New deacon working supermarket and church aisles

The newly appointed deacon says she is looking forward to serving people across the communities

A supermarket worker is dividing her job in the checkout and church aisles after becoming an ordained deacon with the Church of England.

Donna Robinson, from Ryton, Gateshead, said her 23 year experience at Asda has allowed her to build up a passion for helping people.

As well as serving customers in her community champion role at the Gateshead store, the 59-year-old can now also conduct church services, baptisms and funerals.

"I see myself as somebody that walks alongside people, so whether that's in their happiest or saddest moments - I just want to be there for them," she said.

"It's a joy to be able to ease people's burdens and if I can help anybody in any small way then that's what God has called me to do," she added.

Mrs Robinson is one of eleven new deacons to be ordained at Durham Cathedral, by the Right Reverend Sarah Clark, Acting Bishop of Durham.

She is serving her curacy at St Cuthbert's Blaydon, St Patrick's High Spen and St Barnabas Rowland's Gill - and in a year she will be able to marry people and distribute communions across the Tyne area.

Right Reverend Sarah Clark, Acting Bishop of Durham, says witnessing Donna Robinson's journey has been a lovely experience

Ms Clark said watching Mrs Robinson "grow in faith and confidence has been lovely".

"Donna's long service with Asda reflects her strength of character and qualities of loyalty, dedication and love of people," she added.

During her time at Asda, Mrs Robinson said she had met people from all walks of life and helped hundreds of charities through her role as community champion.

In turn, she said colleagues and customers had supported her ambition to become a deacon.

"People who come in and buy raffle tickets from me have congratulated me, so it is really nice to be recognised," she said.

Donna Robinson has worked with various charities as her role as community champion at Asda

Mrs Robinson said she knew she wanted to become a deacon after "feeling God's presence" amongst the silence while swimming in a labyrinth during a family holiday in Scotland.

"It was a perfect day, blue skies, and I just sat in the labyrinth and felt the silence, there was lots going on in the background but there was no distraction for me and that's when I knew."

She left school at 16 and admitted because she was not academic, the four years of study at Lindisfarne College of Theology was "difficult" and a "rollercoaster of emotions".

During the process she was diagnosed with dyslexia which she said "made sense" because of previous events that had happened in her life.

"I'm just a working class girl from the north east of England and one piece of advice I would give any student at college now is if I can do it, anybody can do it," she said.