A councillor and a community interest company are launching a food larder in Barrhead amid “skyrocketing” prices for food and other essentials.

Cllr Chris Lunday is doing so alongside NellyBoxes CIC, who have been successfully running NellyBoxes East Renfrewshire Baby Bank for the last year and a half.

The Barrhead Community Food Larder, as it will be known, will open for the first time on Wednesday, March 7 at the Auchenback Scouts Hall.

Cllr Lunday, who represents Barrhead, Liboside and Uplawmoor, told the Barrhead News: “I am absolutely delighted to be working with Nicola and Nik McGowan from NellyBoxes on this amazing project.

“It is really sad that this is needed, but it is very much needed with more and more people feeling the pinch.”

The larder will offer tinned food, pasta, cereal, UHT milk, and other essential food and home products.

It will be open to all residents in the community and free for all to use with no means testing.

It is hoped that it will be open more often than a Wednesday in the future.

The initiative has been inspired by Eaglesham and Waterfoot Community Food Larder and is being helped through funding from the food fund by Voluntary Action East Renfrewshire.

“The price of food and other essentials has skyrocketed and the support is hard to find, particularly for those that have never had to seek help before,” added Cllr Lunday.

“I have been inspired by Freya Young's work in Eaglesham and hope that our larder will be as successful.”