Painter and TikTok sensation Sophie Tea paid a surprise visit to Royston on a charity shop tour.
Sophie met fans and posed for photos outside the East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH) shop on Friday, August 9.
The visit was part of her Charity Shop Fridays series, where she buys an item, gives it a new lease of life and then returns it to be sold at the same price.
Sophie Tea with Royston shop manager Terri Rolph (Image: EACH)
Sophie, who has nearly a million followers on TikTok and 300,000 on Instagram, used her social media channels to drop clues about the location of the store in advance.
At the EACH shop, she bought a plain white biscuit barrel for £4, took it away and turned into a "colourful masterpiece" before returning the revamped item later that afternoon.
Sophie, who is 31 and has a gallery in Carnaby, then posted a video on her TikTok about her day.
Sophie Tea takes a stroll through Royston (Image: EACH)
She said: "We had such an amazing, wholesome day and the irony is that we were actually heading for Cambridge.
"Then there was an announcement on the train saying we were stopping in Royston so we ended up filming there instead.
"The EACH shop was the first charity shop we came across, although Johnny, my videographer, knew of it and knows Royston.
Sophie signs a cap during her visit to EACH's Royston shop (Image: EACH)
"It worked out perfectly and everyone was so friendly and supportive. They got into the spirit and totally embraced the idea.
"The biscuit barrel was ideal for me to work on and I was drawn to the large surface area, which gave me plenty of space."
EACH shop manager Terri Rolph said Sophie's visit was a "great experience", with the charity taking in nearly £200 in the last hour of trading alone.
Volunteer Valerie Whyborn discovers she has the winning ticket (Image: EACH)
With the new-look biscuit barrel in such high demand, customers interested in buying it were given a raffle ticket.
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The shop's new volunteer, Valerie Whyborn, entered the draw and won the barrel for her 16-year-old granddaughter, who is also named Sophie.
Valerie said: "It was £4 well spent and a special keepsake of an afternoon I’ll never forget.
"Sophie’s got a huge following and I find her artwork absolutely fascinating."
Sophie Tea meets with a fan at the Royston shop (Image: EACH)
The finished biscuit barrel (Image: EACH)
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