A major supermarket has teamed up with the Gazette to put money raised from the 5p levy on plastic bags to good use in the borough.

Tesco has promised £30,000 to charities and groups in the community for environmental projects such as parks, woodland walks and gardens.

Any organisation with an interest in the money must submit their bid by noon on Friday, November 27, at which point the supermarket will shortlist the best three ideas.

Then, at the beginning of next year, Gazette readers will be able to vote for which of the three projects they feel deserves the money.

The three finalists will be given grants of either £12,000, £10,000 or £8,000 to make their dream reality.

The retailer, founded in Hackney nearly a century ago, says that part of the reason for the scheme is to offset damage its own actions cause to the natural world.

Rebecca Shelley, group communications director for Tesco, said: “It’s incredibly important we do our bit to reduce our impact on the environment and we’re really proud of the work we’ve done in this area, particularly in reducing waste.

“We want to do everything we can to help our customers minimise the impact of the charge as well as their impact on the environment by helping them recycle and re-use their bags.

“We’re also going to work with our customers to make sure the millions raised from the bag charge goes towards making a real difference for our communities.”

Environmental charity Groundwork, which specialises in helping communities transform green spaces for the better, will oversee the administration of the funding.