Island projects win support from Tesco's Bags of Help fund

Tesco customers have been voting to help good causes in the Western Isles bag a share of the £12.5m carrier bag charge fund.
Grants can be used for developments and outdoor spaces, see the website for more details.Grants can be used for developments and outdoor spaces, see the website for more details.
Grants can be used for developments and outdoor spaces, see the website for more details.

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 outdoor community projects.

Millions of shoppers in Scotland voted in stores up and down the country.

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Locally the projects that will be receiving awards from the fund are: Guth Airson Iarrtasan Nis (GAIN) - £12,000, Horshader Community Development - £10,000 and Pairc Trust - £8,000.

Tony McElroy, Tesco’s Head of Communications in Scotland, 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 projects come to life.”

Voting ran in stores from 31 October to 13 November – with customers choosing which local project they would like to get the top award.

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So far, Bags of Help has awarded more than £24m across 2,421 local projects.

And from 1 December, customers will be able to vote for local groups all year round, every time they shop - meaning that thousands more projects will benefit from the scheme.

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.

Customers will get the chance to vote for three different groups each month.

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At the end of each month, when votes are collected, three groups in each region will be awarded funding.

Emma Halliday, Community Enabler Coordinator at greenspace scotland, said: “It’s just the beginning for Bags of Help.

“The scheme will now be permanently open for applications, and as grants can now be used for, not just the development, but also the use of local outdoor spaces, we expect even more groups will have the chance to benefit.”

To find out more about the fund visit: www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp