A RAMSBOTTOM businessman is spearheading the launch of the UK's first pop-up store in Manchester where homeless people can shop for free.

Steve Houghton-Burnett is working with Coffee4Craig, a homelessness charity set up by Salford woman Risha Lancaster with her partner Fie Lancaster in memory of her brother Craig White, who was found dead last year after sleeping rough.

The one-day event will take place this Saturday (Nov 29), and Mr Houghton-Burnett, who works as a business consultant, has provided a team to help staff the event with the help of his contacts.

Mr Houghton-Burnett said he was inspired to set up the store when he saw a video of how the idea was first trialled in South Africa.

He said: "I am 47-years-old, and I have an irrational fear of homelessness, so I thought the best thing to do was do something about it.

"I got in contact with the people in South Africa, and they advised me to find a charity to work on it with, which is how I came across Coffee4Craig."

The outdoor shop will be located in Houldsworth Street in the Northern Quarter, and the clothes on offer will be hung from street railings and shoes laid out on the pavement for people to choose from. Volunteers will also provide hot soup and support to customers and distribute any remaining items to other charities.

Mr Houghton-Burnett said the idea is to make it as close to a conventional shop as possible, to make it special for homeless people.

He said: "The first thing people lose when they become homeless is choice, so we are going to try and make it as much like a shop as we can.

"I have found people who will volunteer for the day as shop assistants, and we have uniforms for them as well which have been donated by businesses."

Coffee4Craig currently runs three street kitchens every week in Manchester for the homeless, and Risha said she was delighted to be working with Mr Houghton-Burnett.

She said: “We loved the idea, but didn’t have enough time to do Street Store on top of our day to day work with Coffee4Craig and jobs. "Steve was so moved by the idea he’s recruited us a project team so it’s going to happen.

“Homeless people can feel worthless. This is about treating them as equal members of society for once and giving them choice so they feel valued. And it’s another opportunity for volunteers to offer them food and support to try and get them off the streets if that’s what they want.

“We hope it’s the first of many across the UK and will share what we learn with anyone who wants to stage a street store."