The Parks Trust Needs Your Votes to Bag a Share of Bag Charge Fund

By Sarah Featley

The Parks Trust is bidding to receive a cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative, to install BBQ sites in its parks.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch the monthly funding scheme, which sees grants of £5,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to local outdoor community projects.

Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and this month shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

The Parks Trust is one of the groups on the shortlist, with customers able to vote in a number of Tesco stores across the Milton Keynes area (see below list), including the Extra stores in Kingston and Wolverton.

The money will be used by The Parks Trust to create four community BBQ sites at some of its most popular green spaces; Willen Lake, Campbell Park, Caldecotte Lake and Haversham Road. The BBQ sites will hopefully be installed in time for the summer months, and include facilities such as picnic tables, BBQ stones, bins and signage.

Briony Fox, Head of Community Engagement for The Parks Trust, commented: “We’re so pleased to have made the shortlist for this funding and would love shoppers across Milton Keynes to vote for us. These BBQ sites will be much appreciated by our many visitors during the summer – and will certainly give us something to look forward to for when the weather warms up!”

Voting is open in stores from 2 January to 28 January 2017. Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Lindsey Crompton, Head of Community at Tesco, said:

 “We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for January. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see them come to life in hundreds of communities.”

Groundwork’s national Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said:

 “We’ve been thrilled to see the diversity of projects that have applied for funding, ranging from outdoor classrooms, sports facilities, community gardens, play areas and everything in between.

“We’re looking forward to learning the results of the customer vote and then supporting each group to bring their project to life.”

The full list of Tesco stores where customers can vote for The Parks Trust is as follows:

• ·         Walnut Tree Express,MK7 7PB
• ·         Oldbrook Express, MK6 2JB
• ·         Tinkers Bridge Express, MK6 3DD
• ·         Melrose Avenue, Bletchley Express, MK3 6PB
• ·         North Furzton Express MK4 1EN
• ·         Egerton Gate Express, MK5 7HH
• ·         Old Farm Park Express, MK7 8QU
• ·         Newport Pagnell Elthorne Express, MK16 0JR
• ·         Olney Market Place Express, MK46 4BA
• ·         Oxley Park Express, MK4 4TE
• ·         Greenleys Express, MK12 6AX
• ·         Bletchley Extra, MK1 1DD
• ·         Kingston Extra, MK10 0AH
• ·         Buckingham Road Bletchley Express, MK3 5BU
• ·         Heelands Express, MK13 7PN
• ·         5 High Street Woburn Sands Express, MK17 8RQ
• ·         Wolverton, MK12 5RJ

For more information visit: http://www.theparkstrust.com