THE Wales Air Ambulance Charity shops in Abergavenny will feature in the latest series of Shift the Thrift hosted by Joanna Page.

The lifesaving service has seven shops across Wales, which helps raise funds to keep its helicopters in the sky and rapid response vehicles on the road.

Shift the Thrift is co-commissioned by BBC Daytime and BBC Cymru Wales, each episode begins in a different UK town.

Two people go head-to-head in a race against the clock to turn their purchases into as much profit as possible.

Contestants are challenged to uncover charity shop gems, transform them with flair, and sell them in high-energy, live-streamed auctions.

Dawn Lloyd, who is a retail assistant at the shop in Abergavenny said: “It’s wonderful to be part of such a brilliant programme, which really shines a light on the charity-shop scene.

“On the day of filming, there was such a buzz in the town, word soon got around that Joanna was here, and of course the Gavin and Stacey fans were out in force to catch a glimpse of her.”

With eleven charity shops in Abergavenny, Dawn says there is a lot of choice for ‘would-be thrifters.’

She said: “People pop into us for all sorts of things, some of our regulars, look out for the luxury brands hoping to bag a bargain, some like to pick up a book for a £1 fantastic.

“We attract up cyclers too; we often have lovely pieces of furniture which crafters transform.

“That’s why it is so fantastic to have exposure like this on a BBC programme which encourages people to be more sustainable.”

Dawn admits she was ‘a bit nervous’ when the cameras came into the shop and both she and volunteer Kate Thomas got to meet Joanna.

She said: “Nothing like this has ever happened to both of us! It really has been an eye opener to see how things operate behind-the-scenes on TV.”

She added: “We are so fortunate to be in such a lovely spot along the high street.

“Everyone was popping into ask what was going on, and once they spotted Joanna, well she is a Welsh icon, so of course they wanted to have a photograph.

“Both myself and Kate our volunteer, also managed to get one too.”

Wales Air Ambulance is consultant-led, taking hospital-standard treatments to the patient and, if required, transferring them directly to the most appropriate hospital for their illness or injury.

It is delivered via a unique third sector and public sector partnership. The Wales Air Ambulance Charity relies on public donations to raise the £13 million required every year to keep the helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.

The Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS) supplies highly skilled NHS consultants and critical care practitioners who work on board the charity’s vehicles.

The Abergavenny episode is due to be broadcast on Thursday, April 23 but all episodes are available on BBC iPlayer now.