Bourtreehill and Broomlands Community Association (BABCA) would like to get some new decorations for Santa's home at their annual Christmas Fayre the Grotto needs a makeover and this year they would like to make it a free grotto so every boy and girl who has been good gets a gift if they visit Santa at the Christmas Fayre. Santa loves to see all the children and this event is always popular at the Christmas Fayre.

Holding the Christmas Fayre yearly brings the community together the fayre attracts a lot of local craft people as well as it brings all the organisations who use the centre on a weekly basis like So Lovely, Veterans, Brownies, pipe band, Children's First etc an opportunity to fund raise for their individual groups it brings them all together to create a positive change in their local community. The Christmas Fayre also allows BABCA the opportunity to enlist new committee members and volunteers for the food larder (Farm Basket) whilst engaging with the general public.

BABCA would also like to organise a Valentine sixties and seventies night held in the Towerlands Community Centre with a live band to encourage people into Towerlands Community Centre to see what is happening in the centre. The Adults would have the option to come in fancy dress. A wee trip back in time with hits from musical artists from the sixties and seventies like the Beatles, Elvis, Buddy Holly, Diana Ross to name a few.

We also want to use this opportunity to see what community events the community want to see happen in the centre throughout the year. Holding a yearly social engagement helps us as a committee gauge what the community want to see happening in the centre when we organise events.

The criteria we hit are health and wellbeing that address social isolation, social wellbeing of people with learning disabilities, build confidence as people from the Community farm basket shop attend social events it brings people from an intergenerational groups together with social events such as the Christmas Fayre and social event.

We also hit building Community Spirit as the projects and both events will bring people from all walks of life together, old and young. BABCA are all volunteers on the committee who run the centre and look forward to holding events for the community. We would like the following if possible

Entertainment £400

Food pies  times 80 = £80

Hall Hire - £115.50

Santa's decorations £50

presents for Santa  -£300

Total funding    £945.50

£70 hall lets

£400 catering 

£160 music 

£80 publicity 

£40 misc/cost of living increase 

The event is to inform older people in community of services and activities available in the area including networking within the community.

A great social aspect event in the community.

We would use the funding to take all the Pegasus group members on a 2 trips over the next year to bowling and a summer fun day. This would be a real boost to the mental health and wellbeing of all the group members and provide an opportunity that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford. Going away on trips allows the group to bond closer together and link up with each other.

The outing will help improve the mental health and wellbeing of the group members and we will have a higher bus cost due to needing one which is accessible for wheelchairs. Having this outing will improve the lives of people in the local area who have additional support needs and support them to do an activity which would be very expensive otherwise. Going away on trips like this allow group members to form closer relationships and get to know each other better. It also improves the mental health and wellbeing of participants and volunteers who run the group by going away on trips like this.

Breakdown;

£500 bus hire per trip x 2 bus trips

TOTAL - £1000

Our goal is to continue providing community lunches and providing catering services, working in partnership with other local groups and  bringing all members of our local community together regularly with a focus on alleviating poverty, reducing social isolation and enhancing mental health and well-being. 

Our community group offers  free  lunches,or takes small donations, to all residents within Irvine, many of whom are affected by poverty, poor mental health, and social isolation and these lunches provide a vital lifeline, offering not only nourishment but also a sense of belonging and connection. These meals foster social interaction, breaking the cycle of isolation and helping improve their mental well-being.

In addition to the lunches, having a trained chef as a volunteer the group now offers an external catering service to partner organisations at cost which generates income, enhancing the sustainability of the group and allowing the group to continue supporting the community. Volunteers who help run the lunches and catering service will receive essential training in areas such as REHIS (food safety), hospitality, barista skills, first aid, and customer service. These skills not only equip volunteers to support the efforts but also enhance their employability and confidence, empowering them to make a meaningful difference in their community and benefiting them in other areas of their lives.

In order to achieve this the money provided would help with running costs for the lunches and provide external training for volunteers.

Breakdown:

Running Costs, including food and caretakers costs                         £500.00

Training and admin costs                                                                   £500.00

Total applied for                                                                                £1000.00

The Canny Crafters Group is a local sewing and craft group open to all, offering support in crochet, sewing and the art of repurposing old materials into new, creative projects. Based at the Redburn Centre, the group works in partnership with the friends f redburn community group and has been active for around a year. What began with just 4 members has grown to a ful group of 12 participants and two dedicated volunteers. Together htey have created a variety of handmade items, including Christmas wreaths, hand knitted goods and crochet crats and they plan to hot stalls at local events selling their handmade goods to help sustain the group and ensure its continued success.

The group fosters creativity and skill deelopment while offering a warm, commujnity focused atmosphere and for the members attending it has many benefits, including learning new skills, making new friends, and promoting mental well being. It provides a creative outlet, cost free access and a supportive environment where the members can recieve guidance on personal or group projects, enhancing a sense of belonging.

The group would like to apply for the cost of tickets to be able to attend 2 Creative Craft shows at the SECC to see differnt types of crafting and get ide4as for thier own group and also to buy resources such as wool and fbric for future projects.

Breakdown of Costs

Creative Craft Show Tickets March 2025 x 14 £168

Creative Craft Show Tickets Xmas 2025 x 14 £168

Resources such as wool, fabric, patterns etc £350

Total 686