Woking MP Will Forster cut the ribbon to formally open the Woking Community Grocery at the Welcome Church, Church Street West, last week.

The grocery is a social supermarket designed to bridge the gap between foodbanks and traditional supermarkets. It is open to anyone feeling the pressure of the cost of living and looking for a way to reduce their weekly shop without relying on handouts.

Membership costs just £5 per year and in return members can save £20 or more on a typical weekly shop compared to supermarket prices — adding up to over £1,000 a year for regular shoppers.

The store offers a wide and reliable range of products, with around 100 essential lines always in stock. Shoppers can expect fruit and vegetables, bread and milk, fresh and chilled goods, cupboard staples, snacks, cereals, and deals on branded items, including Birds Eye frozen food.

Mr Forster said: “I want to thank all those at Welcome Church and their amazing backers such as Birds Eye, Boz’s Fruit & Veg and Porky Whites, among others, for making it happen.

“Woking is a very affluent constituency, but that affluence hides some significant pockets of deprivation. The community grocery will really help people in those areas and others across Woking with the rising the cost of living.”

Beyond affordable food, the grocery also provides access to courses and support designed to help people build skills and resilience.

One new member said: “I did my first shop and was extremely pleased with what I got. It has really helped me with the cost of living being as high as it is. I also signed up to a cookery course on a budget.

“I am looking forward to my next visit, this is a much-needed asset to Woking.”

Some 430 members have already signed up, a figure expected to reach 1,000 soon.