RANDWICK natural soap company, College Green, is filling Gloucester Cathedral with the heavenly scent of Christmas, just in time for the festive season.

Visitors to the cathedral can follow their noses to the cathedral gift shop, which now stocks eight soaps in the College Green range, including a new cinnamon, orange and pine Christmas soap as well as one made with local Gloucester Brewery beer.

The brand new purpose-built cathedral gift shop opened in September 2017 as part of Project Pilgrim, a 10-year project to transform the cathedral and its surrounding precincts.

Gift shop manager Lynne Lee said: “Opening the beautiful new shop in Gloucester Cathedral has been the perfect opportunity to source much more locally produced stock and I’m particularly excited to be able to sell College Green soaps here.

“With their strong connection not only to Gloucestershire but to the Cathedral Close itself, these fabulous soaps are the perfect gift and they make the shop smell wonderful!”

College Green owner Rachael added: “Having the soaps for sale here is extra special to me because the company name was inspired by Gloucester’s College Green where my grandparents lived for over 30 years.

“Our family connection continues as my son is a member of the cathedral youth choir, so I’m often here at services.”

College Green soaps are hand made just nine miles from the cathedral, in the Stroud valleys, using a traditional cold process method.

Ingredients include local beeswax, Cotswold spring water and pure essential oils.

“Many of the ingredients in our soaps would have been used when the cathedral was a monastery,” explained Rachael. “Lavender, rosemary, and peppermint for example, were prized for the very same reasons we use them today.”

The new additions to the gift shop come just in time for Christmas visitors, which is a busy time in the cathedral’s calendar.

“We’ve been working flat out making soaps in time for people to Christmas ,” said Rachael.

“Because our soaps are all wrapped in luxury paper or fabric they make ideal Christmas presents and stocking fillers.”