Middleton Youth Band is delighted to announce it has bagged £4000 from a Tesco funding scheme.
Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help funding initiative, which sees grants – raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to thousands of local community projects every year.
Millions of shoppers voted in stores up and down the country. And it can now be revealed Middleton Youth Band has been awarded £4000
Work will now begin on bringing the project to life.
Middleton Youth Band aim to build upon the success of their established community-based youth band by starting up a new training band for absolute beginners, starting in September with an open day for prospective new members on Saturday 9th September at our band room, St Stephen’s Church Hall, Middleton. The training band will provide free instrument loan; qualified music teachers to deliver free instrumental lessons; and the opportunity to put those newly learned skills into practice by playing in the new training band.
Louise Crane, Middleton Youth Band Manager, said:
“We are delighted to be awarded funding from the bags of help scheme to enable us to launch our new training band. We firmly believe that every young person should have the opportunity to learn to play an instrument and believe that cost should never be a barrier to learning. Our new training band will provide free ongoing opportunities for young people to benefit from learning to play an instrument. Young musicians will be off the couch, off the streets and will develop musical skills, confidence, discipline, responsibility, and social skills in a safe, rewarding and positive atmosphere.”
Aaron Hayes, Middleton Youth Band Secretary, said:
“Thank you to the Tesco Bags of Help scheme and to Tesco shoppers for voting for our project in stores, making it possible for us launch our new training band in September 2017. This is an exciting venture that will benefit youngsters from our community for years to come.”
Lindsey Crompton, Tesco’s Head of Community, said:
“Bags of Help has been a fantastic success.
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the response from our customers. The great thing about Bags of Help is that local people are invited to decide how the money will be spent in their community. We can’t wait to see the projects come to life.”
Voting ran in stores throughout May and June with customers choosing which local project they would like to get the top award using a token given to them at the check-out.
Since launching in 2015, Bags of Help has awarded more than £33 million to more than 6,300 local projects.
Tesco customers will get the chance to vote for three different groups each time they shop. Every other month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.
Bags of Help criteria have recently been extended to include any project that benefits the community. Previously the scheme funded outdoor projects only.
Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said:
“Bags of Help continues to fund thousands of projects across the UK. We want to ensure that the money raised benefits as many local people in as many different places as possible so we’ve extended the range of groups and projects that we can support.
“The scale and variety of activities supported by Bags of Helps show what can be achieved when communities are given the support and the encouragement they need to make change happen in their local area.”
Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp