THE Grant A Smile charity is celebrating after being selected by a Tesco customer in Basildon to receive a £5,000 donation.  

On Saturday, 21 September, Tesco customers at Basildon Extra were given the chance to take part in a lucky dip to find a specially created gold version of Tesco's famous blue voting token. 

Grant A Smile was one of three local charities that customers could vote for to receive the £5,000 Golden Grant as part of Tesco's Stronger Starts scheme. 

Joyce Obaseki, founding director at Grant A Smile, said: "We are incredibly grateful to Tesco for this grant.

"This funding will make a significant difference, ensuring that those in need have access to nutritious meals, and helping to alleviate the financial pressure they face.

"We are committed to making sure it has a lasting impact on the health and well-being of our beneficiaries." 

Over one hundred Tesco stores across the country took part in the Golden Grants event, with £500,000 in total being donated to good causes that help children and young people.  

Golden Grants are awarded twice a year as part of Tesco's £8 million Stronger Starts grant programme, in partnership with the charity Groundwork UK.  

Stronger Starts grants help schools and children's groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people's physical health and mental well-being, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, as well as purchasing equipment for healthy activities. 

Claire De Silva, Tesco Head of Communities said: "We know that £5,000 can make a huge difference to a school or community project, so we are incredibly proud to have been able to award Golden Grants to over one hundred schools and local projects to support the vital work they do for our children and communities. Our Stronger Starts programme continues to support our local communities year-round, and we encourage all customers to get involved by using a blue token to vote for a local project they feel will benefit people in their community." 

Since Tesco launched its Community Grants programme in 2016, more than £120 million has been given to more than 67,000 local schools and community groups.