Marks & Spencer today announced the next eight ‘Greener Living Spaces’ to benefit from the profits* of its 5p charge for food carrier bags.

The projects, which are located in Birmingham, Southampton, Bridgend, Merseyside, London, Hertfordshire, Newcastle and the West Midlands, bring the total number of ‘Greener Living Spaces’ across the UK to 22.

With its customers, M&S has achieved an 80% reduction in the total number of food carrier bags used since the UK-wide launch of charging in early May, which had raised over £200,000 for environmental charity partner, Groundwork by the middle of July. The move is a major step towards M&S’ Plan A commitments to aim to reduce carrier bag usage by a third by 2012.

Five ‘Greener Living Spaces’ are already underway in Nottingham, Edinburgh, Wigan, Scarborough and Hammersmith. An additional nine projects, funded by carrier bag charging trials in Northern Ireland and South West England, are also in progress or have been completed.*

Mike Barry, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at M&S, said: “With 22 projects we are beginning to see green spaces right across the UK which are benefiting from the profits raised by our carrier bag charging. At the same time, M&S customers have reduced their bag usage by 80% by changing their behaviour and bringing a Bag for Life with them when they shop with us. This, together with our ‘Greener Living Spaces’, is helping to make a real difference and we’d like to thank our customers for their support.”

Tony Hawkhead, Groundwork Chief Executive said: “We are delighted that we are today able to announce a further eight projects that will be significantly improved thanks to M&S customers. These ‘Greener Living Spaces’ are helping to make towns and cities cleaner and greener, giving people of all ages places to come together - to play and relax in the fresh air.”

The M&S and Groundwork ‘Greener Living Spaces’ are:

Hawbush Community Gardens in Brierley Hill, West Midlands
Groundwork Black Country will transform a derelict piece of land into an area for local residents. A new community garden will be developed, which will include growing plots, nature trails and a natural play zone.

West Vale Park in Little Neston, Merseyside
Groundwork Merseyside will introduce new play equipment and pathways to provide better access to the area. The local community will be consulted on the improvements, which will provide a safe and attractive area for families.

Renfrew Square Community Gardens in Birmingham
Groundwork in Birmingham will create a garden in an unused communal space. Improvements will include re-landscaping the area and planting trees and shrubs, as well as the installation of seating and artwork. The project will benefit nearby residents living in properties with little or no outside space.

Thornhill Park Playground in Southampton
Groundwork Solent, in partnership with Southampton City Council and Thornhill NDC, will transform the playground by working with the local community and encouraging as many people as possible to get involved with the project. The park will include new play facilities and seating areas – all made from recycled materials.

Tondu Green Play Area in Bridgend, Wales
Groundwork Bridgend & Neath Port Talbot will transform the site by creating a stimulating play experience for all ages. A new natural play area will be built with a ‘trikes and trails’ section for younger children. The project will provide a valuable educational resource for students to learn about their local environment.

Ufford Street Play Area and Community Garden in Waterloo, London
Groundwork London, working in partnership with Lambeth Council, will redevelop the Ufford Street Recreational Ground to create a safe play area and community garden with new play equipment, seating areas and fencing.

Walsingham Way Natural Play Space in London Colney
Groundwork Hertfordshire and London Colney Parish Council will transform a site at Walsingham Way Recreation Ground by creating a new play and relaxation space together with an earth maze and wild flower area.

Wretham Place Park Area in Shieldfield, Newcastle
Groundwork South Tyneside and Newcastle will work alongside the City Council and Shieldfield Community Forum to improve a park area by introducing new safer play equipment and a green, year round urban leisure surface.

M&S will be giving all its customers a free Bag for Life*** with each food transaction next weekend, from Thursday 21 August to Monday 25 August, to coincide with its ‘Dine in for £10’ promotion and in a bid to encourage even more customers to think twice about the number of carrier bags they use.

-Ends-

For more information on M&S, images or interview requests, please contact:
Lucy Kelly M&S 0208 718 1980

For more information on Groundwork, please contact:
Daisy Powell Groundwork 07703 535841

Notes to Editors
• * All of the 1.85p profit from the sale of single use food carrier bags will be donated to Groundwork.
• ** M&S successfully trialled charging for food carrier bags in over 50 M&S stores in Northern Ireland and the South West of England. The trials resulted in customers’ use of food carrier bags reducing by over 70% and raised over £80,000 for Groundwork. This money is now being invested in six projects across those regions including the development of the Daisy Hill Woodland in Newry, the creation of a play area at the Old Warren Community Centre in Lisburn and improving a green space at Woodhay Road in Plymouth.
• ***From close of business on Monday 25 August, the M&S Bag for Life will revert to its original price of 10p per bag. All Bags for Life are replaced free of charge and recycled by M&S when worn out.
• The 5p charge does not apply to mini food bags and horticultural bags which will be available free of charge on request.
• In January 2007 M&S announced Plan A, a five-year, 100 point business-wide ‘eco plan’. Under this plan, by 2012 M&S aims to become carbon neutral; send no waste to landfill from its operations; extend sustainable sourcing; set new standards in ethical trading and help customers and employees live a healthier lifestyle.
• The new M&S 100% recycled post consumer waste food carrier bag has been developed in conjunction with Papier Mettler.
• See www.marksandspencer.com/plana for more information.

About Groundwork
• Groundwork is a national charity working with partners to improve the quality of people's lives and the places where they live, work and play.
• Groundwork's projects help local people get practically involved in making decisions and managing improvements in their neighbourhood and encourage people to make healthier and greener lifestyle choices. This ranges from working with children and young people to create sports facilities and ‘outdoor classrooms’, to providing training and jobs for the long-term unemployed as they regenerate major areas of derelict or waste ground.
• Last year Groundwork supported nearly 6,000 projects across the UK supported by central and local government, businesses, charitable trusts and the National Lottery. As a result of those projects more than 80% of people involved felt their neighbourhood was a better place to live and felt more able to influence decisions affecting their community.
• Groundwork will use the money raised from the carrier bag charges to support local projects in towns and cities across the UK.
• See www.groundwork.org.uk for more information.
• Projects in Scotland are being delivered in partnership with the Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens. For more information see www.farmgarden.org.uk

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