Jessica Knight and Amy Sumner cut a ribbon to mark the opening of Beauty Box, a luxury cosmetics and fashion accessories shop, in Chapel Street.

Ten per cent of the shop's takings on Saturday will also be given to Chorley-based Derian House Children's Hospice.

Owners Stephen and Nicola Morris asked the girls to do the honours because they had both inspired others in their own way.

Earlier this year, Jessica, 15, from Euxton, was the victim of a frenzied stabbing on a footpath near Astley Park.

The Parklands pupil nearly died in the attack and suffered a stroke because of the severity of her injuries.

After several months in hospital she's recently been able to return home and has even managed to attend a couple of classes back at Parklands.

Amy, 17, from Chorley, is one of the town's most talented teenagers.

In 2006 she won a national award from the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (NODA) in the category 'Best Actress in a Youth Production' for her performance in Bugsy Malone at the Chorley Little Theatre.

A year later she won the Chorley and Leyland Guardian's prestigious talent competition Fame Factor by singing one of her won compositions.

Amy is currently at Runshaw College studying a BTEC in Performance Arts and is about to start an A/S Level in Music with a view to hopefully having a career as a singer or actress.

Jessica, who was joined at the opening by her mum Jill Walmsley, joked: "It's the first shop I've opened! I've been really excited by it."

Saturday's public appearance was the latest step in her long path to recovery, which has included a temporary return to Parklands High School.

She said: "It was really good to go back to school. There was a lot of screaming on the first day – mainly from me!"

Amy said it was also the first shop she'd been asked to open.

Mrs Morris, a mother-of-two, said: "We're celebrating our new business in Chorley and we decided we wanted to celebrate our opening with two very special teenagers.

"As a parent myself I was deeply moved by Jessica's story and I'm delighted that she is making progress, albeit there's a long way to go.

"Amy's story is inspirational in a different way. She's got the X Factor and it would be nice to think she'll become so famous she'll open up several more shops – albeit Beauty Box will have the honour of being the first."

As a thank you, both Jessica and Amy were presented with a selection of products from Beauty Box, which provides luxury brand beauty products at discount prices.