£12k will give pupils Bags of Help thanks to store’s shoppers
THIRTY thousand pounds is going to be shared between three projects which will benefit schoolchildren and the environment in Bridgend.
Thanks to shoppers who voted for the scheme with tokens at Tesco Extra’s Cowbridge Road store in Bridgend, Coety Primary School’s Playgrounds of Tomorrow scheme will get £12,000 – all funded from the 5p carrier bag charge.
The school, on the new Parc Derwen estate, plans to develop its playgrounds into outdoor learning areas.
The second largest share of the money will go to the Craig-y-Parcau Woodland Scheme put forward by Bridgend Town Council.
The aim is to enhance the ancient wood that extends on the west side of the River Ogmore from Park Court Road to the A48. The new project would see improved fencing, paths, safety and new wildflower and bulb planting.
And a third scheme in the running for a funding boost – Newbridge Fields Environmental Scheme – also put forward by Bridgend Town Council, will get £8,000 towards new seating, landscaping and bins. The supermarket teamed up with Groundwork to launch the second round of its Bags of Help funding initiative, which sees grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to local outdoor community projects.
Rhodri Evans, local communications manager, said: “Bags of Help has been a fantastic success.
“We have been overwhelmed by the response of our customers and it’s been great to give people a say on how the money will be spent in their community.
“We can’t wait to see the money being used to bring these projects to life.”
Voting ran in stores from October 31 to November 13, with customers choos- ing which local project they would like to get the top award using a token given to them at the checkout in store.
Tesco estimates that around six million votes were cast in stores up and down the UK.
So far, Bags of Help has awarded more than £24m across 2,421 local projects.
And from December 1, customers will be able to vote for local groups all year round, every time they shop – meaning that thousands more projects will benefit.
Funding will now be awarded to groups who are seeking to use and develop outdoor spaces in ways that will benefit their local community, and money will be available in smaller amounts, making it more accessible.