Charities hope to bag a share of Tesco’s community fund

Three charities are hoping to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help Centenary Grant initiative this summer.

To celebrate Tesco’s Centenary, the supermarket has teamed up with Groundwork to deliver a special voting round of its community funding scheme, which will see grants of £25,000, £15,000 and £10,000 awarded to local community projects.

Three groups in each Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

On the shortlist in all Greater Manchester Tesco stores are Maggie’s, the charity which provides free practical and emotional support to people living with cancer, Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY), which promotes and develops heart screening programmes and funds medical research, and StreetGames, which harnesses the power of sport to create positive change in the lives of disadvantaged young people right across the UK. 

Trish Morgan, Centre Head at Maggie’s Oldham, said: “Please vote for Maggie’s Oldham to win a share of the Tesco Community Fund.  A cancer diagnosis can turn people’s lives upside down, but we are here to support people at what is possibly the hardest time of their lives.

“Our qualified staff can support people through one-to-one drop in sessions or by pointing them towards our evidence-based programme of support designed to give people with cancer the tools they need.

“And it works, more than 90 per cent of people who visit our centres say they feel less alone after visiting and that they have a better understanding of cancer. The same number of visitors also make healthy changes to their diet and exercise after speaking to our staff.  

“We rely almost entirely on voluntary donations to provide this support though which is why we would be so incredibly grateful to anyone who votes for us.”

CRY and StreetGames have also been contacted for comment.

Voting is open in all Tesco stores throughout Greater Manchester during July and August. Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered over £75 million to more than 25,000 projects across Britain. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop. Every other month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.

Alec Brown, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “Bags of Help contributes funds to community projects up and down the country and we’ve been overwhelmed by the response from customers voting in their local stores. We’re looking forward to seeing more projects brought to life.”

Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said: “Bags of Help continues to enable local communities up and down Britain to improve the local spaces and places that matter to them. The diversity of projects that are being funded shows that local communities have a passion to create something great in their area. We are pleased to be able to be a part of the journey and provide support and encouragement to help local communities thrive.”

Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online.

To find out more visit: 

• www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp