Charities that enhance and often save the lives of Hampshire people have received £50,000 to continue their amazing work.
Tesco is marking its centenary year with two special Bags of Help funding rounds, with a £100,000 funding pot available locally.
The first of these special rounds concentrated on groups delivering health and wellbeing benefits. In first place, Wessex Cancer Trust has been awarded £25,000. In second place, St John Ambulance has been awarded £15,000. In third place, CLIC Sargent has been awarded £10,000.
Cait Allen, CEO of Wessex Cancer Trust, said: “We’re very grateful to Tesco for this funding. Everyone at Wessex Cancer Trust has been buzzing since we found out we’d won the vote because we know what a difference these events will make to the lives of local people living with cancer.
“We’re delighted that Tesco shoppers have recognised the importance of this support within their local communities. We’re proud of our reputation of delivering services which give people somewhere to go at a time they need it most, and with no events like this in our region we expect them to make a big difference to local people living with cancer.”
Bags of Help, run in partnership with the charity Groundwork, sees funding awarded to thousands of local community projects every year. So far in Hampshire, Bags of Help has awarded nearly £3,000,000 to nearly 850 local projects.”
Rebecca Mauger, Director of Fundraising at St John Ambulance, said: “St John Ambulance is delighted to be one of the charity finalists in the Tesco Centenary Grants, which will help fund vital equipment that our volunteers need to save lives and keep people safe.”
CLIC Sargent is a cancer charity for children, young people and their families. Liz Blunt, of CLIC Sargent, said: “Thank you so much to every customer who voted for CLIC Sargent in Tesco’s Centenary Grant scheme.”
Keith Jackson, Tesco’s Bags of Help Manager, added: “Congratulations to the recipients of our first Centenary Grant voting round. They are all worthy winners.”
