How Asda colleagues have been spreading Christmas cheer to customers and communities

A very merry Christmas from us all at Asda.

We’d like to say a big thank you to all our colleagues who've been busy spreading Christmas cheer and magic to our customers, charities and good causes throughout the festive period.

Together with Asda's charity, the Asda Foundation, our team of community champions have been organising a series of special Christmas parties for groups who may not otherwise have been able to celebrate together in the style they deserve, as well as securing grants for some of the groups they work closely with throughout the year.

Our colleague have also been surprising customers with random acts of kindness for customers in our stores, working with primary schools to send Christmas cards to care home residents and helping local groups with their toy and gift appeals.

One such place to benefit was Shaftesbury Youth Club in Birkenhead, where community champion Ian Grant from our Arrowe Park store spread made sure children had a day to remember when he helped to arrange a magical party complete with Santa and the Grinch, below. The after-school club – which looks after more than 100 youngsters aged six to 12 four nights a week – was transformed into a winter wonderland complete with giant snow globe, Santa's grotto, funfair stalls, stilt walkers and a disco.

Our Small Heath store's community champion Tracey Collins, below, surprised WASPS (Wiley Avenue South People's group) in Darlaston by arranging for their kitchen facilities to be upgraded and then throwing a three-course Christmas dinner for their members to celebrate. Tracey said: "When the guests came in they were so surprised as they thought they were just going to have a cold buffet rather than a sit-down Christmas meal. It was lovely to sit and chat with them all too. It was an amazing day."

Jess Drake, our Edmonton store's community champion, helped to lay on a special Christmas surprise for the users of Youth & Community Connexions in north London. They had a storage room transformed into a gym and fitness suite and then Jess arranged a boxing demonstration, party and disco for the group.

In Northern Ireland, our Bangor store's community champion Ami Craig arranged a surprise donation of an industrial freezer, full of festive food, to Bangor Foodbook and Community Support, as well as a donation of 150 slow cookers. She also set up a cookery demonstration by chef Brian Magill from South Eastern Regional College, a three-course meal and all the ingredients to make the meal at home, as well as laying on a singing Santa in his sleigh!

Ami said: "It was a fantastic day, and we were delighted to be part of it. The group really has a special place in our heart at Asda Bangor.”

Community champion Joan Martin, from our Sheffield Chaucer Road store, helped to organise a special Christmas party for members of Art Works South Yorkshire and then presented them with a £12,000 donation to fund their breakfast club for the next year. She said: "They all had a brilliant time and it was great seeing the smiles on their faces. And we have gone away knowing we have funded a breakfast club for all of 2023 for 52 weeks of the year for members to enjoy. So it's not just for one day it's for a complete year."

We've been putting smiles on our customers' faces by handing out surprise gifts in our stores – like at our St Austell store, below. Community champion Emma Riley said: "It's fantastic to be able to thank out customers for their continued support and brightening up their day."

And at our Toryglen store, colleagues including store manager Euan have been handing out £10 vouchers to delighted customers, below.

Samantha Will and colleagues at our Dundee Kirkton store have also been handing out gifts to customers, below. She said: "We all have the ability to do something nice for someone, even a kind smile can brighten someone’s bad day."

At our Ellesmere Port store, community champion Adele Dybacz, below, helped pupils at from Christ Church Primary School deliver Christmas cards to the residents of Vale Court Care Home. She said: "The children also gave a fantastic performance of some of their songs from their Nativity which the residents enjoyed."

And at our Cookstown store, community champion Janice Gibson worked with pupils at St Malachy's Primary School in Drummullan as they created Christmas cards for the residents of Drapersfield Nursing Home.

Happy Christmas everyone!