1st Ince and Elton Scout Group is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, which sees grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores – being awarded to local community projects.

Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

1st Ince and Elton Scout Group is one of the groups on the shortlist.

Our Scout Hut is in a serious state of disrepair and is in urgent need of serious renovation to bring the building up to an acceptable level.

Money raised from recent fundraisers has allowed us to get work started on the big renovation, however we don’t have enough to get all the work done in one go.

Through the Tesco Bags of Help initiative, we hope to raise funds to replace our existing doors with Fire Doors to ensure our Scout Hut meets current building regulations.

Vicki Serna, Secretary and Assistant Cub Scout Leader of 1st Ince and Elton Scout Group, said:

“We were over the moon when we found out that we had been shortlisted by the Tesco Bags of Help initiative. We have a lot of vital work to do and a donation from Tesco Bags of Help will make all the difference to our plans to create a safe place for Ince and Elton’s young people.”

“Without the renovations, our Scout Hut would have soon become unusable. However, with some hard work and the support of funders like Tesco Bags of Help, we should soon have a fabulous space in which to support the young people’s activities.”

Voting is open in all Tesco stores throughout November and December. Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered over £36 million to nearly 8,000 projects up and down the UK. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop. Every other month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.

Alec Brown, Head of Community at Tesco, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for November and December. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see these come to life in hundreds of communities.”

Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said:

“We’ve been thrilled to see the diversity of projects that have applied for funding, ranging from outdoor classrooms, sports facilities, community gardens, play areas and everything in between.

“We’re looking forward to learning the results of the customer vote and then supporting each group to bring their project to life.”

Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp

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NOTES TO EDITORS:

  • The Bags of Help initiative is supported by money raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores.
  • So far Bags of Help has awarded £36 million to nearly 8,000 community projects.
  • For more information please visit: tesco.com/bagsofhelp
  • 1st Ince and Elton Scout Group was founded in 1949 and is part of the Mersey Weaver District within the UK Scout County of Cheshire.
  • 1st Ince and Elton Scout Group provides Scouting adventures to young people between the ages of 6 and 14 in Elton and surrounding areas (including Ince, Thornton-le-moors and Hapsford).
  • 1st Ince and Elton Scout Group launched their ‘Help Our Hut’ campaign on 14th September 2017.