PAPER chains designed to spread a message of hope have been given away in their hundreds by one of Oswestry's largest supermarkets.

Morrisons, in Shrewsbury Road, has given away hundreds of the links in the lead-up to the Platinum Jubilee as part of a nationwide initiative to spread a million messages of hope.

Morrisons Community Champions have partnered with local schools, charities, and community groups to gather messages of hope and celebration, and to decorate the paper chain links.

The paper chains will be donated to community hubs, schools and care homes to be used as Jubilee decorations, and to be displayed in Morrisons stores.

The initiative has collected over one million messages of hope from across the nation that, if joined up, could almost stretch from Buckingham Palace to Windsor Castle and back twice over.

Both of Oswestry Morrisons' community champions hope to see many in the town using them.

Rachael Roberts said: “It has been a challenging year for many people in the UK and we want to help spread hope and positivity among our customers and communities."

Kiley Waters added: "The Platinum Jubilee is a time for celebration and we hope - through our paper chain messages and community awards – that we can help celebrate hope in the run-up to the long-awaited weekend.”

Morrisons Community Champions across the UK will also be recognising nearly 2,000 organisations and individuals for their contributions to their communities.

They will be celebrating a local hero who goes above and beyond to help others; a charity or community that does outstanding things; the People’s Choice which is a community nomination for their work in the local area and an 'eco warrior' supporting their local environment.

Customers can share their nominations for the People’s Choice award, on the Morrisons Oswestry Community Champions Facebook page, but they must act quickly as entries close at midnight on Sunday, May 29.

The award winners will be contacted the following week.

Morrisons recently announced that packs of Cornflower seeds, that represent positivity and hope for the future, will be given away in every store nationwide.

Shoppers will be able to get a free pack at the checkout and online while stocks last.

Community Champions will also distribute packs among local schools, care homes and community groups too.