River Deveron, Scotland
Attention We Need Your Votes!
The Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Charitable Trust is bidding to bag a cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.
Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch the monthly funding scheme, which sees grants of £5,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to local outdoor community projects. greenspace Scotland is working with Groundwork to provide support to communities in Scotland.
Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and this month shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.
The Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Charitable Trust is one of the groups on the shortlist for a Giant Hogweed Control programme.
The dangerous plant Giant Hogweed is a close relative of cow parsley originally from Southern Russia and is non-native to Scotland. It can reach over 3m (10ft) in height. It can be highly invasive and the sap can cause severe skin burns. It is now widely distributed within the local river catchment and poses a serious risk to the water environment by intensifying riverbank collapse and siltation of fish habitat and also to the public (especially children) who are unaware of its potential for harm.
The aim of this project is to work with local volunteers, community groups such as Huntly Fishing’s and landowners to control Giant Hogweed during 2017. The project funding will provide some of the resources required. By controlling the Giant Hogweed on the rivers, using a systematic top-down approach, it will stop hogweed plants seeding and creating a larger problem for the future. It will also allow members of the public, tourists, anglers, pets and families to safely visit the rivers, which has many benefits such as health and recreation, which can in turn help the local economy.
Richie Miller, Director of the Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Charitable Trust and Fishery Board, said: “We are delighted to have been selected for the Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative and the grant aid will help immensely in controlling Giant Hogweed this coming season”.
Voting is open in stores (Huntly, Turriff , Keith, Banff, Buckie and Fraserburgh) from 1st February to 25th February. Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.
Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered over £25 million to more than 3,000 projects up and down the UK. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups each month. At the end of each month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.
Tony McElroy, Tesco’s Head of Communications in Scotland, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for February. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see them come to life in hundreds of communities.”
Emma Halliday, Community Enabler Coordinator at greenspace scotland, said: “We’ve been thrilled to see the diversity of projects that have applied for funding, ranging from outdoor classrooms, sports facilities, community gardens, play areas and everything in between.
“We’re looking forward to learning the results of the customer vote and then supporting each group to bring their project to life.”
The Bags of Help scheme is permanently open for applications and anyone can nominate a project at any time – whether its Tesco customers, colleagues or the community groups themselves. Just ask in store for more information or visit the Bags of Help website, visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp/ . #BagsofHelp
