The first customers headed through the door as a brand new supermarket opened in north Powys this morning.

Around 25 jobs have been created by the new Aldi store on Pool Road, Newtown, which opened its doors to customers this morning at 8am.

To celebrate the grand opening, Aldi Newtown arranged for Olympic gold medallist, Katherine Copeland to deliver a virtual assembly for pupils at Treowen School, as part of the supermarket’s initiative, Get Set to Eat Fresh – which has already inspired over 1.9 million school children aged 5-14 years to learn more about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food with their families.

Team GB rowing star Katherine Copeland delivered an inspirational assembly focusing on the benefits of eating healthy food and the importance of exercise and believing in yourself. Katherine also talked to pupils about her experience of competing as an Olympian and shared her challenging training regime.

In addition to the virtual assembly, Aldi Newtown offered pupils at the local primary school the opportunity to win a £20 gift voucher to spend at the new store. Children at Treowen Primary School were tasked with creating a poster to show what healthy eating means to them. Katherine Copeland announced the winner, Hannah-May Hedley, during the virtual assembly and the pupil was presented with their £20 voucher.

Store Manager Karl Beck said: "It’s been a wonderful morning here at the opening of Aldi Newtown. It was lovely to welcome our new customers into store, and I look forward to meeting more of the community in the coming weeks. I’m also thrilled that we’ve been able to support Treowen Primary School through our partnership with Team GB.”

Team GB rower Katherine Copeland added: "I’ve had a fantastic time speaking with the children at Treowen Primary School. It was great to talk to them about the importance of eating healthily and how it can be fun to plan and prepare meals as a family. Hopefully I’ve also managed to inspire the pupils to keep active and try different sports.”

The new Aldi store offers large chillers and freezers dedicated to fresh, British meat products, a ‘Food to Go’ section at the front of the store, and an exclusive section full of Health & Beauty products.

Newtown customers can also take a walk down the ‘Aisle of Aldi’, where they will find legendary Specialbuys which are available every Thursday and Sunday. During opening week, the store will be offering a wide range of back to school essentials, including a two-pack of polo shirts for £1.79, leather shoes for £6.99 and children’s sweatshirts for £1.

Additionally, the new Aldi store is calling on local charities and food banks in Newtown to register with Neighbourly, a community engagement platform that links businesses to charitable organisations in the local community.