Children across Wokingham will benefit from grants worth £3,000 thanks to the town’s shoppers.
All Saints CE Primary School and Nursery, Meadow Nursery School and The Chiltern Way Academy were voted for by customers at the Finchampstead Road Tesco store when they voted with blue tokens as part of its Stronger Starts scheme.
Pupils received a cheque for £1,500, which will be used to create a sensory room within the school to provide a safe and calming environment for all children.
Claire Long, All Saints CE Primary School and Nursery’s business manager, said: “We are very grateful to Tesco and its shoppers for this funding.
“As a school, we aspire to develop confident and curious learners, and the Tesco funding provides a fantastic opportunity for All Saints to develop a sensory room to help our pupils in a supportive, caring and safe environment.”
Meadow Nursery School received £1,000, which will go towards several areas of the nursery to benefit all the children.
Debbie Hill, the nursery’s manager, said: “Thank you, Tesco. We are absolutely delighted to be awarded this money.
“We will use it to erect a canopy above the stage to give children protection from all elements of the weather.
“In addition, the garden storage needs updating and we would like to renew some of the garden toys. We are so grateful to Tesco and the families that supported us by voting for us with their blue tokens.
“The Tesco Stronger Starts scheme is such a positive way to support schools, nurseries and groups. Funding in all these areas is always extremely challenging, so being able to have Tesco’s support has and will benefit us all.”
The Chiltern Way Academy, a school for children with additional needs, was given £500 to create a sensory swing room to support students’ individual sensory needs.
Lauren Fessey, head of campus at The Chiltern Way Academy, said: “Thank you to everyone who voted for us.
“We provide an education that enables students to develop an awareness of themselves, an understanding of the world around them and prepares them for life beyond our school, equipping students with life skills so they can be independent.”
The Stronger Starts scheme, in partnership with the Groundwork charity, supports many Wokingham community projects and good causes, giving away thousands of pounds each year.
Wokingham shoppers can use the Stronger Starts scheme to support local groups by dropping the Tesco blue token they receive at checkout into the relevant voting box as they leave the store.
Louise Jedras, community champion at the Finchampstead Road store, said: “It really is a joy to hand out these grants to three such amazing educational establishments. Everyone in the community benefits from the work they do, now and in the future.”
For more details on the scheme, log on to: tescostrongerstarts.org.uk
