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UKSA has received a Tesco Community Grant to allow 50 school children across the Island to join its Test the Water programme for half a day.
Customers chose UKSA as a beneficiary with tokens provided within Tesco stores on the Isle of Wight between 1st January and 31st March 2022. The £1,500 grant will fund 50x Year 6 children to participate in a free half-day water sports session to help young Islanders gain water confidence and introduce them to sailing.
Since 2014, over 9,000 Year 6 students have taken part in the Test the Water programme and in the forthcoming academic year (2022/23), 1,400 children from 41 local primary schools will have the opportunity to take part in a half-day session. As well as covering aspects of water safety, which is crucial to Island life, the sessions are designed to develop confidence and key skills, including communication, resilience, and teamwork.
Amy Sweeting, director of development and fundraising at UKSA says:
“The Test the Water programme was developed to make a real, tangible difference to young people in UKSA’s community, and we are really achieving that. It’s wonderful that locals have chosen our charity for the grant and that children on our doorstep can directly benefit from the funds.
“We mustn’t lose sight of the fact that 32 percent of children on the Island live in poverty, without the opportunity to reach their full potential, and need to ensure opportunities like this continue to exist and grow.”
Claire de Silva, Tesco’s head of community, has said:
“Tesco Community Grants help support local good causes like UKSA and especially those projects supporting young people, those providing food, and local causes close to our colleagues’ hearts.”
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Tesco Community Grants has awarded grants to thousands of local community projects every year. The scheme, previously known as Tesco Bags of Help, has already provided over £90 million to more than 40,000 projects across Britain.
Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects. To find out more visit tescocommunitygrants.org.uk.
