Banbury shoppers help Oxfordshire charity receive grant
24/06/2025
They placed blue tokens into an in-store voting unit to select where the money should go
A charity which provides support for disabled adults across the county has received a £1,500 grant thanks to shoppers at Banbury’s three Tesco stores.
Enrych Oxfordshire received the funds after winning the most recent round of Tesco’s Stronger Starts initiative. The money will be used to help them recruit more volunteers for the service, which matches those who come forward with the group’s members, so they can enjoy activities together.
For nearly 40 years Enrych Oxfordshire has successfully enabled hundreds of adults with physical disabilities to take up leisure, learning and sporting activities, but since the pandemic, it has seen a reduction in the number of people able to volunteer their time.
Simon Clifford, Treasurer at Enrych Oxfordshire, said: “Traditionally, our main service has been to recruit and match volunteers with our members so they can enjoy an activity of their choice together.
“Since the pandemic, however, there is a real shortage of people coming forward to volunteer, which means we have had to develop our services to support in other ways. We have done this by offering group activities such as bowling, swimming, cinema visits, as well as online activities like quizzes, bingo, seated exercise and conference phone calls for people who do not use IT.
“We are also offering more opportunities for people to meet at coffee mornings, pub lunches and day trips. We even have an annual holiday!”
Customers at Banbury’s main Tesco Extra and the Express stores in the High Street and on Middleton Road helped award the grant by placing blue tokens into an in-store voting unit between January and March of this year.
Tesco Banbury Extra store manager, David Harwood, said: “Tesco Banbury is more than just three stores, it’s a hub of support for the community and the Stronger Starts programme proves that. With the help of our customers in Banbury, local schools and groups are getting the boost they need to give local people a brighter future. It’s so rewarding seeing the grants help make this happen.”
Published: by the Banbury FM News Team
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