Much-needed meals and warm spaces will be provided to people in Stroud, thanks to a £10,000 grant selected by Tesco shoppers.

The Paganhill Community Group was chosen to receive the funds, as part of a celebratory Community Grant one-off funding campaign.

Shoppers at selected Tesco stores took part in a lucky dip to find specially created gold versions of its blue voting token. The total amount given away in gold tokens was worth £1 million in grants to local good causes.

The Paganhill Community Group works with local people to put on a wide range of activities for all ages in the Octagon Community Hub off Farmhill Lane.

Among the services offered by over 40 charity volunteer members is a community cafe on Wednesday afternoons. The healthy meals are made partly from surplus from supermarkets such as Tesco, and partly from food donations by farmers and local growers who give to the Network of Stroud Hubs.

Jaqui Smith, director at Paganhill Community Group, said: "The Paganhill team are overjoyed that we were chosen to receive the £10,000 Gold grant. Many thanks to our amazing voters, supporters and to Tesco.

"This funding will enable us to provide meals and warm spaces for our community through the coming winter, as well as a great Christmas party.

"We know it can sometimes be tough to buy and cook good, healthy food. That's why we're glad to be sharing great food with our neighbours."

Julie Sarahs, community champion at Tesco in Stroud, said: "We are very proud to be part of a national celebration of Tesco nationwide.

"Ed Tierney found the token and chose Paganhill Community Group out of our three nominees. The work that Paganhill Community Group does is amazing and we're glad to be able to help them continue providing such an essential service for the people of Stroud."

With many small, volunteer-run groups facing rising costs, Tesco Community Grants help them keep going. Many groups are starting to offer hot meals or warm spaces in addition to their usual services, as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.