A TOWN'S mayor spent Saturday morning helping out in a charity shop as part of a national campaign to encourage volunteering.

Councillor Stuart Parsons, Mayor of Richmond, was at the Sue Ryder Care shop, in Finkle Street, Richmond, to serve customers and sort donated stock.

He was one of hundreds of civic leaders lending a hand in the charity's shops and care centres across the country as part of its Chain Reaction campaign.

The scheme is designed to show Sue Ryder Care's support for Make A Difference Day, which took place on Saturday. It is a national volunteering recruitment campaign co-ordinated by the Community Service Volunteers.

Sue Ryder Care offers neurological and palliative care for people living with such conditions as multiple sclerosis, Huntington's disease and cancer.

Rosanna Burniston, the charity's local business manager, said: "By backing the Chain Reaction campaign, civic leaders are sending a very positive message about volunteering to others."