This proposal will provide a fund to create professionally designed event boards, which will be displayed in the Largs Community Council Garden, adjacent to the A78. These will be in A1 size, and provide details in large font of:

• Event
• Date 
• Location
• Website 

It is clear that social media and even print media has limitations to reach, not least because we find that the older demographic do not engage social media, and the Largs and Millport News cannot provide endless free promotion. Many people do not find out about events on Social media until AFTER the event. 

The Largs Community Council successfully bid for grant funding for Tourist Information Notices boards which are now in place at the Seafront Car Park. We continue to receive feedback from the community that they 'didn't know that was on', whether for Yuletide, Community Cinema or other events and this proposal seeks to address a gap in providing information to those in the area. 

It is intended that this fund is used on a 'per event' basis, to allow non-profit groups the opportunity to promote their event to a large audience, without being burden with the cost. LCC are minded to engage with groups such as The Boys Brigade, Parent Councils, Mens Shed, Largs SWRI, Largs Community Development Trust, Dementia Friendly Largs, Food Larder, Access to Food, Largs Naz (Community events) and others to help them promote their events, increase footfall and drive success for their groups. 

LCC believe this proposal will:

Support Community Spirit - whilst larger events may have budget to publicity, smaller, voluntary organisations have limited finds, and we believe this proposal will help promote local, community based events, and bring the community together, whether through fairs, cinema screenings, workshops or speaking events. Participation in local events creates community cohesion and helps reduce Social Isolation and promotes feelings of physical & mental health wellbeing 

Health and Wellbeing - Our overall aim is to promote local events, and in doing so, we believe that we can help improve the Health And Wellbeing of the community. We know through our Community Cinema events how much people enjoy and the sense of community it bring about. Largs has a vibrant community sector and the more people engaged, the better for everyone. 

Cost of LIving - LCC Access to Food supports Community based Food Events and learning to cook projects and fundraising events ie "tea dances". This provides a sustainable way for individuals and families to prepare healthy but low cost food during the cost of living crisis. Whilst attendance has been increasing, the more people that are aware of events, the more who can benefit. Hard to reach families may not be aware of the events and this is a way they can find out without any stigma, quite the opposite. 

Green Projects -  As referenced above, amongst the groups we intend to engaged to support events are Largs Green Futures and future events to promote growing own produce. The LCC Anti Litter Campaign : plans further Seafront "litter Pick" events which can be promoted, along with other active groups in the area. 

Cost Breakdown:

Budgeted promotion of up to 9 events within 12 month period (if we can 

• A1 (594x841mm) sized print onto 5mm Foamex board £44.50 plus VAT.
• Design per event board expected 1 hour design £45+VAT
• 9 event boards £108inc VAT = £972

(Quotation provided by Largs Print Company. If 4 event boards are ordered at a time, the cost will reduce by £10 per units, which would go towards additional boards)

It should be noted that boards will be designed to be reuseable - where an event is recurring annually (for example, school fairs, Dementia Walk, Yuletide etc), the DATE section can be overlaid with this is it anticipated that the number of events that will be promoted will be at least three fold if not more. LCC will stored all boards to future reuse. 

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

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. 

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. 

The Millport Town Hall charity was formed by the community of the Isle of Cumbrae to improve the welfare of islanders by providing space and activities to address anxiety, stress and social isolation, particularly in our more vulnerable community members. We're transforming our previously derelict Town Hall into a vibrant, self-sustaining Community Hub, Arts & Culture and Heritage/Conservation centre that will deliver social events, self-help groups, creative and performing arts, indoor sports and volunteering opportunities for the whole community.

We're preparing for Millport Town Hall to open to the community in 2025. A key facility will be the kitchen, which reaches across the ground floor with access to all spaces and which will be available for community groups and event organisers to use. We’re seeking funding to support installing a large fridge freezer.    

The cost is £1199 - the balance of £199 is coming from local fundraising.

Barrfield Community Garden is a new space located in Largs. Though only created in the winter of 2023, already volunteers have brought in raised beds, planted a large varity of vegetables, fruits, and flowers, and harvested vegetables which were  donated to the Largs Food Bank. We have served as a site for local small projects as well as a well-being space allowing local people with varying levels of ability to work with plants. We hope to expand this site in the coming years to grow more food and create a space for local people of all ages and ability to engage with, as well as of course continue to grow tasty food and beautiful flowers to share with Largs and those who presently do not have access to healthy, locally-grown food.

At present, the site has water but no electricity. We'd love to keep a few plants growing well into the autumn and need to procure solar-powered grow lights to do so. This involves the purchase of two sets of grow lights with attached solar panels to keep our melon, pepper, lettuce and tomato harvests going into the late autumn.

Our water pipes are at present not protected from the colder temperatures that come with Scottish winter. We are seeking to insulate the water pipes and employ a local plumber to install this insulation. 

In the interest of increasing the environmental sustainability of the Barrfield Community Garden space, we would like to install drain pipes and water butts. This will allow the garden to collect and utilise rainwater for watering the garden's beds and indoor plants.

People in Largs may be aware we recently experienced vandalism to the garden. After this event, we would like to  install a motion-activated camera, as well as solar- powered, motion-activated lights for the main path into the garden.

