Published on 7th March 2019

Giving money (courtesy of www.freeimages.co.uk)

Cheltenham’s Midsummer Fiesta is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco ‘Bags of Help’ initiative and its organisers are delighted to have been shortlisted to receive funding.

Tesco has teamed up with UK charity Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, which sees grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 raised from in-store carrier bag sales awarded to local community projects.

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

Cllr Flo Clucas, cabinet member for healthy lifestyles at Cheltenham Borough Council, says: “The Midsummer Fiesta planning group is thrilled to be selected as one of Tesco’s community projects. We rely on sponsors, local support and volunteers to make the day a real success so please vote for us to make this the best fiesta yet.”

The Midsummer Fiesta returns on Saturday 6 July from 12 noon to 9pm for another fun day showcasing the fantastic talents of the diverse communities of Cheltenham. With a multitude of activities from children’s activities, charity stalls, vintage cars, a fairground, music and dance and food and drink, this is a day for everyone in Cheltenham to enjoy.

This free event is being organised by the Midsummer Fiesta planning group formed with Cheltenham Borough Council, Hester’s Way Partnership, Cheltenham West End Partnership and The Cheltenham Trust.

Voting is open in all Tesco stores in Cheltenham from now until 30 April 2019 and customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Alec Brown, head of community at Tesco, 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. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see these come to life in hundreds of communities.”

Groundwork’s national chief executive, Graham Duxbury, said: “Bags of Help continues to enable local communities up and down Britain 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.”

For media enquiries, contact: communications on 01242 264154, email [email protected].

Notes:

The Bags of Help initiative is supported by money raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores. So far Bags of Help has awarded more than £63 million to over 20,000 community projects.

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.