THE town is set to be painted green thanks to a grant funded by a supermarket’s 5p plastic bag sales.

Nursery pupils will plant and maintain flowers and shrubberies in patches of land across the town centre, thanks to £4,000 of funding from Tesco’s Bags of Help community grant scheme secured by Warrington Borough Council and the Warrington Business Improvement District - a group of private sector retailers hoping to secure £1.5m of investment in the area.

Run in partnership with environmental charity Groundwork, the programme is funded by the sales of 5p plastic carrier bags in Tesco supermarket.

It is hoped that the Warrington in Bloom project will ‘enhance and improve the area’ and create a ‘more appealing and vibrant town centre’.

Bird feeders will also be installed in the area in a bid to attract wildlife.

Dawn Smyth, chairman of the Warrington BID team and store manager of Primark in Golden Square Shopping Centre, said: “We are delighted to have secured this investment into the town centre from Tesco.

“We are developing a five-year investment programme to enhance and develop the town centre and this project, delivered in partnership with Groundwork, Kids Planet and Warrington Borough Council, is the start of many more new and exciting plans from the Warrington BID team.”

Youngsters from Kids Planet Nursery on Legh Street in the town centre will be getting their fingers green thanks to the project.

Nursery manager Nicola Daniels said: “We are thrilled to be involved in the Warrington in Bloom project alongside Warrington Borough Council and Groundwork.

“The children will enjoy contributing to their local community and knowing that their opinion and ideas matter to improve the town centre.

“We are looking forward to getting our hands dirty and achieving something together.”