'I'm only putting the heating on one hour a morning - this new shop is excellent'

There's a steady flow of shoppers coming in and out of Harpurhey's newest store. Pensioners and young families come through the door and leave clutching carrier bags filled with groceries.

The spiralling cost of living in recent years has led to tough times for many in Greater Manchester. As the cold nights draw in, there's concern things could get worse.

So the arrival of Community Grocery Harpurhey could hardly have come at a better time. Since the store opened on Carisbrook Street last week, the team say they have already had around 500 people sign up to shop.

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For a £5 annual membership, people can visit the store five days a week. A small shop then costs £5 for up to 12 items depending on their value, with their largest shop costing £12.50 for up to 30 items.

Compared to the cost families face at supermarket checkouts, they can make huge savings. Steffi Schrank, general manager, says plenty of hard work goes in to keep the store 'vibrant' and stocked with 'brands people recognise and trust'.

And their efforts are already making a difference to people struggling to make ends meet, in one of Manchester's most deprived areas. "There's a real anxiety of not being able to feed your kids," said Steffi, 44.

"We've had stories where the parents did not eat, or they would eat cereal three times a day, just so they could feed their kids. We've had stories of kids eating little dinner, having nothing for breakfast, coming to school hungry. It's a huge problem and it's just not OK.

"We do everything in our power to help make this go away for families, take that anxiety off them. For me, I'm really passionate about it - it makes me physically sick thinking that