The Douglas Tesco store has given local community groups a massive cash boost via the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.

Manor Park School, Manx BirdLife and Western Live at Home are the latest groups to bag funding, earning grants of ?5,000, ?2,000 and ?1,000 respectively, which have been funded from the 5p carrier bag charge.

Manor Park School will be using the grant to build an outdoor storytelling area that will benefit students all year round. Riss Forrester, head teacher, said:

“We were absolutely thrilled to find out we had secured ?5,000.

“Outdoor learning has such a positive impact on children's development and skills, so we are looking forward to planning our very own outdoor learning area, which will feature benches and a storytelling chair. We can’t wait to get the work started.

“We would really encourage any group in need of funds for an outdoor project to consider entering the Bags of Help scheme.”

Neil Morris, Managing Director at Manx BirdLife, added:

“Manx BirdLife keeps bird and other biological records which provide the local community with invaluable information about the diversity and abundance of birds on the Isle of Man and about the health of our natural habitats. This data reveals ornithological trends and helps us to advise government and others on proposed land use and development.

“The grant will go towards our long term aim to automate our public reporting systems for these records, freeing up huge amounts of our time to support other conservation activities.”

The Western Live at Home grant will be used towards the Northern Men in Sheds project, designed to tackle social isolation in retired men. Kerry Palmer, Live at Home Manager, said:

“This much-needed grant will support essential equipment for the shed, which is a venue for retired men over the age of 55 to meet and use a workshop for creative projects involving metalwork, carpentry and other skills.

“Social isolation and loneliness among older people is a growing problem and Sheds groups worldwide are having a very positive impact on communities where this is an issue.”

John Francis, Community Champion at Tesco Douglas, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have been able to support these wonderful local groups and organisations by running the Bags of Help campaign. We can’t wait to see these latest winners bring their projects to life.

“The initiatives we support always have a huge positive effect on our local community, so we’re really keen to see even more groups and organisations apply for future grants.”

Tesco has teamed up with Groundwork to run the funding scheme, which sees pots of cash raised from the 5p bag levy being awarded to local outdoor community projects.

Future groups are able to apply for funding of ?4,000, ?2,000 and ?1,000, with three shortlisted every two months to receive the cash awards.

Shoppers are invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant of ?4,000, 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 around ?30 million to more than 4600 local community projects up and down the UK. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every two months.

The Bags of Help scheme is permanently open for applications and anyone can nominate a project at any time – whether it’s Tesco customers, colleagues or the community groups themselves. Just ask in store for more information or visit the Bags of Help website or visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp/ for more information on entry criteria.

Photo - Manor Park School and Manx Birdlife visit Tesco Douglas to celebrate their cash wins. L-R: Tesco Douglas Community Champion John Francis; Riss Forrester, head teacher, Liam Smith, 11, Tyler Latus-Callister, 10 and Lily-Lou Presley, 10, from Manor Park Primary School; Michelle Storton and Neil Morris from Manx Birdlife.