They truly understand the spirit of Christmas at Woolworths Hemel Hempstead and it has secured the team a deserved entry in People's Pride.

Boxmoor mum Jill Matthews had searched high and low for this year's must-have Christmas gift – a Nintendo Wii – for her eight-year-old son.

But there was only one place willing to go the extra mile to guarantee her youngster was smiling on Christmas morning.

Jill said: "I had been everywhere trying to get hold of the console. Even as far as Essex. It had been absolutely awful.

"Staff in many places have been blatantly rude and didn't want to know.

"I was on waiting lists everywhere you could think of. But the Hemel Hempstead Woolworths took my name and rang me at home three times when one came in. When I called back they opened up the back door to let me run in and pay for it.

"They have been real stars. They are so busy at this time of year, a lot of them are quite young and they are not working for a lot of money.

"They could have easily been buying the consoles up themselves and making a fortune out of selling them on as I know some people are doing, but they knew what Christmas is really about and that's the children. They really have Christmas spirit there."