There was celebration in the air this morning when the Cheltenham community was invited to the opening of the brand-new little dobbies store on The Promenade.

Filling the gap left by the former Gap store, the new store is the biggest little dobbies to date. It's part of the post-Covid renaissance of this important part of Cheltenham.

The store will carry a curated range of houseplants, plant care and home decor as well as seasonal products, which includes outdoor furniture for spring and summer.

There will be a gardening range perfect for small spaces, with lots of must-haves for patio, balcony and windowsill gardens, as well as a selection of BBQs and firepits.

The new store will also offer freshly-ground coffee, teas and hot chocolate available to take away.

The new store is home to a Green Team Hub, where the horticulturally-trained team can advise and support customers on caring for houseplants.

General manager Kayleigh Wheeler said: "We are thrilled to open today and welcome Cheltenham residents to our new store. We are excited to be part of the community and look forward to helping our customers create their own green oasis with our range of stunning and limited edition houseplants, small space gardening products and accessories.

"We are dedicated to being an active part of the community and look forward to working in partnership with some local projects, as part of Helping Your Community Grow."

Donations are welcome in store for Teenage Cancer Trust, Dobbies' National Charity Partner.

The retailer is also supporting BBC Radio 2's Let it Grow initiative, by handing out 75,000 free packets of seeds across the UK - a selection of free seeds will be available in store at little dobbies Cheltenham from today.

Graeme Jenkins, CEO at Dobbies, said: "little dobbies has been well received in locations across the UK and we are delighted to open today in Cheltenham. Our urban format has proven to be very popular and we've taken on board feedback and customer research, which has enabled us to evolve the customer experience for this store.

"A huge thank you to all the team members who have worked hard on this project and we look forward to seeing the response from the local community."

Attendees this morning had the opportunity to enjoy a first look at the new store, and the first 50 customers who made a purchase were also given a free little dobbies tote bag to celebrate the opening.

Local architects coombes:everitt were involved in the scheme and Barnwood carried out the building work.