MEMBERS of the Hreod Burna Urban Forest are looking to bag the support of Tesco customers this month as they compete to win a share of the supermarket’s £11.5m carrier bag charge fund.

Tesco has teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags Of Help initiative, which sees grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 – all raised from the 5p bag levy – being awarded to environmental and community projects in and around Swindon.

Steve Thompson, the chairman of the Hreod Burna Urban Forest, said if they were granted the full amount, they would aim to transform part of the area into a family-friendly picnic area.

He said: “We asked members to come up with an idea and the verdict was a new picnic area.

“We have applied for grants and we are going to get recycled plastic benches as they are more environmentally friendly and do not burn like wooden ones.

"We are also hoping to plant 250 half standard trees and put the money towards a mower to cut the grass as well as put in a shipping container of some sort to store all the equipment.

“If you take kids to picnic areas you can often find yourself sitting in places where dogs have messed or something similar.

“The picnic tables will benefit the community and it will bring people into the Hreod Burna Urban Forest.

"We would like to get the word out about this place to the general public.

“The area is also filled with all sorts of wildlife and with this competition, we are guaranteed to get at least £8,000 if we come in last place which will definitely go towards making this project become a reality.”

Voting is open in store from February 27 until March 6 and customers will be able to vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store.

Caroline Silke, the head of Community at Tesco, said: “The money raised by customers through the carrier bag levy will go directly to the local community through our Bags Of Help initiative.

"We’re looking forward to seeing how our Swindon customers will vote.”

The bag charge was introduced in England on October 5, having already raised millions for good causes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Groundwork’s national chief executive Graham Duxbury said: “Bags Of Help is a fantastic initiative which will make a real difference to the communities it helps.

“The number of nominations and applications for grants has been incredible.

“The final three were chosen by experts who live and work in each of the Tesco stores and regions. This initiative really is putting back into the local environment, helping the community at a grass-roots level.”