Community Shop Swarcliffe has celebrated its first anniversary by bringing the community together for a garden party to mark the impact and support it has provided over the last 12 months.

The award-winning social enterprise, which was opened thanks to funding from Leeds-based Asda, tackles the root causes of food insecurity by empowering its members to develop skills and build a positive future for themselves, offering a hand up, not a handout.

The Swarcliffe store provides three interconnected spaces under one roof – a Community Store which offers deeply discounted surplus food and essential household products, a Community Hub where store profits are reinvested to deliver life-changing support and learning opportunities such as cook clubs, budgeting sessions and interview skills, and a Community Kitchen that serves wholesome, affordable meals in a welcoming space where people can connect with others, with children eating free every day.

In just one year:

• Members at Community Shop Swarcliffe have collectively saved more than £1 million on their shopping, creating the equivalent of 956,272 meals for local households

• Through its Community Hub more than 5,700 learning and development programmes have been delivered

• While in the Community Kitchen more than 10,250 free kids meals have been served

Community Shop is the UK’s first social supermarket and is powered by surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. By using surplus products to provide much-needed access to affordable, quality food, and reinvesting profits directly back into the community, the store has not only eased the strain on household budgets but also created a self-sustaining model of support.

Gary Stott, Executive Chairman of Community Shop, said: “We’re incredibly proud of what has been achieved at Community Shop Swarcliffe in its first year. Working together with Asda we’ve supported thousands of families across the local community, providing dignified access to affordable food, alongside life-changing holistic programmes that empower people to build their skills, confidence and resilience, helping them to create a positive future for themselves. We look forward to continuing this work together and building on the impact we’ve already made over the last year.”

Karen Todd, Senior Manager for Zero Waste at Asda, commented: “We’re delighted to see the positive impact Community Shop Swarcliffe has made in just one year. It's inspiring to see how much of a difference this partnership has made in such a small space of time - helping thousands of families access affordable food while also building skills, confidence and long-term resilience.”

Membership for Community Shop Swarcliffe is free and open to local people on in receipt of mean tested benefits, ensuring families have access to the support they need.