XA.