Lucky customer hunts out golden charity token worth £10,000 at Hartlepool store

The busy event at Tesco Express, in Throston, saw customers search for a gold version of the famous blue token – with the finder able to chose one of three local good causes, voted by the store, to receive a Golden Grant worth £10,000.

Barbara Hewitson, from Trimdon, was the lucky customer who picked the golden token. She chose to award the £10,000 to Wingate Community Nursery School’s Children In Nature CIC, which helps youngsters explore the outdoors from a cottage which serves as their base.

It is hoped the award will help buy the Children in Nature CIC a minibus to enhance children’s experiences in nature, and enable them to visit other places such as the coastline.

Customer assistant Reena Kemp, who has worked at Tesco for 15 years, said: "It was absolutely amazing when she picked it out. She couldn’t believe it, she was so overwhelmed.

"It was absolutely spectacular.”

The event took place on Saturday, October 15, and Reena has said the Hartlepool shop was the only small Tesco store in the North East that was selected to participate.

She added: "It was a massive event in the end. Loads and loads of people turned up.

"It’s normally the big stores that do it, but we have been selected because we do a lot of fundraising. It was absolutely sensational.”

The other charities nominated by the store were The Baby Bank and The Bradley Lowery Foundation.