Trust Bags £5000

The Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Charitable Trust is delighted to announce it has bagged £5000 from a Tesco funding scheme.
Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help funding initiative, which sees grants of up to £5,000, £2,000 and £1,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to thousands of local community projects every year. Greenspace Scotland is working with Groundwork to provide support to communities in Scotland.
Millions of shoppers voted in stores up and down the country. And it can now be revealed The, Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Charitable Trust has been awarded £5000. Work will now begin on bringing the project to life.

The aim of this project is to work with local volunteers, community groups such as Huntly Fishing’s and landowners to control the dangerous plant Giant Hogweed during 2017. The project funding will provide the initial resources required. By controlling 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. This has many benefits such as health and recreation, which will in turn help the local economy.
Richie Miller, Director of the Deveron, Bogie and Isla Rivers Charitable Trust and Deveron Fishery Board, said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded the top award from the Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative and the grant aid will help immensely in controlling Giant Hogweed this coming season”.

Tony McElroy, Tesco’s Head of Communications in Scotland, 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 February 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 £28.5 million across more than 4,000 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.
Emma Halliday, Community Enabler Coordinator at greenspace scotland, 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 shows 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