TESCO customers have voted in their millions and helped good causes in Cardiff bag a share of a £11.5million carrier bag charge fund.
The supermarket teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help initiative, which sees grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to environmental and greenspace projects.
Millions of shoppers voted in stores up and down the country. And the final three winners can now be revealed as Cardiff Bat Group who will receive £12,000, The Welsh Centre for International Affairs – £10,000 and Edible Adamsdown – £8,000.
Customers voting in stores in North-West Cardiff voted for Living Pictures who will receive £12,000, Jubilee Community Trust – £10,000 and Vision 21 (Cyfle Cymru) – £8,000.
The results were announced today and the groups will now use their award to bring their projects to life and transform their community.
Caroline Silke, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “Bags of Help has been a fantastic success.
“We have been overwhelmed by the response of our customers and the feedback has been brilliant.
“We can’t wait to see the money being put to use bringing these projects to life.
“Nominations for the next round of the initiative will open in April and we look forward to helping a further round of groups and projects bag their share of the bag charge fund.”
Voting ran in store from 27 February until 6 March – 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: “We have been delighted to have been involved in the Bags of Help project.
“It has been wonderful to follow the projects through the application process to the final announcement.
“This is money which will go directly back into the communities up and down the country creating places to meet people, be active, play or simply relax. This initiative is really putting something back into the local environment, transforming greenspaces and helping the community at a grass-roots level.”
Nominations and applications for the next round of Bags of Help funding will open on April 18. As well as applying direct, suggestions for projects can also be nominated by people living locally.
