Over 330 new users at Hattersley Community Grocery

Tameside’s first Community Grocery is already proving a big hit with 331 households signing up in the first week.

Community Groceries aim to bridge the gap between foodbanks and supermarkets, providing affordable choice and access to food, household essentials and toiletries while also offering a range of wider support services designed to strengthen individuals, families and communities.

Tameside Council, working with The Message Trust and St Barnabas Church, opened the borough’s first Community Grocery in Hattersley on 28 September – with the intention to open further stores in several other locations in local towns in coming months.  

In the first week alone, 331 households joined the Community Grocery at St Barnabas Church, of which 121 are families receiving benefit related free school meals. Altogether this supported 960 individuals, and the new members have made over 570 shopping visits to the new store already.
 
Community Groceries offer affordable shops – typically saving around a third of normal supermarket prices – and provide a dignified, supermarket style experience with a wide choice of fresh, frozen, and store cupboard items, supported by volunteers and a dedicated manager. 

The project forms part of the council’s wider package of support, using the Government’s Crisis Resilience Fund, for residents most in need in the borough.
 
Tameside Council Executive Member for Finance and Resources Cllr Hugh Roderick said: “The fact that so many households are already using our first Community Grocery shows just how valuable this kind of support can be. It’s meeting a real need and, importantly, providing people with a service they feel comfortable accessing.

“We know that many families are still feeling the pressure of the cost of living. Community Groceries offer practical help and greater choice, giving households greater confidence that their budget will cover their costs each month. I’m pleased we are working with our partners and the community to open this Community Grocery in Hattersley, with more stores to follow across Tameside. If you haven’t checked it out yet, do come along – everyone is welcome and anyone can be a member.”

Signing up at the grocery is easy and open to anyone. Annual membership is just £1 (unless you receive benefit related free school meals in which case it is free), giving members the flexibility to choose a shop size that suits their household from across a wide range of categories.

Hattersley Community Grocery can be found at St Barnabas Church Hattersley, Hattersley Rd East, Hyde, SK14 3EQ and will be open 9:30am – 4:30pm Monday - Friday each week.
 
To find out more about Hattersley Community Grocery head to communitygrocery.org.uk/hattersley