PEOPLE in need now have a facility on the doorstep after the opening of Tameside’s first Community Grocery.
And four more are being lined up for different areas of the borough.
Hattersley’s St Barnabas’ Church, on Hattersley Road East, is the site of the inaugural facility after its vicar, the Reverend Sam Durdant-Hollamby, teamed up with The Message Trust.
Now people can buy groceries on a points basis – with each costing 50p – meaning their weekly shop can cost much less money.
Its ‘soft opening’ on Friday, September 25, saw it attract universal praise from Councillors, Bishop of Chester Mark Tanner and local people who will use it.
Now it is open fully, with the first ‘proper’ day on Monday, September 28, manager Molly Dowdall knows all too well the difference it can make.
“It’s amazing,” she said of the Community Pantry, which is located in the church hall, meaning people can easily access the wraparound support groups that operate there.
“It’s going to be great for that as a community. We’ve got lots of wraparound clubs on offer and very affordable food for people.
“I live in Hattersley. I’ve been here for four years and that helps me understand the need here. And the need is definitely here.
“There is a need for affordable food in Hattersley. Hattersley is known as a food desert, which means a lot of people don’t have cars and there’s more than a mile to go and get food.
“So this is a great place that’s going to be here to offer affordable food to people within walking distance.
“Everyone’s excited. I’ve been handing out leaflets at schools, so I’ve been hearing at the school gates that everybody’s excited.”
The Community Pantry came after the Rev Durdant-Hollamby – who calls it an ‘absolute miracle’ – approached The Message Trust, which now has 40 similar schemes around the country.
And in either a freak coincidence or something from a higher power, Tameside Council approached hm as he was stood in the space with Sam Hawthorne, enterprise director of The Message Trust.
He recalled: “Sam and I were standing about in the community grocery and we’d been praying for a while saying, ‘Could a grocery happen here?’
“As we were standing, he had an email from Tameside Council saying we want to do five community groceries in Tameside. Do you have anywhere in mind that we could start?
“He said, ‘Well it’s funny you should ask that. I’m standing in one and we’re talking about it.’ So that’s what feels like a miracle.
“There was no way we could find to make this work other than God stepping in and doing something quite, quite incredible.”
After a four-month conversion, carried out by volunteers, and with goods sourced from The Message Trust’s partners, including supermarkets, it is all systems go.
The Rev Durdant-Hollamby added: “The Message Trust has partners with fair share – Tesco, Morrison’s, loads of different places – and they give away their extra to the shop in order to make sure it doesn’t go to landfill but instead it comes here and it gets sold at a much more reasonable price.
“On the whole people are really excited about it and there are a few people who perhaps don’t know what it is yet, so we’re really hoping they come in and see themselves that it’s really good.
“Hattersley’s a beautiful place that as a church we want to see absolutely flourish.
“This for us is an offering to the community saying, ‘We want the best for this place, so come on in and not just find food that’s affordable, find a warm welcome, find the people who want the best for you, find further support if you need it.
“We’ve still got community groups, birthday parties happening all the time. I think the best is to just walk in and find out what’s going on and find a group for you.
“On the wall just as you enter are the link groups that we’re running here, so there’s plenty for people to step into as well.”
Membership of the Community Pantry costs £1 a year and it is open from 9.30am until 4.30pm, Monday to Friday.
The points system also works easily as Molly explained: “It’s 50p per point and for every 10 you spend, you get a free one.
“People can come in when they’ve got their membership, fill their basket or trolley up and go to the till. We count how many points it is and then charge it.”
The Message Trust started its work by fiving out meals to those who receive them free at school while establishments were closed because of Covid-19.
Its founder and global chief executive, Andy Hawthorne OBE, said: “Escalating prices are having a massive impact on everyone’s lives, but for many it’s made life so difficult that they are having to choose between heating or eating.
“We can’t stand by and do nothing, so the Community Grocery is here to help and that’s why we’re opening a new store in Hattersley.
“Bridging the gap between food banks and supermarkets, we’re here to make it easier for our members to put food on the table by reducing the cost of the weekly shop, whilst also providing them with support and courses too.
“We can’t wait to welcome local residents to Hattersley Community Grocery.”