Adequate amounts of compost will be needed for planting over the winter, including but not limited to the growing of garlic and seed potatoes.

We would in future hope to create a tiered garden on the hilly portion at the east side of the garden. The area is at present covered with thistles and weeds, so we would to cover this area with weed-killing membrane as the first step of this project.

10 Meter weed membrane roll (x10) @ £6.95 = £69.50

10w led Solar grow light (x2) @ 68.50 = £137.00

Motion sensor lights for pathway lighting (x6) @ £6.99 = £41.94

SolarCam Kit with night vision and SDCard = £85

Builders bag Compost  = £52 

Insulation for water pipes, materials and labor = £200

Water butts and guttering for rainwater collection = £400

We are a local, volunteer run club that provides instruction in the Martial Art of Shotokan Karate to adults, youth and children. Karate teaches self respect, discipline, respect for others and the importance of healthy exercise. We have run various courses bringing world class instructors to the local area as well as taking part in local, national and international events and competitions. Any money taken in fees helps fund our courses and subsidise our students competition entry fees and or travelling costs.

As a local sports club we are keen to promote positive mental wellbeing as well as physical health, we encourage our members to participate at their own level of fitness whilst providing a variety of exercises to work towards improving their overall fitness and skill level. We have a code of conduct which ensures our members are supported and have polices in place to ensure our club is an inclusive space where participants feel welcome and respected. 

The provision of t-shirts with the club logo will help to raise the profile of the local area and also instil a sense of pride and connection to the area in our students. This will help our members to develop community spirit through a sense of belonging. We hope this will also encourage new members to join enhancing our community. 

The ability to provide these t-shirts at no or little cost to the students also prevents anyone feeling  marginalised in this current difficult financial climate. This will ensure equality and finacial inclusion during the cost of living crisis. This will make joining the Karate club more accessable for those who may not have the finacial resources to access similar activites that require equipment or clothing to participate. 

As a club we are passionate about the enviromental impact. We encourage our members to walk or wheel to the club training sessions where possible as a way to promote positive change to reduce our carbon footprint and encourage enviromental awarness, to this end we are looking at ecologically sound t-shirts utilising organic and recycled materials where possible..

We would seek to purchase around 60 t-shirts as this would allow us to distribute them to our current members as well as encouraging new members to join. 

Purchase of 30 Adult T shirts with logo, including set up cost for logo £400 

Purchase of 30 Kids T shirts with logo: £300.00

The Clyde Coast & Cumbraes Mens Shed is becoming more and more integrated into the community everytime we open our doors, we are being asked to make or repair more and more varied items by the public, Local charitable causes & local businesses, which gives the membership a great sense of achievement and a feeling belonging to the community, which improves their mental health and wellbeing. 

We held evening sessions with the Scottish Womens Institute & the Largs Boys Brigade on seperate nights, which were greatly received and has lead to us organing evening session with both groups which will help to teach them new skills and hopefully develop into something that can use in the future.

The breakdown of costs for the funding is as follows.

1. For 2 Erbauer Impact Drivers £199.98
2. For 1 Erbauer Impact Wrench £69.99
3. For 2 Trade screw Packs £139.98
4. For 10M of 220mmx 20 Planed Pine £248.88 at current prices
5. For 50M of 150 x 19 Rough sawn Fence palanks £220.40 at current prices
6. For 20M of 47x50mm Rough sawn timber £101.00 at current prices

Largs Events’ objective is to bring events to the town that will bring pleasure for the residents and their families, whilst also increasing footfall to a popular “seaside town” which following the pandemic and consequential “Cost of Living” crisis, has seen a changing and declining landscape of choice and facilities. Increasing awareness of the available choices is key to creating a friendly and enjoyable experience to residents and visitors alike. We have managed to increase our events by use of a local partnership to facilitate markets with specific “topics” and these have proved popular. One of our foundation Events is the annual “Yuletide Night” which has always been popular, and we would like to carry this on. Last year the night cost Largs Events £3,422.00 as we continued our long-term objective of “Social Inclusiveness” and everything “Free”, and indeed all our events are wherever possible free, and across all genders and ages. As a committee we decided to refrain from approaching the troubled businesses last year because of the financial situation and will try to do that until a more appropriate time. This year we have been advised by NAC that the erection\dismantling of the Lights will need to be paid for and we are actively pursuing funding for this in order to ensure Yuletide actually happens. We have already obtained funding to buy new lights as the existing one are failing and beyond their best and hope to have this in place for this year.

Our Yuletide night is a night for all the family and we would like to ensure there is something there for all family members and here is where we are asking for help. We usually try to have an area for live entertainment ranging from choirs to some local entertainers, this we have in the past been unable to make best use of due to lack of funds and would like to ask for a sum of £1000 to hire the stage area, to accommodate the local singers, but to make better use of, we can get hire some more “established” musicians to come to Largs and people can enjoy them, again foc. Any spare funds could also be used to add extra entertainment to the event, but without current costings we cannot say at this stage.

Our normal Fundraising activities will continue with the hope of building on the last couple of years successful events, whilst maintaining our desire to make Largs a town we can all be very proud of.