AGE Concern Crediton, which is providing a range of services to help older people in Crediton and district during the Covid-19 crisis, has received an award of £500 from the Tesco Bags of Help COVID-19 Communities Fund.

At the beginning of the crisis, Tesco plc moved rapidly to respond by shifting the focus of its long-established Tesco Community Grants towards helping alleviate the effects on local communities of the pandemic.

It did this by diverting its Bags of Help scheme towards giving £500 grants to qualifying local charities, of which Age Concern Crediton has been one in Mid Devon.

Launched in 2015, Bags of Help sees charities and community organisations awarded grants to fund local projects.

Originally funded by the sale of 5p carrier bags it reduced single use bag use by 72 per cent. In August 2017 Tesco replaced single use carrier bags with new Bags for Life made from 94 per cent recyclable plastic, to help reduce bag use even further. The money raised by the sale of these bags now funds Bags of Help.

Responding to the award, Michael Coleman, Chairman of trustees, said: “Age Concern Crediton is once again grateful to Tesco plc for its generosity.

“We have regularly benefited from their help locally in fund-raising, from donations and from the personal support of the local Tesco Community Champion Andrew Drayton.

“We shall use the money towards the work our staff and volunteers are doing to keep in touch daily with older members of the local communities and to assist them by shopping and delivering prescriptions.

“And our free deliveries to their homes on Fridays of fish and chips (featured previously in the ‘Crediton Courier’) continues to be very well received.

“At a time when all charities are suffering from a severe reduction in their incomes, we are grateful for any and all donations such as this one.”

The Age Concern Crediton office can be contacted during working hours, from Monday to Friday, on 01363 775008.