Tesco shoppers in Pontypridd have chosen the Friends of Ysgol Ty Coch charity to give a £10k grant to as part of a celebratory Community Grant one-off funding campaign.
Shoppers across selected Tesco stores were given the chance to take part in a lucky dip to find specially created gold versions of its iconic blue voting token. The total amount being given away in gold tokens was worth £1 million in grants to local good causes.
Friends of Ysgol Ty Coch was one of three local charities available to vote for in the Tesco Pontypridd Extra store to receive one of the 100 £10,000 Golden Grants.
The £1 million donation marks £100 million in Tesco Community Grants being given to more than 50,000 good causes since they were launched in 2016. Good causes that have benefited include breakfast clubs, food banks, Meals on Wheels, playgrounds and green spaces, parks and green spaces, counselling and support services for young people and children’s sports teams.
With many small, often volunteer-run groups facing rising costs, Tesco Community Grants are vital at the moment to help them keep going. The current cost of living crisis is also seeing many groups starting to offer hot meals or warm spaces in addition to their usual services.
Claire De Silva, head of communities and local media at Tesco, said: “These events across the country were not only a really fun occasion in store, with our colleagues and customers really keen to get involved but also an important opportunity for people to choose a local good cause to receive the £10,000 grant. Hopefully this will help to make a difference to everyone that they continue to support within our communities.”
School Secretary and Vice Chair of Friends of Ysgol Ty Coch, Louise Langley said: “We’re so thankful to have received this amazing grant!
“We’re going to use the Tesco Community Grant to develop a new outdoor play area for our pupils with ASD and /or sensory processing disorder. As a Special Needs School, it’s so important for our pupils to access the outdoor environment for physical literacy and movement breaks.”
