Work begins on the Nunnery Lakes Discovery Trail in Thetford thanks to Tesco’s Bags of Help campaign

09 Jun 2016 | No. 2016-17

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has started work on its Nunnery Lakes Discovery Trail project in Thetford following its successful award of £12,000 from Tesco’s Bags of Help campaign.

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The supermarket teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help initiative, which saw grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to environmental and greenspace projects.

Eight million shoppers voted in stores up and down the country.

The Nunnery Lakes Discovery Trail

The BTO’s Nunnery Lakes reserve is a haven for wildlife between the Rivers Thet and Little Ouse in Thetford. The charity looks after the site with the assistance of dedicatedFriends of the Reserve volunteers, who help to improve habitats and monitor wildlife. The project will provide much-needed map signs and interpretation panels to welcome visitors and guide them around the lakes, together with a pocket guide and equipment for learning events, all to help local communities discover the wonderful nature right on their doorstep.

Bonita Johnston, of the BTO, said, “We are really grateful to Tesco for choosing our project - and to all the people who voted for us."

“Winning the top award of £12,000 means we can complete the project in one go. This is a fantastic result which will help local communities learn all about and enjoy the Nunnery Lakes reserve."

“We hope some of our new visitors will become Friends of the Reserve and help us to look after this special place for future generations.”

Caroline Silke, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “Bags of Help has been a fantastic success."

“We have been overwhelmed by the response of our customers and the feedback has been brilliant."

“This is the really exciting part of the project – seeing the projects coming to life thanks to the funding and we can’t wait to follow the projects right through to the end."

“Applications for the next round of the initiative are open from 18 April to 3 June and we look forward to helping a further round of groups and projects bag their share of the bag charge fund.”

Voting ran in store from 27 February until 6 March – with customers choosing which group they’d like to get the top award using a token given to them at the check-out in store.

Applications for the next round of Bags of Help funding are open from 18 April to 3 June. As well as applying direct, suggestions for projects can also be nominated all year around by people living locally.

Notes for Editors

  1. More than 1,170 organisations in each of Tesco’s 390 regions up and down the UK received a share of the Bags of Help fund.

    The initiative is supported by money from the five pence charge levied on single-use carrier bags

    More than 4,500 groups up and down the country applied for grants from the scheme. These were whittled down to three in each of Tesco’s regions.

    The supermarket teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help initiative, which saw grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to environmental and greenspace projects.  Groundwork is working with greenspace scotland to support successful projects in Scotland.

    For more information please visit: www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp
     
  2. The BTO is the UK's leading bird research charity. A growing membership and up to 60,000 volunteer birdwatchers contribute to the BTO's surveys, collecting information that underpins conservation action in the UK. The BTO maintains a staff of 100 at its offices in Thetford, Stirling, Bangor (Wales) and Bangor (Northern Ireland), who analyse and publicise the results of surveys and projects. The BTO's work is funded by BTO supporters, government, trusts, industry and conservation organisations.www.bto.org

Contact Details

Paul Stancliffe
(BTO Media Manager)
Office: 01842 750050
(9am to 5.30pm)
Mobile: 07585 440910 (anytime)
Email: press [at] bto.org

Images are available for use alongside this News Release.
Please contact images [at] bto.org quoting reference 2016-17

The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews.
Please contact us to book an interview
Office: 01842 750050

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