A charity is celebrating after being offered a rent-free unit for three months to set up a furniture store to raise cash for its orphanage and school in Zambia.

The Mpika Relief Fund, which has shops in Denholme and Keighley, is opening the unit at Black Dyke Mills in Queensbury on June 14, as part of Queensbury’s 150th anniversary celebrations.

The good news comes months after the charity, which supports the Village of Hope Orphanage in Mpika, Zambia, was targeted by thieves who created a leak at the charity’s storage room in Dalton Mills, Keighley, after they stripped lead off the property’s roof and damaged some of the stock.

Now the charity is back on track and trying to help those less fortunate here and overseas.

Co-founder June Martin said that the charity’s shops, in Denholme and Keighley, were also reducing all their clothing stock to £1 to help people struggling in the recession.

“We are hoping to have the furniture warehouse in the empty unit,” she said.

“It will have household furniture, with some electrical stuff and some carpets and bicycles. They are very generous helping us at Black Dyke.

“We get so much given to us and end up putting it in storage and the owner has now very kindly offered us a rent-free period to try it out.

“People are struggling for money at the moment with the bedroom tax and Council Tax, so we are reducing the clothing to help them.

“We have also refurbished one of our shops and are now hoping to open this furniture store at Black Dyke Mills.

“We have an orphanage and school in Zambia and are trying to build a high school in Africa.

“The charity is run by volunteers and we have no paid workers at all.”

Anyone with items to donate to the charity can call (01274) 416226, or go online at mpika.org.