Little Bears Day Care is celebrating after being selected by a Tesco customer to receive a £5,000 grant.
Customers at Whitchurch Tesco Superstore were given the chance to take part in a lucky dip to find a golden version of Tesco’s famous blue voting token.
Little Bears Day Care was one of three local community initiatives that customers could vote for to receive the £5,000 Golden Grant as part of Tesco’s Stronger Starts scheme.
Laura Leath, Chairperson at Little Bears Day Care, said: “We are over the moon that we have been chosen to win the Golden Grant. We hoped to raise money to develop our sensory garden; this grant will allow us to turn our long-term goal into a reality this year, which is truly amazing. Again, we would like to thank our community and Tesco for supporting our children's development. It's greatly appreciated during a time when early years funding and care are so important.”
Over one hundred Tesco stores across the UK took part in the Golden Grants event, with £500,000 in total being donated to good causes that help children and young people.
Phil Martin, Store Manager at Tesco Whitchurch Superstore, said: "We were thrilled to be taking part in Golden Grants and it's a great example on how Stronger Starts can make a real difference in our local community. It was really good to get our customers involved, and the grant recipient truly deserves this support. We are delighted to help them."
Stronger Starts helps schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, as well as purchasing equipment for healthy activities.
Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco, said: “We are incredibly proud to award Golden Grants to over one hundred schools and local projects, supporting the vital work they do for our children and communities. Since we launched our grants programme in 2016, more than £120 million has been given to more than 67,000 local schools and community groups.”
Golden Grants are part of Tesco’s £8 million Stronger Starts grant programme, which is delivered in partnership with the charity Groundwork UK.