Bag levy founds South Yorkshire community projects

The supermarket teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help initiative, in which grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised from the 5p bag charge – are awarded to environmental and greenspace projects.

Nominations and applications for the next round of Bags of Help funding will open on April 18 in stores across the country. As well as applying direct, suggestions for projects can also be nominated by residents.

Millions of shoppers have already chosen projects to benefit from the scheme. Three winners from the last round of funding, all based in Rotherham, were named as The Rowan Centre Pupil Referral Unit, which will receive £12,000, Treeton C of E (A) Primary School, which will receive £10,000 and Phoenix and Parkgate Angling Club which will receive £8,000.

Caroline Silke, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “We can’t wait to see the money being used to bring these projects to life.”

Voting for the previous round ran in stores from February 27 until March 6, with customers choosing which group they’d like to get the top award using a token given to them at the check-out in store.

Tesco estimated that around eight million votes were cast in stores up and down the UK.

Groundwork’s national chief executive, Graham Duxbury, said: “This is money which will go back into communities, creating places to meet people, be active, play or simply relax.”