A “BIG” thank you to everyone who helped with the ROCSOLID Christmas appeal – and the local charity is asking you to make even more of a difference to some of Newton Aycliffe’s most vulnerable people via Tesco Bags of Help Scheme.
Every time you shop at Tesco in Newton Aycliffe, Darlington and at Bishop Auckland you are given a plastic token which you pop into one of three project slots in the Bags of Help unit in store.
Tesco gives money raised from plastic carrier bag sales to local projects which benefit the community, in partnership with Groundwork.
“The one which gets the most votes by the end of February receives a grant of up to £4,000, the second receives up to £2,000 and third, up to £1,000,” said ROCSOLID service manager Mandy Shaw, pictured above.
“We want to use our grant to renovate the gardens of the houses in the local community to make them low maintenance and improve how they look. The work will definitely help improve the environment.”
Mandy said she and her team had been bowled over by the generosity of local people in the run up to Christmas. “The response to our Newton News article was amazing. We support around 45 households and we like to make sure everyone gets something – it’s quite an undertaking! Lots of people popped into Hope House bearing gifts!
“We are grateful to the ongoing support we receive from Tesco in terms of food, ALDI was very generous with their unsold Christmas food on Christmas Eve and Harvest Christian Centre pulled out all the stops again in terms of hampers and gifts. We have been amazed at everyone’s goodwill and kindness . . . please pop your token in the ROCSOLID slot!”
• Since ROCSOLID was founded in 2007, it has supported 315 clients and has very positive feedback from other professionals, including social workers.
As sent to the Editor of the Newton News. If you have a story that we may be interested in, please send to syd@newtonnews.co.uk
