Charities that enhance and often saves the lives of Devon people have received £50,000 to continue their amazing work.
The supermarket chain is marking its Centenary year with two special Bags of Help funding rounds, with a huge £100,000 funding pot in Devon.
The first of these special rounds concentrated on groups delivering health and wellbeing benefits. In first place, Devon Air Ambulance Trust has been awarded £25,000. In second place, HeadsUP Mental Health Awareness Limited has been awarded £15,000. In third place, Pete’s Dragons has been awarded £10,000.
Darren Goodwin, Operations Manager at Devon Air Ambulance Trust, said “We’re so grateful to receive this fantastic grant from Tesco and would like to thank them and all of their customers for choosing and voting for us. It really does mean a lot.”
“Patient care and giving our patients the best possible outcome is at the heart of everything that we do. The £25,000 gift from Tesco will buy us an Intelligent Ventilator. We do have ventilators on board, but this specialist mobile intensive care ventilator offers much more to our critical care team and is suitable for adults and children alike.
“New technology means that our clinicians can take the decision to let the ventilator take over the breathing for patients who can breathe for themselves but are not doing so effectively enough to keep themselves stable. This equipment will enable us to treat an additional group of patients that we haven’t previously been able to treat effectively.”
Bags of Help, run in partnership with the charity Groundwork, sees funding awarded to thousands of local community projects every year. So far in Devon, Bags of Help has awarded more than £2,500,000 to nearly 800 local projects.
Paula Baker, HeadsUP director, said: “We would like to say a massive thank you to Tesco Centenary Fund for the grant of £15,000. It will enable us to continue delivering free essential Mental Health Awareness sessions to schools, youth clubs and youth sports teams across Devon. We want to empower young people to look after their mental health and that of their peers, helping to build the resilience they need for their future.”
Pete’s Dragons is a Devon-based charity aimed at lowering suicide rates.
Alison Jordan, chief executive, said: “Pete’s Dragons are thrilled to receive this funding to support our suicide bereavement outreach service. The funds will ensure that we are able to travel and support some of the most vulnerable and isolated members of the community who are experiencing the devastating effects of suicide bereavement.
“Timely and appropriate support is life-saving in this situation, and Tesco stores and their customers throughout Devon should feel extremely proud that they have facilitated its continuation throughout their county for at least the next 12 months.”
Keith Jackson, Tesco’s Bags of Help Manager, added: “Congratulations to the recipients of our first Centenary Grant voting round. They are all worthy winners and we hope these awards help them continue their important work in our communities.
“In 2019, we are celebrating a century of delivering great value for our customers. And what better way to celebrate this occasion than by using our flagship community grant scheme, Bags of Help to support even more groups and organisations who are helping to make a difference across Britain.”
Another voting round is underway in stores now, with even more projects sharing in the cash. Customers are invited to vote for the project they wish to receive the top prize using blue tokens handed out at checkouts.
The funding will reach more than 30 regions, with an incredible £3,300,000 up for grabs in total.
Find out more about Bags of Help at www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp.
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