Harrogate Community First Responders call for aid to secure funding pot

Harrogate Community First Responders are appealing for residents to vote for them

The Harrogate Community First Responders could receive thousands of pounds in grant funding through the Tesco Bags of Help initiative if they secure enough votes from residents by October 31.

Working with Groundwork the supermarket giant is offering grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000, which will be awarded to three local community projects from across the region. The HCFR were shortlisted earlier this year and could use the funds to buy more life-saving equipment for the team.

Co-ordinator Damian Bowen said: “We’re very grateful to Tesco for shortlisting our application. Funding for extra equipment will mean that more of us can be on duty at the same time. Please encourage your family and friends to vote for Harrogate Community First Responders. You never know when you might need us.”

Tesco stores in Harrogate, Knaresborough and Illkley will be offering customers the chance to vote for the group using a token, given to them at the check-out each time they shop. The results will be tallied and the three groups awarded one of three sums, depending on the level of support shown.

Every month the scheme gives three groups a chance to receive funding,with more than £56 million has supported over 16,000 projects across the country so far.

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, added: “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 which bring benefits to communities. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more, visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp