Summerhill bags £4,000 from Tesco's community grant scheme

Millions of shoppers have voted in Tesco stores up and down the country and it can now be revealed Summerhill secured the top grant funding amount.

Work will begin in the autumn to bring the project to life, which will see improvements to the pond area on the western edge of the site and a new picnic area.

Claire McDonald, Hartlepool Borough Council's Outreach Officer (Summerhill) said: “Many thanks to all the Tesco customers who have voted for us in store.

“The area in question will benefit greatly from this money, which will fund a 50m2 viewing platform, picnic table, fresh water plants and a sculpture located on an island in the pond.

“It is felt that with these improvements, the area will become a tranquil location for families to picnic, play and spend quality time together.”

Bags of Help is run in partnership with environmental charity Groundwork, and sees grants raised from the sale of carrier bags awarded to thousands of local community projects every year. Since launching in 2015, it’s provided more than £52 million to over 16,000 local community projects.

Alec Brown, Tesco’s Head of Community, said: “Bags of Help has been a fantastic success and we’ve been overwhelmed by the response from customers. It’s such a special scheme because it’s local people who decide how the money will be spent in their community. We can’t wait to see the projects come to life.”

Voting ran in stores throughout March and April with customers choosing which local project they would like to get the top award using a token given to them at the checkout.

Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said: “Bags of Help continues to enable local communities up and down the UK 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.”

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.

For more information about Summerhill Country Park and Visitors Centre, call 01429 284584.