Community shop set for long haul to provide help for residents
The cost-of-living crisis has seen new methods for helping people struggling with increasing food prices and utility bills start up.
One such example is the Community Shop in Bilston, which provides members with a series of good quality and affordable food and non-food items.
The shop on Marketway is a partnership between not-for-profit company Bilston Support Network CIC and Wolverhampton Council and, as it approaches its first month anniversary since opening on September 14, it has seen 290 people pay a £2 membership.
Manager John Raj said he had been surprised the level of response that had come from the shop opening, but said it was indicative of how much help was needed at the moment.
He said: "When we set the shop up, we never anticipated that there would be such a big response from people coming down to sign up to the community shop, so 290 people in such a short time has been phenomenal.
"That just goes to show the amount of extra help and support that everybody needs at the moment, so it doesn't matter if you are working or not working or whatever your situation is, everyone needs that extra help at the moment."
Mr Raj said he had spoken to a lot of people about their current situations and found the most concerning ones had been around utility bills, as well as people panicking about Christmas.
He said: "Some of the stories have been from people talking about how they are going to afford and pay for their utility bills.
"Other people have been getting themselves into a panic regarding Christmas, worrying about how they are going to afford not just for themselves, but also to get gifts for family members."
Mr Raj said the shop would be a way of helping families through reduced prices for food, as well as a giveaway of surplus stock at the end of each day, as well as help from energy company Utilita.
He also spoke about how this would be the first of several community shops opening around the city and said the council help was much appreciated.
He said: "The Council is committed to supporting local people during the cost-of-living crisis and this is a practical way of helping local people.
"Bilston Community Shop is the first of about six or seven shops opening around the city, spread across it, and the best thing about them is how they adapt to the local community and match the needs of that community.
"I hope these shops are not needed for too long, but we anticipate being here for a while and are already planning for Christmas, so we ask our members to access us when they can and save money as much as they can."
The Bilston Community Shop opens Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 9.30am to 2.30pm and is available to residents of Wolverhampton at the Strengthening Families building at 25A Marketway in Bilston.
