St Andrew's Primary School in Headington one of three in the running for cash boost from carrier bag charge

Shoppers at Tesco stores across the city will be able to vote for one of three groups to be awarded grants of either £12,000, £10,000 or £8,000.

St Andrew's Primary School is one of the trio vying for your vote for a chance to win the biggest amount.

If successful in its bid the school will transform its playground into an outdoor classroom with sensory play space, providing an all-weather, colourful learning and safe play space for children.

Parent fundraiser Gena Leveson said: "We are so excited to have the opportunity to build a colourful, calm, comfortable, covered space away from the bustle of the main playground.

"All 240 children will be able to use this area to learn and play, but for our most vulnerable children this will be especially valuable.

"Additional funding will mean we can also make this area a wildlife habitat. The children have asked for plants they can 'smell and touch'.

"This is very important to us as our school is in one of the most polluted parts of Oxford and it gives children a chance to learn through planting and maintenance.

"With enough support we will be able to install outdoor musical instruments. Designed to make a beautiful sound, whatever you play, these instruments will be accessible to all children to use their energy in a positive way alone or together through music."

Voting is open in stores between October 31 and November 13 and customers will be able to select their chosen group by using a token given to them at the check-out each time they shop.

Customer experience manager at the Tesco Superstore at Oxford Retail Park Johnson Chandy said: "We are really excited to get involved and make a difference in our local community under the Bags of Help initiative.

"We at Tesco Superstore in Oxford are really keen to give back to our local community."

It comes a year after the plastic bag levy was introduced in large shops in England in October 2015.

Head of community at Tesco Lindsey Crompton said: "The first round of the Bags of Help initiative was a fantastic success.

"In total 1,170 community groups were awarded £8,000, £10,000 or £12,000 – that’s a massive £11.7 million being invested into local projects.

"We are already seeing some great results from groups transforming their own environmental and greenspace areas.

"We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for round two. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see them come to life in hundreds of communities."

The other two groups vying for the grants are Oxfordshire Play Association and the Dovecote Voluntary Parent Committee.