THE PLASTIC bag charge introduced last year has provided a cash boost to several Bradford groups.

When the 5p per bag levy was rolled out by government, supermarkets were told they had to pass on the cash to non profit groups.

Tesco has just announced which groups in Bradford will benefit from its bag charges, with the money going to a primary school and community farm.

Allerton Primary School was awarded £12,000 to create a new sensory garden for its nursery pupils, while Horton Community Farm will spend its £12,000 grant on its project Roots, Fruits and Shoots, which teaches people to grow their own food. It will allow the group to build an on site kitchen and new paths in its garden area.

The runners up were Sandale Community Development Trust PRISM Youth Project, which both bagged £10,000 grants, while Bierley Community Association and Oastlers School received £8,000 grants.

The winners had been chosen by shoppers in local Tesco branches.

Nicola Minshall, nursery leader at Allerton Primary School, said the grant will allow the school to create a more child friendly outdoor environment.

She said: “We’ve done work to make the nursery a lot more child led, with everything more accessible to children like having lower shelves. Since we’ve done this their independence has shot through the roof.

“Our outdoor space is mostly tarmacadam. Now we’ve got this money we can change the outdoor area to create a new learning space.

“We want to have a sand pit and different areas where children can be relaxed and calm. We want it to look a bit more a woodland than a concrete playground.”

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