Hampshire Tesco shoppers could change the lives of deaf children

Deaf children across Portsmouth will benefit from a £10,000 grant from Tesco shoppers in Portsmouth.

The Elizabeth Foundation was chosen to receive the funds as part of a one of community campaign which was chosen by the public.

Tesco decided to offer 100 golden voting tokens, all of which represented £10,000, to community groups.

Customers had the opportunity to find a golden token in Tesco’s tombolo prize draw, and the customers then have the opportunity to donate the money to one of three community groups chosen, and as a thank you, the customer will receive a £15 gift card.

The Elizabeth Foundation was selected in recognition of the work it does with deaf babies and children to help their development skills which will equip them for life.

The foundation supports children and their parents as soon as diagnosis, and they offer a number of support groups which include baby classes, preschool, speech and language therapy and parent education.

Karen Vaughan, Deputy CEO at the Elizabeth Foundation, said: ‘We are very grateful to Tesco for this grant. It will enable us to continue to meet the huge demand for our services in our community.

‘The first five years of a child's life are the most influential in shaping their developmental future, and childhood hearing loss can be challenging and isolating without the right help at the right time.’

The donation is a celebration of Tesco giving out £100m through their Tesco community Grants to over 50,000 good cause since it was launched in 2016.

Some of the previous causes that have benefitted from the donations include breakfast clubs, food banks, Meals on Wheels, playgrounds and green spaces.

Claire De Silva, head of communities and local media at Tesco, said: ‘These events were not only a really fun occasion in store, with our colleagues and customers really keen to get involved, but also an important opportunity for people to choose a local good cause to receive the £10,000 grant. Hopefully, this will help to make a difference to everyone they continue to support within our communities.’