DAVE Singh and his family have been a familiar part of the community behind the counter of Old Smithy Stores in Mitcheldean for more than 20 year and now they are bringing even more choice and convenience with the new-look One Stop shop.

The extended store on New Road is conveniently located for both locals and those passing through the village.

It is the first One Stop in the Forest of Dean but is one of 900 across the country and part of the Tesco group.

One Stop is all about offering exceptional quality without a big price tag and being the best in the neighbourhood.

The family has put the Mitcheldean community at the heart of the project to transform the store with the work by carried out by local businesses - Beard and Tandy builders, electrician Benjy Ridler and plumber Jimmy Potter.

Mr Singh, his wife Rajvinder and sons Sanj, Harry and Narry were proud and pleased to welcome Dr Paul Stallard, of Mitcheldean Surgery, and his wife to officially open the store on Friday, October 15

Speaking at the opening, Mr Singh said: "Our family opened our doors to the Mitcheldean community over 20 years ago and in that time we have made many friends in this community.

"I want to say a big thank you for all your support through the good times and the bad times, especially these last few challenging years - and a big thank you to all the staff who have been so ’great.

"Today marks a new era for Old Smith Stores and this village. We hope you are as proud and excited about our new store as we are.

"We would to thank our fantastic local tradespeople who made this project possible, in particular to Beard and Tandy, Jimmy Potter and Benjy Ridler.

"Mitcheldean is a lovely place to live and work. The local doctors’ surgery has fantastic doctors and all the staff are very helpful

"Dr Stallard works tirelessly for us all in this community, especially in these Covid times."

As a thank you to Dr Stallard for agreeing to open the shop, Mr Singh made a donation to Mitcheldean Surgery which will benefit the local community.

The changeover to One Stop meant that a lot of the previous stock was no longer needed but it did not go to waste.

A substantial quantity of food, toiletries and nappies was donated to the Lord’s Larder foodbank in Newent which will go to families in need.

The foodbank gave a "huge, huge thank you" to the family for the donation.

The store is run by Narry and features a Costa coffee machine, National Lottery, PayPoint services, a cash machine in-store bakery and a Tango Ice Blast machine.

The shop is open seven days a week between 6am and 10pm on the main Gloucester road through Mitcheldean.