Children 1st staff is applying on behalf of group. Our coffee and connect group was originally created by Children 1st at the start of 2023 after they were successful in money for their local community. The reason for the group was because parents and carers felt like there was no opportunity to connect with others in their area. Since then, we have grown into a consistent and strong group who meet on a weekly basis at Children 1st space in Bourtreehill. We all have our own family story

We have looked at ways to increase relaxation spaces across our school community and are looking to add more Rainbow bench table & chairs to our infant area. This has been a successful community shared space area for the senior end. We  would like to mirror this for the infant pupils so they can also have this opportunity for an outdoor community space to promote their relaxation & wellness. We would also be looking to add some umbrellas to the tables for both the senior & infant areas.

Vennel Gardens Entertainment Committee aims to provide weekly social events for residents of Vennel Gardens Sheltered Housing and wider community members to help reduce social isolation and enhance health and well being. The group has been active for over a year now and has over 50 members who attend weekly activities such as lunch clubs, live entertainment and bingo afternoons.

Irvine Camera Club will host public photography walks in North Ayrshire, providing photographic help and advice (artistic and practical) to anyone who attends. We will follow this up with a Photography Competition open to enter to anyone residing in North Ayrshire. We will judge the competition and award prizes to the winners. As a result of this work, we propose to curate an exhibition of the best images at the Harbour Arts Centre (HAC)

Working alongside a local artist we will run two groups in the Irvine area focusing on improving mental health and wellbeing through the use of creative arts. One group (5 sessions) will be for Kinship carers and 5 Kinship family sessions.

As planned the Irvine Sharks have established in their first year a senior men’s basketball team made up of members all approaching 40 or over. Many who had been inactive over the past years. This has led to a dramatic boost in members physical and mental health. The men’s team completed the season winning the Strathclyde Basketball League Division 3 18-0 and have received promotion to Division 2.