Tesco shopper selects Potten End Pre-School to receive a £5,000 donation

Potten End Pre-School is celebrating after being selected by a Tesco customer to receive a £5,000 donation. On Saturday 21st September, Tesco customers at Grove Hill Hemel Express were given the chance to take part in a lucky dip to find a specially created gold version of Tesco’s famous blue voting token. Potten End Pre-School was one of three local charities that customers could vote for to receive the £5,000 Golden Grant as part of Tesco’s Stronger Starts scheme. Sarah Dalton, Pre-School Manager at Potten End Pre-School, said: “The grant funding will have a huge impact on what we can do moving forward to enhance our outdoor space. As a charity run pre-school, we have very limited funds and rely on fundraising and grant opportunities. To have won this funding, will mean we are able to positively create the space we would like for our wonderful children, thank you!” Over one hundred Tesco stores across the country took part in the Golden Grants event, with £500,000 in total being donated to good causes that help children and young people. Golden Grants are awarded twice a year as part of Tesco’s £8 million Stronger Starts grant programme, in partnership with the charity Groundwork UK. Stronger Starts grants help schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental well-being, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, as well as purchasing equipment for healthy activities. Claire De Silva, Tesco Head of Communities said: "We know that £5,000 can make a huge difference to a school or community project, so we are incredibly proud to have been able to award Golden Grants to over one hundred schools and local projects to support the vital work they do for our children and communities. Our Stronger Starts programme continues to support our local communities year-round, and we encourage all customers to get involved by using a blue token to vote for a local project they feel will benefit people in their community." Since Tesco launched its Community Grants programme in 2016, more than £120 million has been given to more than 67,000 local schools and community groups.