A charity that helps wounded, injured and sick veterans move back into work is urging shoppers in Burnham-On-Sea to support it through the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.
The Poppy Factory, which supports ex-Forces men and women with physical and mental health conditions, is on the shortlist for a cash boost alongside two other local groups.
Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch the community funding project, which will see grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 raised from carrier bag sales at the Tesco Superstore in Ben Travers Way, Burnham.
Customers can cast their votes throughout January and February using a token given to them at the check-out.
Deirdre Mills, Chief Executive of The Poppy Factory, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen and I would urge people in Burnham-On-Sea to cast their votes for The Poppy Factory. The cash raised through this fantastic initiative could help us make a real difference to veterans living in the area who have a mental or physical health condition and who want to get back into meaningful employment.”
Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered over £63 million to more than 20,000 projects across Britain. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop. Every other month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions are awarded funding.
Alec Brown, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “Bags of Help has been a fantastic success and we’ve been overwhelmed by the response from customers. It’s such a special scheme because it’s local people who decide how the money will be spent in their community. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see these come to life in hundreds of communities.”
Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said: “Bags of Help continues to enable local communities up and down Britain to improve the local spaces and places that matter to them. The diversity of projects that are being funded shows that local communities have a passion to create something great in their area. We are pleased to be able to be a part of the journey and provide support and encouragement to help local communities thrive.”
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.
The Poppy Factory is now the country’s leading employability organisation for veterans with mental and physical health conditions. From its base in Richmond-upon-Thames, the charity provides tailored support across England and Wales to help ex-Forces men and women with health challenges to return to meaningful work.
The Poppy Factory works with many businesses around the country to transform the way employers think about recruiting people with physical or mental health conditions.
The charity has helped more than 1,000 individuals into work since it started its Getting You Back to Work programme in 2010. The Poppy Factory aims to deliver the most effective support for its veterans and the service is built upon a solid evidence base. This has ensured that over 70% of veterans supported by The Poppy Factory have remained in work for 12 months or longer, which compares significantly higher than other services.
