By Rosie Breakwell • Published on 17th January, 2024
Stronger Starts provides grant awards of up to £1,500 to local community projects, with a particular focus on children and young people.
Three groups in every community have been shortlisted to receive grant awards and Tesco customers can vote for the group they think should take away the top award in their local Tesco store.
Field to Food Learning Day is one of the projects on the shortlist in Shepton Mallet.
It is a project aimed at informing and educating young consumers about where their food comes from and the hard work that farmers do to make sure we eat the very best of British food. The Field to Food Learning day has become an integral part of the Society’s work in informing and educating young consumers about where their food comes from and the hard work farmers do to make sure we eat the very best of British food. For the children to be able look, hear, smell and get their hands dirty must be the most effective way to learn. For our volunteer supporters that make the day happen it is also a great learning experience for them as they get to hear what the next generation of consumer thinks of farming and food.
Voting is open in all Tesco stores from early January until the end of March. Customers will cast their vote using a blue token given to them at the check-out each time they shop.
Tesco’s Stronger Starts – previously known as Tesco Community Grants – has already provided over £110 million to more than 60,000 projects across Britain.
This £5m Stronger Starts grant programme, delivered in partnership with Groundwork UK, helps schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and sports equipment for after school clubs.
Claire de Silva, Tesco UK Head of Communities and Local Media, said: “Helping schools and children’s groups access the food and resources they need is vitally important in getting children a stronger start in life. Children with enough food have more energy, better concentration, and ultimately achieve more too.”
Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive, said: “As a community charity, we have seen first-hand how schools and other groups supporting young people have been playing a much bigger role in ensuring children are getting a healthy start to the day and getting access to spaces and services to support physical activity and mental health. Family budgets are tight and school budgets are tight, but it’s so important that children stay fed, fit and focused, so we’re delighted to be able to prioritise these activities alongside Tesco with the Stronger Starts programme.”
Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities, particularly those helping to provide food and giving children the support they need for a good start in life.
