When two staff members at the Asda store in the Hurst area of Ashton discovered that a regular customer had fallen on hard times and was homeless, they worked together with a local shelter to get him off the streets and into a safe place to stay.

Customer service host Nicola Armstrong and security colleague Chris Barton, who work at the supermarket on Queens Road, saw that the customer had been outside in the cold for quite some time, so approached him a few times to see if was okay before he told them his situation.

Nicola and Chris contacted the local homelessness charity The Town House, who offered him accommodation and support until he found a more permanent place to live. Nicola and Chris also bought him some groceries to take to the self-catering refuge. 

Chris, who has worked at the store for five years, said: "I've known the guy quite a long time. He always comes into the store, but on this occasion he was stood outside in the pouring rain. I went out to talk to him and he told me what had happened.

"It turned out that he'd fallen on unfortunate times and had nowhere to go and had no money. Helping him was just the right thing to do."

Asda Ashton Store manager Matt Gregory, who nominated Nicola and Chris for an Asda customer service award, said: "We are all really proud of them in store. It was a really nice gesture and a great example of putting our customers' wellbeing first.

"The customer has been a regular with us for years and he's well known to everyone in the store. On the day in question Chris spotted him just stood outside in the cold and he'd been there for quite some time.

"He went to see if he was okay and he said he was fine. Nicola did the same and then Chris had another chat with the customer who told him what had happened. The customer's been back in the store since and was really appreciative of what Chris and Nicola did for him."

Pauline Town, who set up the Town House in Ashton and was recently awarded an MBE for her efforts in helping the homeless locally, said: "I'd really like to say a huge thank you to Chris and Nicola who went above and beyond to help a customer who was facing homelessness. 

"Asda have helped us so often with donations and support, but this is even more special. People often look the other way, but these two made sure that someone in real trouble was safe and had the help they needed. That's really special and I am so happy that they are being recognised for that, just absolutely well done and thank you."

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