ILKLEY and District Good Neighbours ‘Moving On’ Scheme has bagged £2,000 from Tesco’s Bags of Help community grant scheme.

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 has provided more than £52 million to over 16,000 local community projects.

The ‘Moving On’ Scheme offers support and a new direction for people whose life circumstances have changed. This may be due to retirement, bereavement or re-location. Meeting every Thursday from 10.30am to noon at the Clarke Foley Centre, ‘Moving On’ provides an opportunity for people to meet over tea or coffee, meet new friends and discover what is happening locally.

Project Co-ordinator Janet said: “We are so grateful to receive this grant from Tesco which will enable us to run the project through until the Autumn. The weekly sessions are very relaxed and I would like to extend a warm welcome to anyone who would like to call in, meet our volunteers, have a chat and make new friends.”

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 March and April 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.