Sleaford community grocers help locals save on money and food waste

A new community-based grocery store has opened in Sleaford, offering £25 worth of essential food items for just £6 — to help those struggling with the cost of living crisis.

Operating in a similar format to the Lincoln Community Grocery, which opened at Central Methodist Church on the High Street last October, Sleaford Community Grocers will be offering a helping hand to those who need it most.

Based at unit 17/18 of the Riverside Centre in Sleaford, the store offers affordable groceries and essentials in exchange for a small membership fee.

Designed to offer a cheap alternative to food shopping. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

Fresh fruit and veg also available to provide healthy choices. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

Anyone can sign up for a membership of just £5 a year, and with that you can shop up to twice a week for just £6 each – and you get plenty of bang for your buck.

Each shopper is entitled to five fruit and vegetable items, six shelf goods (tinned and packaged food), one bakery piece (loaf of bread, baguette etc.), a chilled good from the fridge, a freezer item and two from the little extras baskets – which include things such as soap, damaged cereal boxes and cleaning products.

Each shopper is entitled to a set list of items from different sections of the store. | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

It equates to around £25 worth of goods for just £6, and there is also a household section for detergents, hygiene products and even electronics such as chargers and toys, for which you can pay separately to the £6 for groceries.

These household items have a price guarantee of being the cheapest in the local area, stating that if you find the same product for cheaper elsewhere you can get your money back.

A price guarantee, you won’t find it cheaper anywhere! | Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

| Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

The shop has arrived in the town at a vital time given the increased financial pressure brought on by the cost of living crisis, as energy bills, fuel prices and weekly shop figures all skyrocket across the UK.

There are two main aims for Sleaford Community Grocers: one is to reduce the cost of living for local residents by offering affordable food and goods, but also to reduce food waste thanks to donations coming from surplus stock at supermarkets.

| Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

| Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

The need for something like this was clear, as demand went through the roof on the opening two days. Staff at the grocery told The Lincolnite that the response so far has been “extraordinary.”

They said: “We knew the post-COVID recovery would be hard for everybody, and felt it was important to put something in place for those families who may be struggling with the general cost increases and inflation right now.

“We had to find a solution to these financial stresses, and it’s important that we break the stigma of families struggling to afford bills or regular food shops. Everybody is welcome here, judgement free.”

| Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

| Photo: Ellis Karran for The Lincolnite

Sleaford Community Grocers will be open six days a week, operating from 9.30am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday, then 9.30am to 3pm on Saturday and closing on Sundays.

You can head to the store’s Facebook page or website for updates.