'The community shop is good, but tragic we need it'

Mandy Sims says she did not think she would need to use a shop like a community supermarket

In Essex, community supermarkets are being set up to provide people with cheaper food and household items to help ease the cost of living.

The county council funds the shops and wants to expand them across every city and borough.

The BBC visited one in Basildon to see what people made of the alternative to their regular supermarket.

'Prices have shot up'

Shoppers pay a yearly membership fee to use the shop

Mandy Sims, from nearby Wickford, visited the community supermarket with her parents.

"I think the idea of the shop is very good but it's tragic that we need this sort of shop," she says.

"The people that are in here are not the poorest in the community, the people that are here are normal working people who are just finding it so hard now to go round the normal supermarket."

The 63-year-old says prices in shops "have just shot up".

But she says the community supermarket is "a lot cheaper than [the regular] supermarket".

Ms Sims, who relies on a pension for her income, says that for her things are "a little bit tighter than maybe [she] would like it to be but we are managing".

"I never ever thought I would be shopping somewhere like this," she adds.

'People are cutting back'

Basildon resident Chas Smith says he has been cutting back on food to save money

Chas Smith says he bought "two baskets full of food" at the community supermarket.

"It's a good thing what they are doing here," he says.

The 77-year-old says he joined the supermarket "to be part of the community, the voluntary work is unbelievable".

He also worries about his finances.

"The main thing is the energy bill [rises] that are coming in," he says.

"Everything in the shops, they've not gone up a little, somethings have gone up sometimes double.

"It's tough, I think people are cutting back on what they normally buy. It's a sad situation."

Mr Smith says he has been looking to reduce the expensive items he gets in the supermarket, such as meat, and "buying cheaper items that you can make a decent meal from".

'Eases some of the pain'

Phil Norton, who runs the community supermarket, says it has grown steadily since it opened last month

The chair of the supermarket in Basildon, Phil Norton, says it has 85 members and "every week more people are joining".

He says the community supermarket helps because "people are looking at their family finances".

"Things aren't free like a food bank, but things are a lot cheaper than in normal supermarkets," he says.

"It eases some of the pain out of the family food bill so that other things can be more affordable."

The 58-year-old says the rising cost of living "seems to be a bit more acute than it was, so we're bracing ourselves that people might need services like the community supermarket".

He says those that use the shop come "from all walks of life".

"Some people who come here just might need a bit of help for a short period of time," he says.

Mr Norton adds: "People [are] having to manage their resources, their budget, their finances, we've always had to do that. But I think it is unprecedented.

"I don't know how it's going to last. We've just got to do the things we can do to help people while we're all going through it."

How does it work?

The shop offers food and household items

Customers pay £3.50 per year to become members.

They have to prove they live in the local area, but there are no other membership criteria.

The supermarket is open one day a week for two hours.

It is a non-profit project and is mostly staffed by volunteers so is able to offer food at cheaper prices than conventional supermarkets.

It also tries to give away free items it has been able to source.

'Something practical that could really help'

Essex County Council's Louise McKinlay says the authority wants more community supermarkets to open

Louise McKinlay, deputy leader of Essex County Council, says the rising cost of living means "times are obviously very difficult" for residents.

She says the community supermarket means members "can go along and choose their own weekly shop and it would be at a fraction of the cost it would normally be, leaving them with more money in their pocket".

The Conservative councillor says she has "received very positive feedback [from] people who have been in".

"They are a bridge between a food bank and regular supermarket, with the added benefit of people being able to come in and have a cup of tea and if they have any other issues they can be signposted to other support," she says.

She says the council funded the supermarkets because it is "something practical that could really help people on a week to week basis".

The council wants to open one in "every borough [and] city district, [because] there is that need even in more affluent areas", she says.