A NEW Aldi store in Hampshire is set to be opened by a Paralympic gold medallist this month.

The new store will be coming to New Milton, in the New Forest.

It will open on Thursday September 22, at 8am.

Paralympic gold medallist Aaron Phipps will be cutting the ribbon on the store's opening morning.

Aaron was born in Southampton, but contracted meningitis at the age of 15 and had to have both legs amputated.

He has since become the first disabled person to scale Mount Kilimanjaro unassisted, taking four days of crawling on his hands and knees.

He was part of the team that won the first ever Paralympic Gold Medal in a team sport event, as part of wheelchair rugby at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Aaron Phipps said: “I’m so excited to be opening Aldi’s new store.

"It will be great to chat to customers and a lovely way for me to thank Aldi for its support of Paralympics.”

He will be in New Milton to give away free bags of fresh fruit and vegetables to the first 30 customers in the queue.

This is to celebrate the new official partnership between Aldi and the Paralympics, and the chain will be providing all athletes with monthly food vouchers.

Aldi Store Manager Claudia Jardim said: “We can’t wait to open the doors to the new store in New Milton. It’s set to be a special day and having Paralympic hero Aaron Phipps join us will make it a morning to remember.”

The new store is calling on local charities and foodbanks in the town to register with Neighbourly, and partner with the new store to collect food and perishable products.

To partner with the new store, email aldi@neighbourly.com.

The store is also recruiting for more store assistants.

For more information, visit the Aldi recruitment website.

The new store, on Starling Road, will be open from 8am-10pm Monday to Saturday, and 10am-4pm on Sunday.

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