STAFF at a Stretford Mall charity shop are celebrating a huge wedding dress windfall.

Out of the blue, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) store in Stretford Mall recently received a donation of a dozen expensive brand new gowns from a bridal shop which was closing down.

Delighted manager Ann Long reckons the donation will generate hundreds of pounds to help support the vital work of the charity.

Another bonus is that seeing the eye-catching creations go on sale has prompted quite a few customers to donate their own second hand wedding dresses to the shop.

Ann, who has been in charge of the Stretford Mall BHF store since it opened 18 months ago, said: “I answered the phone one day in the shop and the lady on the other end said she would be sending round some things for us to sell from a bridal shop in Cheshire.

“A man later came in and left about six or seven zipped bags, and when I opened them I could hardly believe my eyes.

“There were about a dozen brand new wedding dresses inside. They were in all sizes, styles and fabrics and some of them were obviously very expensive.

“In fact, there was one that was very much like the one Kate Middleton wore for her wedding to Prince William a couple of years ago, very stylish.

“The original price tags on them ranged from £600 to £1,000 and one was even priced at £1,600.

“We got them on sale right away and not long afterwards we made several hundred pounds from the sale of the £1,600 one.

“There are nine or 10 of them still left – including the one that looks like Kate’s – and we’ll be selling them at a much reduced price, which will hopefully bring in hundreds of pounds for our charity.”

Visit the BHF store at Stretford Mall and for more information about the shopping centre go to www.stretfordmall.co.uk.