Choices Community Shop is a community food project set up by volunteers in the community to provide food with dignity to those in need. The funding will be used to help reduce the impact of poverty within the community based on individual needs. Our Community Shop has capacity to support approximately 100 households per week but with over 400 registered, many have to wait. This grant will allow for more households to be able to get support when they need it by getting access as required.

Funding required to help with participation in the Scottish Festival of Brass in Perth.

The Vennel Friends Irvine Discovery Group are based at the Vennel Gardens Engagement Hub. The group has been active since May 2023 and has 15 registered members. The group offers a social setting with the opportunity for participants to complete the Discovery Award, comprising of the bronze, silver and gold levels. The Group aims to enhance the lives of all those over 50 years of age and to provide an incentive, through personal challenges, to lead a happy, healthy, and active life.

Formed in 2022 and constituted earlier this year, we are a group of volunteers who survey the core path network in Eglinton Country Park and identify problem areas affecting accessibility. We primarily improve paths where there is flooding and cut back branches and bushes along borders to help make paths accessible for all park users.

We would like to host 2 networking events to raise the profile of Irvine Community Council and other voluntary organisations of Irvine.

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.

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.