More than 6,300 meals were donated by Aldi to families across Cumbria during the summer holidays.

All of the Aldi stores in the county provided surplus food to charities and foodbanks in the area via the community giving platform, Neighbourly.

The supermarket chain's efforts came after Neighbourly's research revealed that 78 per cent of the good causes it supports have seen a rise in demand for services in recent months, with 45 per cent noticing a drop in donations.

79 per cent expect the cost-of-living crisis to continue or worsen throughout the year, and organisations find themselves unable to currently support an average of 45 people a week.

Since the partnership with Neighbourly began in 2019, Aldi stores across the UK have donated more than 40 million meals.

Liz Fox, the national sustainability director at Aldi UK, said: "We are so proud to work with such amazing charity partners across Cumbria and the work that they do can never be underestimated.

"Their services are needed more than ever during the summer holidays and we’re passionate about ensuring that fresh and healthy food is always accessible to those in need."

Steve Butterworth, CEO at Neighbourly, said: "We’re grateful to have Aldi’s support once again this year during what is often one of the busiest periods for our charities.

"Large donations like Aldi’s allow us to provide vital support to communities across the country who would otherwise miss out."

In addition to the donation of surplus food, Aldi shoppers can also contribute to good causes by donating food at the community donation points found in Aldi stores nationwide.

Aldi also works with Company Shop to distribute surplus food from its Regional Distribution Centres.