Olympic rower Melanie Wilson swapped her scull for a shopping trolley today as she helped open Gillingham’s second Aldi store.

The silver medallist joined the 11th Gillingham Scout Group as she helped launch the store in Ambley Road at 8am.

The first 30 people to arrive received a free shopping bag full of Super 6 fruit and veg, as part of Aldi’s Get Set to Eat Fresh initiative in partnership with Team GB, which aims to encourage families and children to cook with fresh British produce.

Speaking before the ribbon-cutting, Melanie said: “I’m really excited to be opening Gillingham’s Aldi store.

"Its Greek yogurt is absolutely delicious and a staple in my fridge, so I can’t wait to open the store and see what other fantastic products I can stock up on.”

To celebrate the opening, Aldi made a donation of refreshments including fruit juice and Super 6 items to the 11 Gillingham Scouts to support its weekly meetings.

Children from the group enjoyed holding a real silver medal and posed for selfies with the athlete.

The store comes with 308 parking spaces and 1,254sqm of retail space and has created 45 jobs.

Aldi is still recruiting for a variety of roles in the area, from store assistants to deputy store managers.

• Click here to apply for a role at Aldi