The Craufurd Simson Park charity will be developing a piece of land acquired from the council for an outdoor play park for use by the residents in West Kilbride.  

In order to develop the park, the children will be invited to contribute to their vision of the park at an event. The event will provide an afternoon of fun, to build community awareness about the project and to make sure that the children are able to play a role in developing the park and feel included in the development.

The event will be hosted in the space the park will be built on (subject to the relevant approvals and insurance).

The event is aimed to be fun for the children, build community spirit, and gather the input we need for the next big step.  We hope that this will build excitement give the children something to look forward to.

We will provide entertainment for the children and an area for the children to build their vision for the park and choose the equipment they would want.

The park will ultimately deliver the proven health and wellbeing benefits of an open space with play equipment for children to engage in physical activity, build social skills and feel part of a community.

Funding for the park will be sought through other funding avenues once the land is transferred through a Community Asset Transfer.

This initiative is championed by the Community Roots and orgnaisation well established in the West Kilbride community. Community Roots is set up to help people live their best healthiest lives with food security and outlets that improve mental and physical well-being. Community Roots runs the Village Larder, SHED & a community garden.

We spend a significant amount of the nursery day in our outdoor garden and forest area.  We are focussed on giving our children the best experience at our nursery and so the skill sets the children develop outside and the opportunities for different ways to play here are a large part of their learning at WKEYC.  Being able to use our outdoor space so well, builds the children's confidence and resilience to playing outside in all weathers.  In order to provide this we always consider both the children and staff's well being and how best to cater for their comfort.  

Therefore we are asking for some smaller items that will make a big difference to their time in the garden.  We are hoping for mobile hand wash stations for warm handwashing outside which is key to children's health and wellbeing; tarpaulins for shelter and ground cover with a tougher tarpolin required as this needs to be robust enough in the stormier weather;  facilities for hot drinks for staff and children to allow them to cintinue for longer outside and feel happier doing so; hand and feet warmers for staff (children are catered for already) and portable seating for staff to take five minutes whilst out in the garden - the children have these facilities in their log chairs. 

Although small these items will have a direct impact on everyone's mental and physical health.  Staff will feel valued and appreciated in their workplace as we try our best to keep them warm and dry and everyone will benefit from being outdoors, learning in a different environment.  This is proven to aid in their overall health and promote other ways to learn.  In some cases, this will also provide an element of play they may not receive at home promoting equal opportunites for our children.

Below are the items we would love to be able to provide for our  children and staff. 

Insulated Mobile Hand wash station x 3 (£204) = £612

Tarpaulin (3m x 4m) for groundsheet = £11.99

Tarpaulin (waterproof and storm proof) for shelter = £75.36

Travel Chairs x 4 (£10) = £40

Hot drink dispenser x 3 (£24.99) = £74.97

Travel mugs for staff x 8 (£9.88) = £79.04

Warm insoles for wellies ( £5.98 for 2 pairs) = £23.92

Hand warmers (40 pk) = £26.49

Total £943.77

There is a document attached with the links to the products we are looking at. As these are live links prices may have varied (especially on Amazon) from when we have looked at these - we will endeavour to purchase as close to these prices as possible. 

We also support people in the community with their food growing by supplying seeds, containers, compost, fertiliser and friendly help and advice. Every year we need to keep our supplies up of compost, fertiliser, seeds, plants, tools as we expand our work. We have been developing our garden by building terraces and new growing areas and this year will be another busy time as we move onto a new area of the garden to develop. By voting for our project you will support us in expanding our food-growing space and garden infrastructure. Our garden was previously an overgrown derelict space and our volunteers have done a tremendous job so far in making it a productive and joyful space. 

We also require a new colour printer so that we can print our signage, save money on leaflets and posters, growing instructions for people we are working with and to draw more people into our projects. As we are keen environmentalists we want to switch to an eco printer. 

Printer and supply of ink and paper £300

Gardening supplies £700

Thank you for your support  and please come and join us Mondays and Wednesdays 9:30-1:30

We have established more sustainable planting and have introduced a range of perennial plants and shrubs in several areas throughout the village. We top up during summer with colourful annuals some which we grow ourselves. We also maintain over 50 hanging baskets which bring colour to the village during the summer months. All our gardens are highly visible in the village and several have seating areas for people to rest and enjoy the plants. One of our gardens has a sensory theme and a Happy to Chat Bench. We believe that the gardens connect people in the village and give a sense of community and pride in our local environment. We work in partnership with a range of other organisations, schools and community and environmental projects who benefit from the range of habitats that we have to offer.

