Tesco of Help
NIKI TENNANT
A Rutherglen community garden group bagged a share of a huge £100,000 funding pot.
As part of Tesco’s centenary celebrations, community organisations from across South Lanarkshire are being invited to share in the funding during two special Bags of Help voting rounds.
One group that has already benefited is Rutherglen-based Grow 73.
Bags of Help, run in partnership with Groundwork, sees funding awarded to thousands of local community projects every year.
So far in South Lanarkshire Bags of Help has awarded more than £500,000 to more than 150 deserving local projects, including Grow 73.
Throughout July and August, the first of two special funding rounds will concentrate on groups delivering health and wellbeing benefits, with a particular focus on groups tackling cancer, heart disease and diabetes, in line with Tesco’s National Health Partnership.
Applications are open to all community projects bringing benefits across a region, with Tesco colleagues involved in shortlisting three applications from each area.
Customers are then invited to vote for which group they would like to receive grants of £25,000, £15,000 and £10,000, casting their votes using blue tokens handed out at checkout points.
Another voting round will launch in November, with even more projects sharing in the cash over the course of the year.
The funding will reach more than 30 regions during each round, with an incredible £3.3m up for grabs.
Alec Brown, Tesco’s head of community, said: “In 2019 we are celebrating a century of delivering great value for our customers.
“And what better way to celebrate this occasion than by using our flagship community grant scheme Bags of Help to support even more groups and organisations who are helping to make a difference across Britain.”
The popular scheme will run in partnership with national community charity, Groundwork.
Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said: “This is an exciting time for Bags of Help.
“Many more communities will be given the opportunity to apply for larger amounts of funding that can make a positive, longlasting legacy where they live.
“We look forward to seeing a wide-range of innovative projects that boost the health and wellbeing of our communities spring to life across Britain.”
Anyone can nominate a project for Bags of Help and Bags of Help Centenary Grants, and organisations and groups looking to find out more or apply should visit www.tesco. com/bagsofhelp.