Volunteers at Peartree Family Fun sessions are celebrating after being chosen to receive a £5,000 donation.

The grant was awarded by Tesco customers who took part in a lucky dip at Southampton Butts Road Express.

Peartree Family Fun was one of three local charities in the running for the Golden Grant, part of Tesco’s Stronger Starts scheme.

Pat Hawkins, chairperson at Peartree Family Fun, said: "The rising cost of living has made holiday times more stressful for local families, especially for those on lower incomes who have to take into account transport costs, fees and meals.

"This Golden Grant will allow us to provide more Friday Fun sessions with a wider variety of topics. The children will be to access new opportunities in their locality, learn new skills, make friendships and build a greater sense of community."

This initiative saw more than 500 Tesco stores nationwide participating, with £500,000 in total being distributed to causes benefiting children and young people.

Golden Grants are distributed twice yearly as part of Tesco’s £8 million Stronger Starts grant programme, in partnership with the charity Groundwork UK.

The funds support schools and children’s groups in providing nutritious food, healthy activities, and necessary equipment.

Since the launch of Tesco’s Community Grants programme in 2016, over £120 million has been granted to more than 67,000 schools and community groups.

Claire De Silva, Tesco head of communities said: "We know that £5,000 can make a huge difference to a school or community project, so we are incredibly proud to have been able to award Golden Grants to over one hundred schools and local projects to support the vital work they do for our children and communities.

"Our Stronger Starts programme continues to support our local communities year-round, and we encourage all customers to get involved by using a blue token to vote for a local project they feel will benefit people in their community."