We would be grateful if the PB could support us to bulk buy a selection of bulbs, perennials, plug plants and hanging basket plants to plant out newer gardens and top up our existing gardens. It would also enable a bulk purchase of compost and plant feed

Our proposed project will support the more vulnerable people in the community during the winter months, those  at risk of increased social isolation, loneliness and depression.  

Largs has a higher percentage of elderly and a higher percentage of people less mobile.   Giving them that life line in winter to connect with people encourages them out of the house to be part of daily life in the community.  The social interaction promotes a sense of belonging and safety for those more vulnerable in the winter months.

This will also showcase local establishments who support poor mobility by easy access, encouraging others to spread the word of local residents involved in community life.  We believe that poor mobility should not mean poor involvement.

We propose to meet fortnightly during 6 months of winter.  12  events for an estimated 10 residents  at each.  £8 towards each lunch is £80 x 12 = £960. 

As a small group..we are creating a garden/space for all to enjoy.

A way of giving back to our community

A year ago we took ownership of a desolate,drab and weed-filled area..a year later we have transformed it into an oasis of calm..so important for mental health. We have a spot full of insect life..all our plants are bee/butterfly/pollinator friendly so important as this will be our village legacy for the next generation of up and coming gardeners.

The environmental benefits are exponential.

The village now has a focal point,a meeting place,somewhere to chill.

Our young people have a safe place to access.

Thanks to last years PB award we have a Wee Library..and a large planter filled with pollinator-friendly plants..both built by  Clyde Coast and Cumbrae Men's Shed

Our next wee project is the area at the entrance to the CC..we've already sited a planter full of polinator-friendly plants.

Seating in this area affords views to the hills and also all the play areas too..ideal for parents to watch their kids whilst also allowing them freedom to play.

We would like to purchase two sturdy benches..for the enjoyment of the village of Skelmorlie.

The benches in mind cost £75 pounds each.

They are made locally by a woodcrafter in Dalry.

Total cost would be £150

I moved to Largs late 2022 and created Largs Music Club soon after in response to the interest I received since floating the idea on social media. 

LMC offers an informal setting for amateur musicians to meet on a regular basis and encourage and teach one another to improve their skill-level on their preferred musical instrument.

The club is growing in popularity since word is out that we existing members offer a friendly and relaxed environment for those keen to learn at their own pace without fear of judgement or impatience. As membership is growing, so does the variety of instruments being learned and taught. 

The club relies on individuals contributing their time and equipment to teach fellow members how to play their preferred instrument. With continued funding, I would aim to purchase more equipment to make that teaching more accessible - music stands, microphones, microphone stands, amplifiers, mixing desk and some basic entry level instruments to encourage those who do not own an instrument (but who wish to learn one), to join us. The funding would also contribute to the maintenance (and if necessary, repair) of the equipment purchased in our first year. These items are expensive and realistically will require additional funding from me and some other willing members to supplement any money issued following this application. However, I am confident that your contribution will assist LMC continue to grow in membership and reputation and continue playing music for the community.       

Our club assists develop confidence as well as musical literacy, with participants encouraged to play live for friends and family and now, for larger audiences in the community shows as per my vision. 

Feedback from participants so far evidence the mental health benefits of playing and learning in our community, a benefit I will highlight as I further promote our initiative in the community. 

Members talk about how the club combats loneliness and depression. I hope to continue making this club available for some time to come.

The reason I don’t include a specific breakdown of cost is because our costs are really unpredictable. The idea of the club is that anyone can turn up and learn to play any instrument. So last year we bought, among many other things, a mandolin, a banjo and a saxophone. The demand is driven by who walks through the door and what they want to learn.

We also spend money on instrument maintenance – new strings and replacement parts. Again, we respond to what our members need – replacing guitar strings once they break, for example.

We spent more than £1000 last year (all receipts available) and expect we’ll do the same again next year. That said, I expect you’ll have more applications this year, so we will be very delighted to receive any amount of award.

We at LMC are extremely grateful for your consideration.