Somerset children’s charity bibic bags £3,600 from carrier bag charge fund

bibic is delighted to announce it has bagged £3,600.00 from a Tesco funding scheme.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help funding initiative, which sees grants raised from carrier bag sales being awarded to thousands of local community projects every year.

Millions of shoppers voted in stores up and down the country. And it can now be revealed bibic, based in Langport, Somerset has been awarded £3,600.00.

Work will now begin on bringing the project to life to create a special outside space at their National Assessment Centre in Langport, Somerset, that is fun, interactive and sensory for all the children, young people and their families to enjoy.

bibic delivers individualised developmental therapy to children and young people age 6 months to 25 years, and training to parents and professionals. They help those with or without a diagnosis and support a wide range of conditions including Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Sensory processing difficulties and many more.

Some of the bibic therapy programmes use sensory input to significantly improve a child’s concentration, alertness, mobilisation, creativity and social skills, helping them to feel relaxed, calm and ultimately help them to manage the world around them.

“Receiving no government funding we completely rely on donations, many of which come directly from our local community. The Bags of Help grant will enable us to develop a special sensory safe space for families and their children who will really benefit from it.”

said Molly Johnston, Fundraiser for bibic.

Alec Brown, Tesco’s Head of Community, 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 July and August 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 £36 million across more than 7,900 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.

Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, 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.