A much-loved independent record shop in Malvern is celebrating its 10th year in the town.

Carnival Records, in Church Street, was set up by Chris Heard, who runs the shop alongside former HMV manager Russ Brown and hi-fi expert Lionel Martin.

Originally set up in a warehouse in Malvern Link back in 2009, Carnival Records was named by Guardian readers as one of the top 10 independent record shops in the country.

Former BBC journalist Mr Heard, 56, said: “We always wanted the sense of community that a shop provides.

“We feel so fortunate to have built a loyal customer base and to have made so many friends in such a beautiful setting beneath the Malvern Hills.”

The shop was originally set up to cater for a niche market, trading at audio fayres and online before the market for vinyl came back into fashion.

It went against the grain – opening a physical shop at a time when many music sellers were moving online.

The vinyl revival has seen a significant upsurge in sales of vinyl records, while CDs have steadied after a long decline - and even cassette tapes are showing a spike.

Mr Heard added: “We’re very proud that we have made it this far, through some of the most turbulent economic times the country has ever known.

“We’re really grateful to our hundreds of regular customers, and to the people of Malvern and beyond, for supporting us and recognising that we are hopefully meeting a demand for our particular service and product.”

To celebrate the shop’s anniversary, Carnival is taking part in the UK’s 15th annual Record Store Day, which recognises the best record shops in the country and encourages music lovers to revisit vinyl.

The festivities, which take place on April 23, will see Carnival stock more than 100 limited edition vinyl titles in small batches for sale to customers on a first come, first served basis.

The shop also plans to reintroduce its popular live in-store music sessions which were devastated by Covid, and it aims to put on DJ and charity events throughout the year.