THREE local projects are guaranteed to win thousands of pounds through a supermarket initiative dishing out the proceeds of the five pence bag charge.
The money is coming through Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme, where the supermarket hands out the money raised from the carrier bag charge to local environmental or green space projects. When it introduced the charge, the Government said it expected retailers to give the money to good causes.
From September 26 to October 9, shoppers at Tesco Lee Mill and Ivybridge will be given a token at the checkout they can use to choose which project they prefer, with the votes dictating who wins the different amounts.
Ugborough Parish Council chairman Cllr George Beable said he was delighted theirs was one of the three chosen projects. ’Fit & Fun @ Bittaford’ proposes new play equipment and enhancement of the popular playground, although the finer details of what the council puts in will be dictated by how much money it is awarded.
Cllr Beable said: ’The playground has been in parish council ownership for about 30 years and it’s getting a bit tired, although we keep making repairs. It would be nice to replace a few bits, for children and their parents.’
Ermington school’s project Music, Mud and Mindfulness will see a mud kitchen, an outdoor musical instruments area and a sensory garden built at the village primary. If the school comes first or second, it could also install an outdoor puppet theatre, more complex outdoor instruments, and more trees and shrubs.
Woodlands Park Primary’s ’Come Outside! Project’ will fund an outdoor classroom with a cob and stone oven and seating area, all-weather cobbled path, sensory garden, mud kitchen and wild flower bank for insect conservation. If first or second, they would add a dry stone wall habitat, a water wall and a climbing area, and provide waterproofs for all Key Stage 1 children so they could head out even in wet weather.