The Friends of Abbey Farm PTA are celebrating after being selected by a Tesco customer to receive a £5,000 donation.
This comes after Tesco customers at the Freshbrook Express were given the chance to take part in a lucky dip to find a specially created gold version of Tesco’s famous blue voting token.
Friends of Abbey Farm PTA, which serves Abbey Farm Educate Together Primary in Diamond Crescent, was one of three local charities which customers could vote for to receive the £5,000 Golden Grant as part of Tesco’s Stronger Starts scheme.
Headteacher Emma Lindsay said: “The school is two years old and is in need of shade for the outdoor spaces to allow the children to play outside in all weather. It was not built with shading or playground equipment, so as a PTA we want to establish these outside areas as our priority.
“We recognise the current limitations in our equipment for a playground that embraces inclusivity. Children of all abilities deserve an environment where they can thrive physically, socially and emotionally.
"Our vision is to create an inclusive space that fosters teamwork, friendship and a love for physical activity.
“The school is becoming a central hub to the whole estate, which has no other community facilities. It provides holiday clubs for the local children via a HAF club run by the local LA.
“Different organisations, including lettings, use the school on a regular basis, so the lack of shade is something that is impacting not only the school community but also others who wish to use the school out of hours such as the football club.
“This project is aimed at impacting a wide range of stakeholders, not just the core children within the school.”
More than 100 Tesco stores across the country took part in the Golden Grants event, with £500,000 in total being donated to good causes that help children and young people.
Golden Grants are awarded twice a year as part of Tesco’s £8m Stronger Starts grant programme, in partnership with the charity Groundwork UK.
Stronger Starts grants help 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, as well as purchasing equipment for healthy activities.
Claire De Silva, Tesco Head of Communities said: “We know that £5,000 can make a huge difference to a school or community project, so we are incredibly proud to have been able to award Golden Grants to over one hundred schools and local projects to support the vital work they do for our children and communities.
"Our Stronger Starts programme continues to support our local communities year-round, and we encourage all customers to get involved by using a blue token to vote for a local project they feel will benefit people in their community.”
Since Tesco launched its Community Grants programme in 2016, more than £120m has been distributed among more than 67,000 schools and community groups.
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