Day care group volunteers left open-mouthed by 'wonderful' Asda surprise

Our Portadown store's community champion Elaine Livingstone surprised the fabulous volunteers at a community group providing a lifeline for elderly people with a cheque for £5,000 – and look how shocked they were!

Loughshore Care Partnership are a group of volunteers who offer day care in their own time – and Elaine was helping at their Christmas party when she handed over a donation from the Asda Foundation to the group's development officer Mary McAlinden. The grant will help buy new equipment and fund activities.

Mary said: "It was a complete shock, but what a wonderful Christmas present! It’s going to make a real difference to the older people who we work with through our five day care groups.

"From new equipment to the delivery of activities, the donation will help ease the pressure on our volunteers to fundraise for the service in 2018. Each of the groups is a lifeline in our rural community – with over 130 senior citizens regularly meeting with friends and volunteers on a weekly basis."

Elaine, who regularly volunteers with the group, said: "The Loughshore Care Partnership groups are a focal point in the week for many of the elderly people who attend – so I was delighted to present the Asda Foundation donation to Mary and the volunteers to support this vital work.

"The annual dinner is always a fixture in the diary, and it was so much fun to be able to top the day off with such a special surprise."