Thatcham's Nature Discovery Centre needs your vote!

Centre bidding for up to £12,000 of grant funding

THATCHAM’S Nature Discovery Centre is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from Tesco to improve people’s links with wildlife.

The Tesco Bags of Help initiative awards grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – to local environmental projects across the country.

The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust’s Discovering Nature Together project has been shortlisted in this region to receive one of the grants.

The full grant of £12,000 would see a map installed at the front of the building outlining activities for people to do during their visit.

It would also cover a living willow screen at the bottom corner of the lake, allowing people to watch birds close up with help from an identification panel.

A new stepping-stone trail around the site and an interactive panel by the dipping pond would also be included.

Manager of the Nature Discovery Centre Liz Shearer said: “This trail will include activities with seasonal information to help all of our visitors understand more about the wildlife that lives on the reserve so that they feel inspired to visit other parks and explore their own gardens.”

Shoppers at six Tesco stores across West Berkshire have until Sunday, November 13, to collect red tokens at the till and vote in-store for the group they want to receive the top grant.

People can vote at Burghfield Common Express, Newbury Extra, Newbury Metro, Hungerford and Newbury Superstores and Thatcham Express.

Head of community at Tesco Lindsey Crompton, said: “We are already seeing some great results from groups transforming their own environmental and greenspace areas.

“We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for round two.

“There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see them come to life in hundreds of communities.”

Tesco has teamed up with environmental charity Groundwork on its Bags of Help initiative.