The Construction Youth Trust is calling out for votes to take a share of Tesco’s £12.5M Bags of Help initiative.
Construction Youth Trust, a charity working with young people who are interested in a career in construction, is in the bidding to bag a significant cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative, which from the 5p bag levy, has raised grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000.
Tesco have teamed up with Groundwork on the initiative, selecting three groups in each of its 416 regions. Shoppers are being encouraged to vote instore for who they think should take the top grant.
Construction Youth Trust works with young people ages 14-30, to help them overcome barriers and access employment opportunities within the construction industry. The trust works with individuals who may have challenging backgrounds such as care leavers, those who have been out of employment for a long time, and those who may not be aware of the opportunities available in the industry. It allows people to find out more information, meet employers in the industry and take part in informative and practical courses.
Jemma Bridgeman, Wales Manager at Construction Youth Trust commented: “We are so grateful to Tesco’s Bags of Help for funding our project – we are planning to build a sensory garden. Not only will young people learn construction to help them gain employment, they will learn about the disabilities some people face and how design can help people with disabilities such as sight loss enjoy a beautiful garden”.
This is the second round of the Bags of Help initiative, with the first round seeing eight million shoppers vote in stores all across the country.
Lindsey Crompton, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “The first round of the Bags of Help initiative was a fantastic success.
“In total 1,170 community groups were awarded £8,000, £10,000 or £12,000 – that’s a massive £11.7 million being invested into local projects.
“We are already seeing some great results from groups transforming their own environmental and greenspace areas.
“We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for round two. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see them come to life in hundreds of communities.”
Voting is open from 26 September – 9 October, with customers voting with a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they purchase a bag.
