A FIRST-TIME father who already has a lot on his plate has set up an online network for people to share their love of burgers.

Allen Hall, of Nuttall Lane, Ramsbottom, has set up BurgerNear, which allows people to upload pictures of burgers they have eaten in restaurants or made themselves.

He also hopes to use the site to allow burger lovers to get discounts at restaurants, and has already struck his first deal with The Major in Bolton Street, Ramsbottom, which is offering 25 per cent off burgers until Sunday for anyone who has likes the page on Facebook or followed it on Twitter.

Mr Hall, aged 34, who is originally from Kentucky in the United States, has a 13-week-old boy, and is about to move from his job as a teacher in Prestwich to be an assistant headteacher at a school in Oldham, and says he has managed to fit the idea into his limited spare time.

He said: “I have always loved burgers, being originally from the US where burgers are very popular.

“For the past two years I have been taking pictures of burgers I have eaten with the idea of setting up a blog, hoping that I might get some free burgers out of it!

“But I couldn’t really be bothered doing the writing to go with it, and then someone mentioned this idea, and it has grown since then.”

Mr Hall met his wife Lisa, who is from Bury, while they were both studying at Lancaster University, and they finally got together seven years ago.

He says he hopes BurgerNear will serve as a guide for people to find the nearest place that serves burgers, and look at pictures of their offerings.

He also has hopes it will be rolled out across Bury and further afield, and allow businesses to advertise and for customers to claim more discounts. Mr Hall is not currently making any money from the project, and says it costs him money to pay for a website that gives him templates for the discount vouchers. He added: “I want to keep it free for as long as possible.

“I am hoping I can build a strong enough network on Facebook and Twitter, and see where it takes me from there.”

For more information: visit www.facebook.com/burgernear.