The Royal Star & Garter Homes hopes for another cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, with grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores awarded to local community projects.

The Charity cares for ex-Servicemen and women and their partners living with disability or dementia. Money from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative will go towards funding a new minibus for the Home in Solihull.

Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should benefit.

The Royal Star & Garter Homes is one of the groups on the shortlist in Solihull.

In January and February, Tesco shoppers were able to vote for The Royal Star & Garter Home in Surbiton at local branches.

Caley Eldred is Director of Supporter Engagement at the Charity. She said: “It’s great to be part of the Tesco Bags of Help programme. A new minibus in Solihull will be used for activities and outings. It will also help residents attend vital medical appointments. We hope Tesco shoppers vote for The Royal Star & Garter Homes over the next two months, and help us continue providing the best possible care to residents.”

Voting is open in nine Tesco stores from 1 March to 30 April and customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Voting for Surbiton Home’s Bags of Help programme ended on Thursday, 28 February.

Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered over £63 million to more than 20,000 projects across Britain. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop. Every other month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.

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

You can vote for The Royal Star & Garter Homes at the following Tesco stores:

• Birmingham Alcstr Express– 71 Alcester Road, Tile, Birmingham B47 5PN
• Shirley Dickens Heath Express– 26 Main St, Dickens Heath, Shirley, Solihull, B90 1UA
• Dorridge Express Solihull– 3-7 Arden Buildings, B93 8HH
• Hall Green Superstore– 21-35 Stratford Rd, Shirley, Solihull, B90 3LU
• Kings Heath Express– 281-289 Alcester Rd South B14 6EB
• Knowle Metro– 40-44 St Johns Way, Knowle, Solihull, B93 0LE
• Lode Heath Express– 8-10 Hermitage Rd, Lode Heath, Solihull, B91 2LJ
• Robin Hood Express – 200 Robin Hood Ln, Birmingham, B28 0LG
• Solihull Extra– 1505 Stratford Rd, Shirley, Solihull, B90 4EN