A Cardiff-based primary school, Ysgol Pen Y Pil has received £4,000 for its Dig-It and Learn project thanks to Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme.
To coincide with its tenth birthday, the donation allowed the Rumney primary school to provide children with an engaging outdoor learning area, giving teachers the space to inspire youngsters’ creativity in the great outdoors.
On days during the summer when the weather is warm, the school can now hold lessons outside to develop children’s literacy, numeracy and creativity skills further thanks to the donation. The new learning area has fired up the pupils’ imagination, increased their sense of well-being and pride in their environment.
Spencer Jones, Head of School, comments: “The space wasn’t being used to its fullest and we were struggling with a lack of funding to do anything about it. However, because of the Tesco grant, we’ve been able to realize our dreams and create a meaningful space for the kids.
“The school now has outdoor reading tipis and an outdoor stage to develop the kids’ oratory skills. Following a recent visit by Ofsted, the inspector loved the project and recommended that other schools visit us to learn about what we’ve put in place!”
Tesco’s communications manager for Wales Rhodri Evans said: “It’s really important to us at Tesco that we play an active role in the communities we serve. One way we can do that is through our Bags of Help scheme, and the school’s funding is a great example of how we can bring communities together and make tangible difference to people lives.
“We award grants of up to £4,000 every two months and we encourage any community groups that could benefit from the funding to put themselves forward.”
Graham Duxbury the National Chief Executive of Groundwork, which administers the scheme, said: “Bags of Help continues to enable local communities in Wales to improve the local spaces and places that matter to them. The diversity of projects that are being funded shows that local communities have a passion to create something great in their area. We are pleased to be able to be a part of the journey and provide support and encouragement to help local communities thrive.”
Customers are able to vote for a Bags of Help project in Tesco stores using a blue token given to them at the check-out. At the end of voting period, votes are collected and three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.
Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp
