Thatcham's Nature Discovery Centre looking for bags of help
Shoppers can vote for local project
THATCHAM’S Nature Discovery Centre is hoping to bag a cash boost for a new project.
The Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) waterfront project has been shortlisted by the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.
The scheme was set up to help people to create better places, to improve their prospects and to live and work in a greener way.
As part of the waterfront improvements a weatherproof canopy will be installed to cover an area between the centre and the lake.
BBOWT said the canopy would enable café customers to sit outside whatever the weather and it also wants to improve accessibility by mending uneven surfaces.
Visitor centre manager at the Nature Discovery Centre Liz Shearer said: “The new canopy will improve the experience of visiting our much-loved nature reserve.
“Visitors will be able to enjoy our wildlife, regardless of the weather.
“More people will be able to enjoy a cuppa while looking over the serene lake and we will be able to improve accessibility.”
Along with the waterfront project, two other local projects have been shortlisted by Tesco.
The winning project will receive £4,000, the runner-up £2,000 and third-placed scheme will receive £1,000.
From Saturday, customers at the Tesco Superstore on London Road, Tesco Metro on Northbrook Street and Tesco Express on Northfield Road in Thatcham will be able to collect tokens when they pay for their shopping, and vote in store.
The winner will be announced at the end of October.
The construction of the new shelter is due to be completed by spring 2019.
Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered in excess of £56m to more than 16,000 projects across Britain.
Tesco head of community Alec Brown 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.”
