Tesco's community grant scheme provides a truly magical experience

In January, we proudly announced that our Playlink service, which provides holiday respite services for children and young people with learning disabilities and autism, won the top award of £4,000 from the Tesco Bags of Help scheme.

We decided to use the money towards a one-off, special trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London. The funding helped to cover entrance tickets, travel costs, and staffing for the day.

Overall, we provided 35 young people with this amazing experience and it was a big success. It was a long day for some of the youngsters but they all managed exceptionally well and had a lot of fun visiting the various areas of the studios.

Here's what some of the young people and their parents had to say about the trip.

Did your child enjoy the trip?
"I cannot express how much! She loved it! She was bursting with excitement."

How did the trip benefit your child?
"She's nearly 17 and gets very few experiences like this. It is an experience she will remember for years to come, if not the rest of her life as they are so few and far between."

What did you like best about the trip?
"So many things to look at."

What did you like best about the trip?
"Seeing Harry!"

Thank you!

We could not have provided this wonderful day out if it weren't for the help we received.

Firstly, we want to thank the Harry Potter Studio staff for greeting us on arrival and walking us into the venue. This eliminated any waiting around which really helped the group. The staff also allowed us to skip the queue and head straight into the tour.

The travel company, Buglar Coaches, also provided us with a top-quality service. They were flexible and very accommodating. They even created a quiz for the youngsters to take part in along the way which stopped them from getting bored.

And finally, a massive thanks goes to the Tesco Bags of Help community grant scheme, and all the Yate shoppers who voted for us to win. The funding provided through the scheme made it all possible. It really was a magical experience!