A pair of North Somerset charities have taken home part of a £3.3million windfall celebrating Tesco’s centenary as part of the supermarket’s Bags Of Help initiative.
Customers voted to help save and improve the lives of children with life limiting illnesses by showing their support for the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, which has been awarded £25,000, and Children's Hospice South West, which received £15,000.
Great Western Air Ambulance Charity will use its funds to bring the emergency department to serious accidents and medical emergencies in Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.
Anna Perry, the charity's chief executive, said: "We're immensely grateful to Tesco for this funding. It will make a huge difference to people's lives within our region. Each mission we carry out costs around £1,750.
"We are called out more than five times a day on average, so this money will help us continue to provide our life-saving service to those in their greatest moment of need.
"As a charity, we need to raise over £4million a year to remain operational, and we couldn't do this without the support of our local communities, so thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for us in Tesco stores over the past few months."
The Children's Hospice South West will use its funds to build a sensory garden that will help the charity to ensure it continues to be 'the most special place possible for children and families facing the most unimaginable future'.
Amanda Gallagher, corporate partnerships fundraiser at the hospice, said: "We are delighted to have received these valuable funds from the Tesco Bags Of Help scheme.
"We're particularly grateful to all of Tesco's wonderful customers who nominated us and have allowed us to improve and update our existing sensory garden.
"Sensory experiences are so important to the children using our services because they help stimulate reactions and provide new experiences, bringing pleasure or relief."
The Bags Of Help grants were distributed across 30 regions in the UK, with £50,000 split among groups in Somerset, and more than £3million up for grabs in total.
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