Junior league in bid to bag funding vote

THE Halton & District Junior Football League (HDJFL) is bidding to bag a big cash boost in the Tesco Bags Of Life initiative and residents can support the effort by voting in-store.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, which sees grants of £5,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to neighbourhood projects.

Three groups have been shortlisted shoppers have been invited to head to the supermarket chain’s stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

The Halton & District JFL is one of the groups on the shortlist.

The league is planning to use any grant funding received to increase the number of junior teams playing football in the borough.

Voting is open in stores throughout March and April.

Customers will cast their ballot using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Dave Wilson, HDJFL secretary, said: “We’re really excited to have been short listed by Tesco for this community funding and really hope the local commu- nity can get behind us.

“The high cost of getting a team up and running is one of the biggest barriers faced by teams. Our project will offer support in a number of ways such as subsidising the cost of FA Level 1 coaching courses and giving new teams a boost by supplying starter packs including first aid kits and training balls.”

Justine Inman, Tesco Widnes customer service manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see a Halton based project on the shortlist for the customer vote during March and April.

“There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists, such as this one, across the country, and we can’t wait to see them come to life in hundreds of communities.”

Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s national chief executive, said: “We’ve been thrilled to see the diversity of projects that have applied for funding, ranging from outdoor classrooms, sports facilities, community gardens, play areas and everything in between.

“We’re looking forward to learning the results of the customer vote and then supporting each group to bring their project to life.”