Money spent on plastic bags has facilitated a £4,000 grant to help carers in Richmond and Kingston.

The Men Who Care project, run by Crossroads Care Richmond and Kingston, was handed the cheque through Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative.

Crossroads Care aims to reduce the stress of relatives and friends caring for someone who has a disability or chronic illness, and helps the 29,000 carers in Richmond and Kingston have a life of their own as someone else steps into their shoes.

The Bags of Help funding scheme, launched when Tesco teamed up with Groundwork, funds grants to local community projects.

Since launching, the scheme has awarded more than £37 million across more than 8,000 local projects.

Janet Fevrier, CEO of Crossroads Care said: “We would like to thank the customers of Tesco for choosing us to receive this grant.

“As a small local charity relying on grants, gifts and donations, every bit of help to continue doing the work we do is vital.

“In particular, men who are carers are often the last to come forward for support, so this grant will provide us with help in reaching out to this part of the community.”

Community groups and charities can apply for funding and Tesco customers and colleagues can nominate projects they would like to see receive some cash.

Simply ask in store for more information or visit the website: www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp

Alec Brown, head of community at Tesco, said: “It is wonderful to see this project come to fruition, showing first-hand how a Bags of Help grant can help transform local communities.

“There has been great enthusiasm for the initiative from both Tesco colleagues and our customers.

“This is just the beginning for Bags of Help and we are hugely excited for the future as the scheme continues to grow and help even more groups across the UK.”