A foodbank is among the options being explored to bring back to life an empty shop in Brampton - while helping those in need.

Cumbria County Council had asked the parish council for suggestions of what the store, in Market Place, might be used for.

And this plan means the town could become the first place to accommodate a satellite branch of Carlisle Foodbank.

Parish councillor Malcolm Craik, thinks it is worthwhile looking at the possibility of a foodbank, even if it was just open one day a week.

"I know for a fact there are people in Brampton who are desperately in need and we've got nowhere for them to go," he said.

"Our shops are among the most expensive in the district so they're condemned to buy expensive food.

"We've got no Lidl or Aldi and things like that," he added.

"People do find themselves in a pickle in Brampton and if they can't afford food, they can't afford the bus fair to get through to the centre in Carlisle - it's a real problem."

Speaking to parishioners he said he's aware of people, including families, who don't have enough money to get to the end of the month - or week.

"In the last year and a half I've heard of about three or four cases in Brampton, and they're just the ones I've heard of," he said.

"There must be more."

The building, previously occupied by Age UK, has been empty for about two years after the charity moved to its new home in Front Street.

Mr Craik, who was involved with Carlisle Foodbank a few years ago as a helper of the late Labour councillor Willie Whalen, thinks it's the best option the council has.

It is something he would like to see established as soon as possible, though he is aware it's not something the parish council would lead on.

"No one seemed to have an idea of what the council could do with this shop," he said.

"It's standing there empty and is no use whatsoever to the community.

"I recognise that even one day a week it's not going to make an enormous amount of difference to the council - but it's better than it standing empty.

"I don't really know how we would progress.

"We didn't discuss what was going to be done, if anything.

"It was a suggestion that we would suggest to the county council."

Carlisle Foodbank is aware of the need in the more rural areas.

About 1.5 per cent of all referrals come from the Brampton ward, which is about 10 people a month.

Rachael Rodway, chairwoman of the foodbank, said a satellite is something they had considered in the past and there was no reason why it couldn't become a reality.

She stressed, however, that the idea would need to be well thought through, with a volunteer base to ensure its success and that it would need to be self-contained.

"Whether opening a satellite in Brampton would actually be worthwhile or whether we need to think of some other way of getting food parcels out to Brampton, I don't know," she said.

"We are for the whole of Carlisle and we're not helping pockets of rural poverty. I'm acutely aware of this.

"There is a need for us to address the problems of rural poverty.

"If the foodbank can do this we would have to get new volunteers.

"We couldn't do it without a bit of a cash injection from somebody and we would have to see how Brampton could support it with donations," she said.

Carlisle Foodbank was established in 2012 and has grown to provide for more than 500 people a month.

It also runs a drop-in cafe, which feeds 60 people a week, and has started to collect surplus food from the city's supermarkets.

"These are all things that would have to be borne in mind for the satellite," said Rachel.

"I'm sure there is a way of doing it but it will take a bit of setting up.

"You can't just pick up the model and drop it. It would need to be specific or Brampton.

"We'd need to have a lot of discussions with various people."