Derry school's 'Seed to Supper' project shortlisted for Tesco grant

St Oliver Plunkett Primary School in Strathfoyle is seeking community votes for its 'Seed to Supper' project through the Tesco Stronger Starts scheme.

Stronger Starts provides grant awards of up to £1,500 to local community projects, with a particular focus on children and young people. 

Three groups in every community have been shortlisted to receive grant awards and Tesco customers can vote for the group they think should take away the top award in their local Tesco store.

St Oliver Plunkett Primary School is one of the groups on the shortlist in Derry.

The project is named 'Seed to Supper at St Oliver Plunkett Primary School' and allows pupils across the school to grow their own fruit and vegetables. They will then cook recipes using their tasty produce. If they are awarded the £1,500 funding, they will purchase a greenhouse, gardening equipment and a portable cooking trolley that will allow all pupils to cook in their classrooms.

“We are thrilled to be selected as part of the Tesco Stronger Starts programme. Our project, ‘Seed to Supper at St Oliver Plunkett Primary School’, will give pupils the opportunity to grow their own fruit and vegetables and learn how to cook nutritious meals using what they’ve produced.

"This is a fantastic chance to connect learning with healthy living, and we hope our local community will support us by voting in-store. Every token vote brings us one step closer to making this hands-on experience a reality for our children.”

Voting is open in all Tesco stores from October 2025 until mid-January 2026. Customers will cast their vote using a blue token given to them at the check-out each time they shop.

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Tesco’s Stronger Starts – previously known as Tesco Bags of Help and Tesco Community Grants - has already provided over £123 million to more than 69,000 projects across Britain. 

This £5m Stronger Starts grant programme, delivered in partnership with charity Groundwork, helps schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and sports equipment for after school clubs.

Claire de Silva, Tesco UK Head of Communities and Local Media, said: “Helping schools and children’s groups access the food and resources they need is vitally important in getting children a stronger start in life. Children with enough food have more energy, better concentration, and ultimately achieve more too."

Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive, said: “As a community charity, we have seen first-hand how schools and other groups supporting young people have been playing a much bigger role in ensuring children are getting a healthy start to the day and getting access to spaces and services to support physical activity and mental health.

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"Family budgets are tight and school budgets are tight, but it’s so important that children stay fed, fit and focused, so we’re delighted to be able to prioritise these activities alongside Tesco with the Stronger Starts programme.”

Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities, particularly those helping to provide food and giving children the support they need for a good start in life. 

Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit tescoplc.com/strongerstarts.