A husband-and-wife team who run a convenience store in Gorefield are celebrating after receiving funding from a local branch of NatWest which has allowed them to expand their store.

Tony Patel, and his wife Hemini, have run S&S convenience store on the High Road for over 11 years, but recently felt the time was right to add an extension which would increase their floor space by 50 per cent,

They approached Martin Brooks, relationship manager at NatWest in Peterborough for funding to enable them to extend and also to give the shop a complete overhaul.

With the extension, the couple hope to add between 20 to 25 per cent to their turnover this year and Mr and Mrs Patel see the expansion as a move towards being able to compete against larger supermarket chains.

S&S will be looking to take on two to three additional part-time employees as a result of the expansion, with a launch event expected to take place before Christmas.

Mr Patel said: “We’re very pleased with the way the shop looks now and the feedback from our customers has been extremely positive. Martin from NatWest is amazing.”

Martin Brooks from NatWest added: “Community stores like these are a huge asset to a village and lie at the heart of daily life, so we’re delighted to have been able to help with funding.”