A community shop providing food for those in need in Weymouth is celebrating its third birthday - and it's needed now more than ever.

The Nest will celebrate its third birthday on Friday, November 17 in the same week King Charles will highlight his Coronation Food Project.

Charles will promote his food project on his birthday today which aims to tackle food waste and insecurity.

This is exactly what the ‘social supermarket’ The Nest has already been doing, by helping feed people who are struggling to afford food and help to reduce food surplus.

The project opened in 2020 and now has 1,250 members and is still very much needed by the residents of Weymouth.

Dorset Echo: Inside The Nest in Weymouth. Picture: Neil Hardisty

Neil Hardisty who runs the Nest’s two community stores in Westham and Littlemoor, said: “There is still a need. We are getting in five new members a week still.

“We get about 130 to 140 people shopping with us each week.

“These people need help, some are on income support, but we even have people who are working coming to us. The shops are doing well.”

READ: The Nest helps hundreds of people in first year

More than 70 volunteers work across the two stores, with the newest one in Littlemoor having 250 members since opening up 18 months ago.

In total, the project has fed about 3,000 local people who are classed as food insecure during the past three years.

Neil added: "It’s amazing that we have two shops in two deprived areas in the town.

“We are just meeting the needs of the people; we didn’t foresee how much it would benefit the community.”

The community driven scheme is available to anyone who can prove they receive some sort of benefit to become a member – for free.

Shoppers can then pick ten items off the shelf for just £4 and can also help themselves to free bread, fruit and vegetables, but are limited to one shop per week.

READ: The Nest opens second community shop in Littlemoor

The Nest also has a social café situated at the store Westham which is open to any member of the public.

It offers cheap affordable lunches like jacket potatoes and panini’s for just £3.50 or £4.

But members can eat for £1.50 and a cup of coffee cost just 50p.

Neil added: “The whole point of having the café was so people could be comfortable, chat to people and make friends.

“Our motto is feed, foster, flourish and fly – that is what a nest does.

“We start with people who are dependant, but we want to help people in life so they can stand on their own two feet.”