A TRIO of Wokingham schools and good causes are in the running for a round of Tesco funds to help young people.
Emmbrook and Bearwood Cricket Club, Oak Tree PTA and St Paul’s C of E Junior School have been selected in the latest Tesco Blue Token scheme, with £500, £1,000 and £1,500 available – and customers can now vote for the one they want to support.
The programme is open to initiatives in Wokingham that have a clear food focus for young people, including breakfast clubs, holiday food provision, access to healthy snacks for youth groups, community pantries, cookery and nutrition sessions, and food-growing projects that help children learn where food comes from.
Claire de Silva, head of community at Tesco, said: “Every child deserves the chance to enjoy healthy food and build the foundations for a stronger future, so we want to support the brilliant schools and community groups in Wokingham helping children and young people access nutritious food.
“Whether that’s a breakfast club, a pantry, cookery sessions or a project that helps children grow and try new foods, we’d encourage local organisations to apply for the grants – and we’d love shoppers to get involved when the customer vote comes to their local store.”
The grants form part of Tesco’s wider Fruit & Veg for Schools ambition, giving schools and community groups funding for healthy food projects as the retailer works to help more than one million schoolchildren get fruit and vegetables through its school and community programmes, run in partnership with community charity Groundwork.
If Emmbrook and Bearwood Cricket Club wins the funding it is keen to encourage players of any ability to take part in the sport.
Oak Tree PTA would use the money it receives to help the school create a safe and exciting outdoor play space for all children.
And St Paul’s C of E Junior School would use the grant it gets to develop the school as an all-year-round teaching resource, enriching and enhancing learning for every pupil.
Customers can vote for the good cause they want to support by dropping the Tesco token they receive at the checkout into the relevant box as they leave the store.
Each funding round features three local projects, with grants awarded based on the number of tokens received.
Schools and community groups in Wokingham can apply for funding in future rounds via Tesco, as the retailer looks to support more local projects helping children and young people access healthy, nutritious food.
In recent years, thousands of pounds have been donated to Wokingham good causes.
For more information about the Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme and to apply for a grant, visit: tescoplc.com
