Ammanford shoppers are being invited to take advantage of a free gift-wrapping service in the town.

The idea from Ammanford Evangelical Church Pastor, Sammy Davies, is designed to take the stress out of gift wrapping in the run-up to Christmas.

He said: “The idea came from a church in Llanelli. I thought about how it is a practical way to help people and a great way to take the stress out of Christmas.

“You see Christmas cards with the word peace – but there is nothing peaceful about wrapping. We want to take out the stress of doing that.”

You can find the service at the former Harries Ironmongers on College Street, also known as Keith's World, opposite the bus station and is available every Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm up until Christmas. A small team of elves will be on hand to wrap your gifts while you sit back and relax with a cuppa and a mince pie.

Sammy added: “As a church we want people to get together and make Ammanford better, this is all part of a bigger picture.

“Next door there is a pop-up arts and craft shop which is part of a limited liability partnership. It provides a space for local artists who can display and sell their products.”

Cheryl Glover, who is also backing the campaign to improve the town, has praised the landlord for allowing use of the empty space.

She said: “It’s great to see empty buildings being used. We want to show the people of Ammanford that you don’t need to go travelling out of town to do your Christmas shopping, because we have everything you need here – and we can even wrap it for free.”

Local businesses have also been backing the scheme by providing wrapping paper and festive decorations for the gift wrapping scheme.

Cheryl added: “Thanks has to go to Home Bargains, Wilko, Lidl and Co-op who have all given donations. The reaction to the service has been overwhelming, the generosity shows what a lovely town we live in.”