Hartlepool visitor centre bags £4,000 of funding from Tesco

Shoppers voted in Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative and Summerhill secured the top grant funding amount.

Work will now begin on bringing the project to life, which will see improvements to the pond area on the western edge of the site and a new picnic site.

Claire McDonald, Hartlepool Borough Council’s outreach officer (Summerhill) said: “Many thanks to all the Tesco customers who have voted for us in store.

“The area in question will benefit greatly from this money, which will fund a 50m2 viewing platform, picnic table, fresh water plants and a sculpture located on an island in the pond.

“It is felt that with these improvements, the area will become a tranquil location for families to picnic, play and spend quality time together.”

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

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.”

Voting ran in stores throughout March and April.

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