September 27, 2021 2.22 pm This story is over 30 months old

New cut-price community grocery shop coming to Lincoln next week

Members could save more than £30 per shop
The stock will be just like what you'd expect from a supermarket. | Photo: The Message Trust
By Local Democracy Reporter

A community grocery store which aims to help people cut the cost of a weekly shop will be opening in Lincoln next week.

The Lincoln Community Grocery will be based in the Central Methodist Church on the High Street, and it will offer affordable food for its members when it opens on Tuesday, October 5.

People who sign up for memberships will be able to do a large food shop for just £3 a visit, saving on average more than £30 per shop, with the same choice you would expect in local supermarkets.

Membership costs just £5 a year and members are entitled to visit the grocery three times a week, as well as choosing their own shopping for their families.

Fresh fruit and vegetables, tinned goods, frozen foods, as well as sanitary and household items will be available at the store, which is an initiative of national charity The Message Trust.

For just £3, customers can expect their shop to include one loaf of bread, five portions of fruit and veg, five box and canned items, two frozen items, two mix and match items and one non-food item. Stock will depend on the number of donations made to the charity.

It is aimed at families who have been financially devastated by COVID-19 lockdowns. | Photo: The Message Trust

Members will also have access to a range of services including employment clubs, debt advice, cookery courses and mental wellbeing help.

Lincoln’s Community Grocery will be run in partnership with Alive Church Lincoln and Acts Trust, and it will become the tenth community grocery store in England.

Available stock will depend on donations. | Photo: The Message Trust

Andy Hawthorne OBE, chief executive and founder of The Message Trust said: “COVID-19 and lockdowns have had a massive impact on everyone’s lives, but for millions it’s made it difficult for them to afford everyday essentials like food.

“We couldn’t stand by and do nothing, so the Community Groceries began. Bridging the gap between supermarkets and foodbanks, 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.

“Over 7,800 members across the UK are now shopping in stores each week, and we can’t wait to welcome people to Lincoln Community Grocery from October 5.”

Lincoln Community Grocery will operate from Central Methodist Church on the High Street. | Photo: The Lincolnite