CUSTOMERS at a Callington supermarket last week were startled to see their MP dashing around the store grabbing tins of food — for charity.

Sheryll Murray MP's trolley dash around Tesco in Tavistock Road added £150 worth of items to the week-long collection at the store, which raised a record-breaking 2.2 tonnes of food for Callington Foodbank.

Store manager Martin Hawkins said: 'It was a really fantastic result. We would like to say a big thank you to all the volunteers who gave up their time and to our superb customers for this magnificent result.

'We would particularly like to thank Mrs Murray, who sped around the aisles with a shopping list and then manned a till to ring the items through — there is a job awaiting her any time she wishes on our checkouts.'

Mrs Murray said: 'I think the foodbank does sterling work throughout the community in my constituency and I would like to thank Tesco at Callington not only for allowing the collection but also for its generosity in donating such a vast quantity of food.'

In all 2,200kgs of food was handed in at the store, equivalent to £3,696, with Tesco topping it up by 30% to make a total of £4,804.

The Callington Foodbank is a project seeded by The Trussell Trust, which provides emergency food and support to local people in crisis, whether through low incomes, unexpected bills, redundancy or other challenging circumstances.

Callington Foodbank project manager Pam Stephens said: 'The generosity of shoppers has been staggering and the food collected has replenished the foodbank in Callington.

'The food will now enable people and families to get through some tough times. This is local people helping locals in need. The Callington Foodbank is grateful to Tesco for its ongoing support — it makes a great difference.'