LEDBURY Food Bank says it is "sensationally important news" that Aldi is willing to donate surplus food to good causes, including the food bank, five days a week from the end of this month.

Food Bank representative Martin Ham has already visited the Ledbury store, to discuss the generous proposal in more detail.

But he added: "We may have problems as we have a house rule about not giving out any food that is after its ‘best before’ date, but I am sure that we can work our way around that somehow."

The idea of Aldi having a trolley for food bank collections was also discussed, and Mr Ham will return to the store next week, for further discussions.

There is already a trolley for Food Bank collections at Tesco's in Ledbury.

The Aldi offer concerning surplus food could be a game-changer for Ledbury Food Bank, which has been struggling with a rise in demand in recent months.

An Aldi spokesman said: "We will be launching its food surplus scheme with community engagement platform, Neighbourly, at our Ledbury store from the end of July, and we are calling on local charities and foodbanks to register to receive regular donations.

"Following a successful trial with Neighbourly in other parts of the UK, Aldi will be pairing up its Leadon Way store with local good causes that will be able to collect surplus food, such as fruit, vegetables and baked goods, up to five days a week."

Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “We’re always looking for new ways to increase the amount of food we are able to donate, as a way to give back to the communities we serve and ensure that fresh, healthy food is accessible to everyone.

“We’re looking forward to launching our partnership with Neighbourly in our Ledbury store, which will enable us to redistribute even more surplus stock, whilst supporting good causes. We hope that lots of local charities will sign up to the initiative and get involved.”

Any local charities in Ledbury who are looking to partner up with an Aldi store should email aldi@neighbourly.com to apply.

Meanwhile, a recent Ledbury Reporter about the Food Bank has led to a boost for the charity's finances.

Mr Ham said: "The article on June 21 worked wonders. I was on duty on the following Wednesday, and we had donations of £650 – and a total of £690 for the week.

"Also a man came in wanting to sign a bankers’ order for a regular monthly payment. Every single donor said that they had given as they had been prompted by the article."