Help Us Bag a Share of Tesco's Community Fund
8 January 2018
Stevenage Starlets FC are bidding to bag a big cash boost from the Tesco 'Bags of Help' initiative and need your help to make it happen.
The community funding scheme sees grants of up to £4,000, up to £2,000 and £1,000 raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores awarded to local community projects.
Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.
We're delighted to say Stevenage Starlets FC is one of the groups on the shortlist in our area, so please show your support and vote for us.
Voting is open in Tesco stores throughout Stevenage and Hitchin during January and February. Customers can cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.
Our goal is to get more girls playing the game
We're big believers in the positive impact that playing football can have on young people, from the physical and mental benefits of being active to the sense of pride and community that comes from being part of a club.
Unfortunately, it's not always been easy for girls to make the most of this opportunity. While the game is changing, most clubs are primarily focussed on boys football and girls teams can often feel like an afterthought.
We don't want our girls to feel second best. So we decided to start a club where their needs come first. A place where girls can feel comfortable and confident learning the game and enjoy developing their skills.
We're proud to be the first all girls football club in Stevenage and have been overwhelmed by the number of girls wanting to join us. Securing this grant would help ensure we don’t have to deny any of them that opportunity.
Starlets Club Secretary and Coach Denise Wells explains:
"Playing football can make a big difference to girls' lives in so many ways, not only in terms of exercise but also building confidence and learning vital life skills such as determination, discipline, resilience and teamwork".
"This is only our first year but the response has been amazing. You wouldn’t believe the energy and enthusiasm girls bring to the game. It's wonderful to see them learning to work together to achieve their goals".
"We want to ensure that as many girls as possible can enjoy the benefits that come from playing football, so while we collect annual fees from all of our players, these are kept to a minimum and only cover basic costs".
"Securing additional funding like this would mean we can plan for the future of our club, investing in equipment and facilities to ensure that many more girls will have the chance to be part of it for years to come".
"Without the generous help of others this would not be possible, so we are truly grateful to Tesco for their support through the Bags of Help initiative".
Every Little Helps
Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered over £40 million to 9,700 projects up and down the UK. 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 will be awarded funding.
Alec Brown, Head of Community at Tesco, said:
"We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for January and February. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see these come to life in hundreds of communities".
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.
