Longridge charity shop front lights up town with recycled Narnia display

A Longridge charity shop has used recycled items off their own shelves to create a display of wonder and entice in festive high street shoppers. The display has caught the attention of locals as it sits brightly on the town’s main high street, Berry Lane.

The store manager and part-time artist, Jill West, 42, used her creative flair to design a decoration based on a scene from C.S Lewis's book ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ from the Chronicles of Narnia. Everything within the display has been either recycled or repurposed.

In setting the theme for the window early in the year, staff and volunteers had all taken an active part in the process, providing ideas, skills and a collection of items.

Jill said: “We always love doing our windows. I used to work within display but a lot of the work has come from the volunteers. Over the year we will decide what we are going to do for Christmas, Easter, and so on and we will start saving things. So everything you can see in the window is from the shop. Everything is recycled.

"This story evokes many of the classic Christmas themes, winter, snow, magic, a villain in the form of the Snow Queen and a wise supportive adult in Aslan the lion, whilst ensuring children are seen as the heroes of the story.

“The lion in the window was made by one of the volunteers from all the teddies we couldn’t sell, we’ve been saving those and she’s made a massive lion out of the fabric left. The wedding dress was donated and one of our volunteers embellished it to make it look like the Snow Queen. The Ice Queen’s dress and cape were developed from many items of clothing that came into the shop but were not able to be sold. Furthermore, a simple chair, found in the back garden of one of our manager’s relatives, was transformed into the throne. It was just a real joint effort.

"It’s one for the kids and adults, they all love it. We have people coming in all the time saying what an amazing display it is. They love seeing our windows and it’s nice for the community. We do it for our customers and for Longridge really.”

“Our shop’s been mad busy, it definitely brings people in and we’ve already planned what we’re doing next year but that’s a secret for now!”

Jill said she chose the scene of Narnia because of the relation it has to today’s society. She said: “Some of the events in the story continue to resonate strongly with world events today. For example, children being evacuated and displaced due to living in war-torn countries - and a time where people can once again look forward to the return of Christmas, without the looming shadow of restrictions being imposed.”

The North West Air Ambulance shop also used its display to generate further funds for charity, as they offered parents and carers the opportunity to take photos of their children sitting on the throne.