SCHOOLCHILDREN will take on star status when they perform the ribbon cutting ceremony to officially launch the £300,000 Co-op store in Padiham.

Pupils from Padiham, St Leonard's, Padiham Green and St John the Baptist primary schools, will be presented with donations of £100 for each school's funds by store manager Peter Holland to mark the occasion.

He said: "As a community retailer it is appropriate that we involve the community in our special events and we are delighted our four local schools are playing a central role in the relaunch of our store."

It is one of the first Co-operative Group stores in the region and among the first of the Group's 3,300 outlets in the UK to feature the consumer-owned business's new identity.

The Co-operative aims to highlight improved standards as well as its commitment to supporting local communities and ethical trading policies.