IMPROVEMENTS look set to be carried out at a Bishop Auckland community centre thanks to a generous donation from a supermarket.

Asda, on South Church Road, has donated more than £13,000 to the Auckland Youth and Community Centre, which will be used to fix the roof, tidy the entrance and go towards new equipment.

In addition, a bag pack and in-store collection raised an extra £526 for the group.

The funding was applied for through the Asda Foundation – the supermarket’s charitable organisation, which aims to support projects and good causes throughout the UK.

The mission of Auckland Youth and Community Centre is to provide children, young people and their families living on the Woodhouse Close Estate with opportunities to take part in activities to learn, enjoy, improve their lifestyles and widen their horizons.

The multi-use centre offers a range of activities, interventions and learning experiences for all ages, as well as providing low cost child care, a youth club, skills workshops and CV writing classes.

Asda’s Community Life Champion Ashley Casey said: “I am delighted for the team at the Auckland Youth and Community Centre. I have worked with them on numerous occasions and I help out with anything I can, from raffles and the after school club to offering advice on healthy eating.

“I know how much this grant means to the community centre and to have it now accepted is just brilliant.”

John Wiseman, business development manager at Auckland Youth and Community Centre, said: “This is such a fantastic amount of money for us and we are hugely grateful to Ashley, Asda Bishop Auckland and the Asda Foundation for making this possible.

“We cannot thank them enough for giving us the opportunity to fix the roof and improve the entrance area, and the new equipment will go a long way towards helping the families in our local community.”

Set up in 1988, the Asda Foundation aims to have a positive impact on local communities, by providing support to a range of good causes, chosen by Asda community life colleagues.

Julie Ward, of the Asda Foundation, added: “We see the foundation as one of the many ways to give something back to the communities that support us.

“That’s why we lend a hand to the wide range of good causes with which our colleagues are involved, sharing their passion and helping to make a difference through a variety of projects across the UK.”

To find out more about the Asda Foundation, visit charities.asda.com/asda-foundation/