TEAM GB star Samantha Murray took time out of her busy training schedule this morning (Thursday) to officially open Aldi’s new Taunton store to queuing customers.

The opening ceremony featured a special appearance from Aldi’s family favourite, Kevin the Carrot.

Kevin, who was hidden away inside one of 100 Christmas crackers, surprised one lucky customer with a £100 shopping voucher courtesy of the store, to go towards their perfect Aldi Christmas dinner.

Store manager Tom Tulley and local mental health charity Mind, were also on hand to help the Team GB pentathlete officially open the Bathpool store with a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony and countdown in front of a crowd of local shoppers.

Samantha said: "What a fantastic start to Christmas for the winner.

"With some of the delicious, fresh foods on offer at Aldi’s new store, I don’t think it will be too hard for them to put their voucher to good use.

“As an athlete, I need to eat well all year round and Aldi’s great selection of fresh meat and veg makes it really easy for me.”

In keeping with the spirit of the season, Mind received a donation of refreshments and arts and crafts equipment to support its valuable services to the community throughout the Christmas period.

The 1,254 sqm Taunton store also provides shoppers with 94 parking bays for customer convenience.

In a welcome boost for the local economy, 20 new jobs have been created with the store launch, and Aldi is still recruiting for a variety of roles in the area, including store assistants and apprentices.

Mr Tulley said: "Today was a fantastic, festive store opening and it looked like everybody really enjoyed themselves.

"Congratulations to our cracker winner on their amazing prize – they’ll definitely enjoy their best Christmas yet with a prize like that.”

The store, located at Bridgwater Road, opens Monday to Saturday 8am to 10pm and Sundays 10am to 4pm.