Water great way to spend cash boost
New pond created by store’s funding scheme
Youngsters from across Renfrewshire and beyond are set to explore the great outdoors, thanks to funding from a supermarket giant.
Muirshiel Country Park Visitor Centre, in Lochwinnoch’s Calder Glen Road, has received £10,000 in Tesco’s Bags of Help funding programme.
The cash has been used to build a large pond – already home to many aquatic creatures – which will be used in environmental education activities.
And the project’s completion has been marked by the delivery of a specially- designed plaque from Tesco, which will serve as a permanent record of the project being chosen and backed by the local community.
Judy McCready, senior ranger at Muirshiel, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Tesco.
“Building this pond would simply not have been possible without Bags of Help funding.
“Our original pond was comparatively small and wasn’t practical for large group activities.
“The new pond is around four times its size and we’re already seeing the benefits of being able to welcome much bigger groups to the centre for outdoor activities.
“When pond-dipping, youngsters develop their counting and identification skills and we continually reinforce the importance of looking after animals and the environment.
“Youngsters also learn about working in teams, being caring and conscientious, and taking ownership of their own countryside.”
All of the activities link into the Curriculum for Excellence and are aimed at young people of all ages.
Alec Brown, head of community at Tesco, said: “It’s wonderful to see this project come to fruition. Its success shows first-hand how a Bags of Help grant can help transform local communities.
“There has been great enthusiasm for the initiative from both Tesco colleagues and our customers.
“This is just the beginning for Bags of Help and we are hugely excited for the future as the scheme continues to grow.”
Tesco teamed up wi t h Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help funding scheme, which sees grants being awarded to fund local community projects – all raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores.
A huge thank you to Tesco Judy McCready