AILING RETAIL giant Tesco insists Saddleworth won’t suffer as a result of cuts to their community budgets.
Greg Barrett, one of the supermarket’s approximately 320 Community Champions throughout the UK, works locally to deliver projects with schools and a variety of groups and organisations.
It is believed some projects could lose up to 50 per cent of their previous contributions but staff at the Chew Valley Road store were reticent to comment when approached by the Saddleworth Independent.
A Tesco spokesman in Manchester explained: “The annual budget for our Community Champions hasn’t changed.
“However, we have altered the allocation for each store to reflect the fact we have more Community Champions now than ever before.”
He added: “We will continue to support local communities like Saddleworth through our Community programmes and Community Awards.
“In Saddleworth, our store continues to work with a wide range of community groups, including schools, the children’s hospital, ‘funky fitness’ club for adults with learning difficulties, scouts, brownies and guides groups.
“Our community champion for the store has taken over 600 children on ‘Farm to Fork’ trails around the store, getting children interested in where their food comes from.
“Future events the store will be supporting, as it has done every year since opening, include the Saddleworth Olympics and the Saddleworth Show.”
Back in April, Tesco reported a pre-tax loss of £6.4 billion after announcing 43 store closures in January 2015, with Heaton Moor’s Tesco Express the only Greater Manchester casualty.
