Three new community groups are currently hoping to win a portion of the bi-monthly prize money available from the Tesco Bags of Help scheme. Blue tokens are available to collect from Tesco stores across the Stokes and members of the public can then vote for their preferred group. The group which has the most tokens by the end of June will receive £4,000 and 2nd and 3rd place will receive £2,000 and £1,000 respectively.
Flamingo Chicks CIC is a volunteer-led dance school based in Henleaze that provides dance classes for children with disabilities and illnesses, such as cancer. They cater for a wide range of children, including those with visual impairments, cerebral palsy, autism and Down’s syndrome. They also provide a peer-to-peer support community for the parents and carers of the children who attend the classes.
Any money that the dance school receive from the Tesco Bags of Help scheme will be used to fund a number of dance workshops, which each cost £100 to run. Katherine Sparks, founder of Flamingo Chicks, said:
“We have 100 families applying for every 15 places, so know the demand is there and we need to increase our classes. We would also like to take our classes to new environments, such as hospitals and hospices. All this work is scalable so any amount of funding would be extremely valuable.”
To find out more about the school, please visit www.flamingochicks.co.uk or call 07968 081152.
Filton Community Garden was created in July 2013 and is located in the corner of Elm Park playing fields behind the leisure centre. It is maintained by volunteers who spend approximately 3,000 hours a year working in the garden. The original intention for the garden was to provide seating and flower beds where residents could sit and take time to relax, however what has been created far exceeds this and such is the quality of the garden that for the last four years the Royal Horticultural Society has awarded it its highest award of ‘outstanding’.
Because the garden has grown so much, the volunteers who tend to it need the right tools and equipment in order to keep it maintained. Therefore, any money that they receive from the scheme will go towards the purchase of a heavy duty lawnmower, strimmer, hedge trimmer, chainsaw and also a generator for their events.
For more information about the project, visit their Facebook page or the Community Garden page on the Filton Town Council website.
The Dolphin School is looking to spend whatever money they receive on a Forest School programme. The school, located in the centre of Bristol, would like every child to have the opportunity to learn sustainable environmental skills through a Forest School programme.
According to the Forest School Association, Forest School is “an inspirational process that offers all learners regular opportunities to achieve and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland or natural environment. This learner-centred approach interweaves with the ever-changing moods and marvels, potential and challenges of the natural world through the seasons to fill every Forest School session and programme with discovery and difference.”
To find out more about Forest Schools and how this programme will benefit the children of the Dolphin School, visit www.forestschoolassociation.org
Voting for the current round of funding will continue until Saturday 30th June, when all of the tokens will be collected and counted.
