Greater Manchester Community Basketball is bidding to bag a massive cash boost from the Tesco Bags of Help initiative.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its community funding scheme, which sees grants of £4,000, £2,000 and £1,000 raised from carrier bag sales in Tesco stores awarded to local community projects.

Three groups in every Tesco region have been shortlisted to receive the cash award and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.

Greater Manchester Community Basketball is one of the groups on the shortlist.

Greater Manchester Community Basketball, aka the Manchester Magic and Mystics, will be running a number of 3×3 leagues and competitions at its base in Whalley Range from May onwards. These will be for adults and children, men, women, boys and girls. All ages and abilities will be welcome to sign up.

“Here at GMCB, we’re big on participation and giving people of ages and backgrounds the chance to play basketball. We believe the growing popularity of the 3×3 game will help us reach even more men, women, boys and girls. So our plan is to run leagues and tournaments from May through to July – and to do that we need your support to help us secure the funds we need to make them a success.” said Phil Gordos, CEO of GMCB.

Voting is open in participating Tesco stores throughout March and April. See the list below to find out where you can vote. Customers will cast their vote using a token given to them at the check-out in store each time they shop.

Tesco’s Bags of Help project has already delivered over £43 million to more than 10,000 projects up and down the UK. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop. Every other month, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.

Alec Brown, Head of Community at Tesco, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to open the voting for March and April. There are some fantastic projects on the shortlists and we can’t wait to see these come to life in hundreds of communities.”

Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said:

“We’ve been thrilled to see the diversity of projects that have applied for funding, ranging from outdoor classrooms, sports facilities, community gardens, play areas and everything in between.

“We’re looking forward to learning the results of the customer vote and then supporting each group to bring their project to life.”

Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/bagsofhelp.

You can vote at the following stores:

ARDWICK GREEN EXP M13 9XF Express

Burnage (D) M19 1TF Superstores

CHURCH MANCHESTER EXP M4 1PN Express

CITY TOWERS MANCH EXP M1 4AH Express

DEANSGATE EXP M3 2EG Express

DIDSBURY EXPRESS M20 1JQ Express

DIDSBURY WMSLW RD EXP M20 6QZ Express

East Didsbury (B) M20 5NP Superstores

FALLOWFIELD MANCH EXP M14 6JR Express

FIRSWOOD MANCH EXP M16 7RN Express

LEVENSHULME METRO M19 3NN Metro

MANCHESTER BAILEY EXP M3 5EU Express

MANCHESTER METRO M1 1PW Metro

MANCHESTR OXFORD ST EXP M1 6EQ Express

OXFORD HOUSE EXP M1 7ED Express

OXFORD ROAD EXPRESS M13 0JN Express

PICCADILLY MANCH EXP M1 3BE Express

PRINCESS ST MANCH EXP M2 4EW Express

QUAY ST MNCHESTER EXP M3 3BB Express

WHALLEY RANGE EXP M16 8EE Express

To check the location of any of the above stores, please go to the Tesco website here: http://www.tesco.com/store-locator/uk/

We need your vote!

The club is attempting to win funding for a brand new project that we believe will get more people playing and involved in basketball.

It’s a Basketball Roadshow that will visit parks, open spaces and festivals in Greater Manchester and the North West of England.

We’ve already come through two rounds of the Aviva Community Fund selection process.

Now we need your help to take us closer to our goal.

Click on the link below to find out more about the project and how your vote can help!

https://community-fund.aviva.co.uk/voting/project/view/17-6385

We are all excited that the National League Season will start soon. Basketball is the game we all love. Coaches, players, parents, physiotherapists, strength and conditioning specialists, team followers and managers spend hours in training sessions, games and on the road pursuing The Excellence of victory. However, all cannot be achieved unless we provide a safe environment for our athletes.

Concussion in sport, especially in basketball, is a common and serious injury that can affect any athlete. It must be recognised and the player must be removed when signs and potential symptoms of concussion are observed in practice sessions or games.

What is Concussion?

–          Concussion is defined as a complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by biomechanical forces.

–          Concussion is a brain injury caused by either direct or indirect forces to the head.

–          Concussion typically results in the rapid onset of short-lived impairment of brain function.

–          Loss of consciousness is NOT a requirement to diagnose concussion.

Visible signs/ what you see (Signs that coaches, patents and all involved see in players):

• Dazed, blank or vacant look

• Lying motionless on ground / Slow to get up

• Unsteady on feet / Balance problems or falling over / unco-ordination

• Loss of consciousness or responsiveness

• Confused / not aware of plays or events

• Grabbing / clutching of head

• Convulsion (seizure)

• More emotional / Irritable

What you feel (Players)

• Headache • Dizziness • Mental clouding, confusion, or feeling slowed down • Visual problems • Nausea or vomiting • Fatigue • Drowsiness / Feeling like “in a fog“/ difficulty concentrating• “Pressure in head” • Sensitivity to light or noise

Questions to ask:

Failure to answer any of these questions correctly may suggest a concussion:

• “What venue are we at today?”

• “Which half is it now?”

• “Who scored last in this game?”

• “What team did you play last week / game?”

• “Did your team win the last game?”

If a player has signs or symptoms of a possible concussion that player must be:

RECOGNISED AND REMOVED and IF IN DOUBT, SIT THEM OUT.

Your club physiotherapists are following GB basketball guidelines in concussion assessment, management and will guide you towards the correct direction. If they are around at the time of injury, notify them immediately and if they are not available the player must be taken to hospital for the check-up.

Take the concussion seriously, Keep Your Head Right and always remember the 6 Rs in concussion care:

Recognise – Remove – Refer – Rest – Recover – Return.

Ali Barvareh

Manchester Magic Basketball Physiotherapist

Main Reference:

http://img.basketballengland.co.uk/media/BasketballEnglandWeb/Docs/Safeguarding/Concussion%20Guidelines%20Feb%202016.pdf