BURLEY-in-Wharfedale Scouts and Guides have bagged £2,000 from Tesco’s Bags of Help community grant scheme.

The money will go towards replacing the present headquarters with a modern building.

Bryan Collins, chairman of Burley Scouts and Guides said: "We’ve secured planning permission for a new HQ that will reflect Scouting & Guiding today; will give our young people the space, facilities and safety they need; and that will also be available for other community use – so everyone in the village will benefit

"The development will be in three phases. The construction of the new building will cost £245,622. Once the building is up we need to fit it out (£91,068) and then demolish the old building and improve the road area where it once stood (£56,522). Over the last three years we have raised over £233,000 which is a great achievement that has allowed us to start construction of the new building."

Bags of Help is run in partnership with environmental charity Groundwork, and sees grants raised from the sale of carrier bags awarded to thousands of local community projects every year. Since launching in 2015, it’s provided more than £40 million to over 9,700 local community projects.

Millions of shoppers have voted in Tesco stores up and down the country and Burley-in-Wharfedale Scouts and Guides has been awarded £2,000.

Alec Brown, Tesco’s Head of Community, said: “Bags of Help has been a fantastic success and we’ve been overwhelmed by the response from customers. It’s such a special scheme because it’s local people who decide how the money will be spent in their community. We can’t wait to see the projects come to life.”

Voting ran in stores throughout September and October with customers choosing which local project they would like to get the top award using a token given to them at the checkout.

Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups each time they shop. Every other month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions are awarded funding.

Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said: “Bags of Help continues to enable local communities up and down the UK to improve the local spaces and places that matter to them. The diversity of projects that are being funded shows that local communities have a passion to create something great in their area. We are pleased to be able to be a part of the journey and provide support and encouragement to help local communities thrive.”

Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp.