HALLOWEEN costumes destined for a supermarket's bin were saved and donated to schools and drama groups.

John Bailey, community champion at Tesco, in St Helen Auckland, rescued dozens of the fancy dress items for children aged from newborn up to early teens and invited schools and drama groups in Bishop Auckland and Weardale to collect them.

Representatives from Stanley Crook, Evergreen Special Needs, Etherley Lane and St Anne’s CofE Primary Schools, Bishop Auckland Theatre Hooligans (BATH) and Weardale-based Kerry-Ann O’Neill’s Dance School visited Sam Zair’s Cafe, in Bishop Auckland, to take the costumes.

Mr Bailey said the outfits were classed as “penny stock” which could not be sold, so he approached the store manager and asked if he could take them to help the community.

He said: “I thought drama groups and schools in the area could use them.

“We hope they can get some good use out of them.

“It is nice that we can do something good for the community.”

Sam Zair and his wife Lesley also made a donation towards Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation, which are Tesco’s charity partners.

Mr Zair added: “John works very hard in the community and any help I can give him, I will.”