CHARITIES in Basingstoke are being invited to apply for a share of the £300,000 cash grant from a supermarket chain.

The giveaway is part of a campaign by Tesco, which is looking to bring a positive start to the year for Basingstoke communities.

Listeners of Heart and Smooth radio stations who work with charities or not-for-profit organisations can apply for the share of £5,000 cash grant.

According to Tesco, priority will be given to projects that provide food and support to young people, such as school breakfast clubs, food banks, or charities supporting young people to manage mental health.

READ MORE: Basingstoke NeighbourCare gets donation from Barratt Homes

The campaign is running in addition to Tesco Community Grants, the in-store scheme where customers vote with blue tokens for community projects and groups, which has been helping local people since 2016.

Among the groups to receive funding for recent projects was Challengers Basingstoke, which used its £1,000 grant towards enabling disabled children and young people the opportunity to play, challenge their impairments and access leisure activities that they are often excluded from.

Another was Read Easy Basingstoke, which was given £1,000 towards recruiting, training and supporting volunteers to give one-to-one tuition to adults who struggle with reading.

SEE ALSO: Basingstoke sports centre under new management

Claire de Silva, head of community at Tesco, said: “We know the start of the year can be tough for many families financially, so we wanted to find a way to give something extra to the communities our stores support across the country.

“We hope that Heart and Smooth listeners will help us celebrate all the community groups who make such a difference to young people and families, not just in January but year round too. We’re really proud to be launching this new campaign, which is an extra boost to our Tesco Community Grants scheme that already helps thousands of people every year.”

Graham Duxbury, chief executive at Groundwork, the charity that works with Tesco on community initiatives, said: “For many people the combination of money worries and the ongoing impact of the pandemic is making the start of 2022 a challenging time.

“That’s why it’s so important that we continue to support the local charities and community groups who work tirelessly to provide essential services and bring people together in neighbourhoods across the country. Money is tight for many of these groups too, so we’re delighted to be working with Tesco to make extra funds available so that they can expand their activities and help more people.”

Heart and Smooth FM presenters, including Jamie Theakston and Jeni Falconer, will be telling listeners how to nominate their favourite groups on air for two weeks from 17 January.

To nominate your chosen charity or community group and to find out more about Tesco Community Grants go to www.tescocommunitygrants.org.uk

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this story. We really appreciate your support.

Please help us to continue bringing you all the trusted news from Basingstoke by sharing this story or by following our Facebook page, click this link and hit like.

Kimberley Barber

Editor