The Duchess of Edinburgh made a visit to Lambeth on Wednesday to take a look at the UK’s first social supermarket.
Community Shop, in Vale Street, Norwood, is a community store which sells low-cost, high-quality surplus food to hundreds of people on income support.
During the visit Duchess Sophie – the wife of Prince Edward – explored the three interconnected spaces of the site: Community Store, Community Hub, and Community Kitchen.
Community Stores provide members with a much-needed access to deeply discounted food and essentials, including fruit, vegetables and bread for only 20p.
Community Shop team sit down to discuss their work with the Duchess of Edinburgh during her visit (Picture: Courtesy of Greenhouse Agency)
The profits from Community Store are reinvested into the Community Hub, which delivers holistic support programmes to empower individuals to develop their own capabilities and deliver a positive future for themselves.
Additionally, each Community Shop features a Community Kitchen, a café that allows people to connect with others and learn through food, as well as providing home-cooked meals for the community with kids eating free every day.
People join on a membership basis and the service is open to those on means-tested benefits and who live in the area.
Since its inception in 2013, Community Shop has supported more than 72,000 families.
The Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, speaks with the Community Kitchen staff in Norwood (Picture: Courtesy of Greenhouse Agency)
The Community Store has saved members more than £50 million on shopping, whilst the Community Hubs have delivered more than 200,000 development programmes and Community Kitchens have fed 880,000 children for free.
Executive chairman of Community Shop, Gary Stott, said: “This Royal visit highlights the vital importance of our mission and is a real boost for the Community Shop team who work tirelessly to tackle food insecurity.
“Our Lambeth store provides a lifeline for the local community and we’re proud to have created a vibrant, welcoming space where people come to share stories, learn and eat together.”
Pictured top: The Duchess of Edinburgh visits Community Shop’s kitchen in Norwood (Picture: Courtesy of Greenhouse Agency)