Pupils at Dwr y Felin Comprehensive School in Neath have already started turning an internal quad into an outdoor classroom, and Tesco shoppers have just voted them £1,500 to take it further.
The school topped the latest customer vote in Tesco’s Fruit and Veg Grants scheme. Neath Guides and Ysgol Carreg Hir took the other two grants, of £1,000 and £500.
Headteacher Ceri Richmond said the school’s Cynnydd and Learning Support Centre groups had done the early work, and had “begun transforming the area into a welcoming place for learning and wellbeing”.
The grant will go on furnishings, resources and lasting improvements so the space can be used right through the school day, the school says.
Ceri Richmond said: “Once completed, the quad will provide a bookable outdoor learning space that can be used by a wide range of classes and groups, supporting teaching, reading, small-group work and wellbeing activities in a different learning environment.”
Eating well on a budget in Briton Ferry
At Ysgol Carreg Hir, the £500 will go on helping families struggling with the cost of living to eat healthily on a budget, according to Tesco.
The Briton Ferry primary has had community backing before. In 2022 Amazon’s Swansea warehouse gave it £1,000 for orienteering and bushcraft kit.
Neath Guides’ £1,000 will buy catering equipment for the Guide hall in Neath, to be used for Guiding meetings as well as wider community events and training.
How your token decides who gets what
Each round, three local projects go into the vote, and customers drop a token into the box of the one they want to back. The grants are handed out by the number of tokens each gets.
Tesco says it wants to hear from schools and groups with a clear food focus for young people, from breakfast clubs and holiday meals to community pantries, cookery sessions and growing projects.
Claire de Silva, Tesco’s head of community, said: “We’re encouraging more schools and community groups to apply for funding for projects that help children access healthy food, learn where it comes from and build healthier habits.”
The grants are part of the retailer’s push to get fruit and vegetables to more than one million schoolchildren. Groups can apply for future rounds through Tesco’s website.
The supermarket’s community money has gone to Neath causes before, including therapy sessions for Tŷ Hafan families in 2023.
Back at Dwr y Felin, the headteacher thanked Tesco and “everyone who supported our application”, saying the quad would be “a lasting resource that benefits pupils across the whole school community for years to come”.
