Zara's 'big family' at Asda Dundee Kirkton reward her community fundraising effort

Eight-year-old Zara Chaplin has been visiting our Dundee Kirkton store with her mum Rachel most days since she was a baby and has always supported our fundraising events – so when colleagues found out that she was doing one of her own they not only sponsored her but also arranged a collection to thank her for all her community work.

Zara cycled 149 miles all over the Dundee area for a community Christmas event at Tannadice Park. The event brings together vulnerable and lonely people and gives them a Christmas Day to remember, including a meal with all the trimmings.

She set a target of £100, but with the support of friends, family and colleagues at the store she smashed that, collecting a total of £1,100. Colleagues were so impressed they gave her flowers and gave her a gift card worth £90 to buy herself some treats.

The store's community champion Samantha Will said: "Zara is a fantastically generous little girl with boundless energy and has always supported the activities I've organised in store for the likes of Tickled Pink and BBC Children in Need. She really loves taking part in my tombolas - and is always asking her mum for money for donate."

Sam said: "Colleagues at our store were all super impressed with her determination and I and fellow colleagues sponsored her through her Just Giving page. But we wanted to do more, so we decided to do a little collection for her to thank her."

Sam invited Zara and her mum Rachel Jackson into store – but kept the collection a secret!

Sam said: "We told Zara how immensely proud of her we were and how pleased we were that she was part of our community. We then presented her with a huge bunch of flowers – as well as an £90 Asda gift card to treat herself with.

"Needless to say she was incredibly shocked and delighted, as were her mum and nana. I think it's very important to nurture this kindness in children and allow them to blossom into incredible adults.

Rachel said: "Asda is just one big community – a big family. All the colleagues know everyone and that's why we go there. Zara's been going there since she was two weeks old and I went as a child too. We live close by so we are in most days - sometimes every day. Everyone is just so friendly and they all know Zara and have watched her grow up.

"Zara is always supporting Sam and helping her out with her fundraising so it was so nice that colleagues supported Zara in her fundraising too.

"Every time we went into store colleagues would always ask how many miles Zara had cycled and how much she had made.

"And to have colleagues do a collection for her was amazing. It was such a lovely thing to do and she really enjoyed buying toys with it!.

Anyone who would like to support Zara's fundraising can donate through her Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/zara-chaplin