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Bryson Energy have been awarded £50,000 from Big Lottery Fund to part fund a feasibility study into the development of a social supermarket network to help tackle food poverty in Northern Ireland.

Social supermarkets exist elsewhere including in France, America and Britain and typically use a cooperative model to sell food at reduced prices. They also offer advice services and support to vulnerable customers including energy advice, budgeting, cooking and shopping skills and services centred on employment and training.

Bryson Energy will use the money to help them undertake a two year feasibility study. They will work with the University of Ulster to identify areas of greatest need in Northern Ireland with limited access to affordable food retailers and examine whether social supermarkets could help tackle the issue of food poverty.

They will talk to local people, including those who might use a social supermarket, community groups and other stakeholders to get their views. They will also draw on examples from other countries to identify an appropriate model for Northern Ireland.

If the study proves there would be demand for and potential for social supermarkets, Bryson Energy would seek to develop a social supermarket network, dependent on further funding.

Katie Pilkington, senior manager, Bryson Energy, said: “Bryson Energy is part of the Bryson Charitable Group, a leading social enterprise tackling major social and economic challenges. Through this project we are keen to identify areas in NI where food poverty is greatest and explore ways of best addressing this issue. We are committed to working with local communities and local stakeholders and we warmly welcome the Big Lottery Fund grant that will enable us to undertake research and engage with communities on this issue.”

Big Lottery Fund NI Director Joanne McDowell said: “We are delighted to announce this grant to Bryson Energy to explore whether social supermarkets could help tackle food poverty in Northern Ireland. This study is listening to local people and is a great example of how our funding is putting people in the lead to create new solutions to the issues they face.”

For media enquiries, please contact Lucy Gollogly at the Big Lottery Fund Press Office.

Direct line: 028 90 55132
Out of hours media contact: 07580 811 135
Website: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/northernireland
Twitter: @BIGNIonline
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFundNI

Notes to Editors:

• The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.
• Since June 2004 we have awarded over £6.5billion to projects that make a difference to people and communities in need, from early years intervention to commemorative travel funding for World War Two veterans.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £35 billion has been raised and more than 490,000 grants awarded.