Christmas festivities were in full flow at Trago Mills this week as the store welcomed senior shoppers for their annual "Pounds’ Day".

Hundreds of shoppers received a “no strings attached” cash gift of £4 each, a rise of £1 from last year, but did not have to spend it in store.

The event signalled the beginning of the store’s "Pensioners’ Week", with senior shoppers entitled to 20 per cent off up to £30 spent in most departments, and all those who collected their £4 received a ticket for the store’s raffle.

Craig Lawry, Falmouth’s Trago Mills manager, said: “We always look forward to Pensioners’ Pounds Day – it’s one of the highlights of the year.

“It’s lovely to see our regulars and to wish them a Merry Christmas - they’re always really appreciative of this annual gift, especially since it’s gone up this year.”

Senior shoppers described the event as “wonderful”, “fantastic” and a “really nice gesture”.

Falmouth resident Sylvia Phillips, 81, said that she attended every year and thought that “more local shops should think of the pensioners.”

With a total of £21,192.00 handed out across all three Trago stores,  boss Bruce Robertson said he hoped that this “small gesture would make a difference.”

Bruce Robertson said: “It’s convenient to think of Christmas as being a happy time for us all, but which often isn’t the case, the elderly living alone being all too easily reminded of their loneliness and alienation.

“Just imagine how much better the festivities would be for all our deserving senior citizens if a few like-minded competitors with far deeper pockets than ours followed suit."