THE Aldi store in Saltcoats helped provide an early Christmas present to more than 50 charities last week.

The supermarket donated surplus food on Christmas Eve to local charities and food banks to make the most of unsold festive fare.

Around 200 tonnes of food were donated across the UK, with each participating store giving away more than 1,600 meals on average.

In Scotland alone, 51 charities benefitted from the initiative.

Oliver King, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi, said: “Closing our stores on Christmas Day and Boxing Day is not only great news for our employees, who get to enjoy an extended rest over the festive break, but it also means we can give something back to the communities around our stores.

“We hope the food we have donated has made a real difference this Christmas.”