Craufurd Simson Park - Engaging the community

WKEG maintain over 30 community gardens in West Kilbride. These include station planters and gardens, memorial garden, plus Catlinn, Old Mans Rest, Barony Centre, Cherry Orchard planters, library and Boyd Orr gardens. We also have 2 fields, a wood, wildflower meadow and community orchard. The group operate from Garratt Gardens where there are poly tunnels, ponds, fruit bushes and a wide range of habitats. All this is achieved entirely by a wonderful group of volunteers who meet once a week.

We are looking for funding to provide t-shirts to existing club members and to offer them to new members as a way of building community, fostering healthy exercise and good mental health in an inclusive setting.

In 2024 our Summer Wheel and Walk club was established for people with poor mobility, encouraging people more outdoors to socialise and engage with community events. This has been a success. We are applying to fund a winter project to continue encouraging people with poor mobility to gather and be more involved with the community. This fund will purchase lunches in establishments that have wheelchair and mobility scooter access, supporting social isolation and financial hardship during winter.

'The Space' is a community hub offering advice services, access to a credit union and a space for community groups to meet. The grant will allow us to launch Largs Community Development Trust (Largs CDT) and open 'The Space' community hub.

SHED is a community gardening project based at the Community Roots Garden in Main Street West Kilbride. We have weekly gardening sessions, offering a relaxed space to learn no-dig and permaculture food growing whilst coming together for friendship. The group is as much focussed on mental and physical wellbeing as it is on food security and sustainability. We distribute the food we grow amongst the volunteers and the local Village Larder.

This proposal seeks funding to provide Event boards to publicise key events in Largs and the North Coast area. These will be situated in a key location on the main A78 road and be visible to pedestrians, drivers and bus passengers. The aim is to seek to better promote community events to those who live, work and visit Largs and the North Coast.

Cycling Without Age Scotland (CWAS) is a charity providing FREE outings for elderly people with mobility issues. Our volunteer pilots (trishaw cyclists) take people out of their care homes to enjoy fresh air and engagement with the outdoors along the Promenade at Largs.