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. 

What The Trust is about

Largs Community Development Trust (Largs CDT) has secured premises in Boyd Street, Largs to use as a base for the organisation's work, to be called 'The Space'.  Part of that work will be working alongside other organisations, such as offering access to benefit advice services and a credit union. 

Largs CDT is a local organisation set up and run by local volunteers. We aim to work for the benefit of the community in Largs by addressing a range of economic, social, environmental and cultural issues.

The launch will have several aims:

This application is to help launch our activities and raise awareness of the new facility, and help us sign up the community of Largs as 'Friends', improve awareness and recognition of the Trust and the work we do.

We want the launch to:

• Create momentum and encourage people to join as Friends
• Help us create a register of volunteer's skills within in the community
• Capture the ideas and opinions of Largs people
• Commmunicate the Trust's aims and objectives using eg, leaflets, posters, banners, signboards, events
• "The Trust is for people like me" — speak to the community across all ages and experiences of life
• Gather feedback and create interest in current and future projects

We plan to have a number of days where we distribute leaflets and goodies promoting the Trust on and around Largs Main Street, and at The Space community hub. The objective is to encourage the people of Largs to engage with the Trust, see The Space as a place and the Trust as an organisation that supports them, their aspirations and the well-being of the community.

Proposed marketing materials we are seeking funding for: 

• 10x XL t-shirts, pinted front and back £210
• 2x 2.5m feather flags £240
• 300x window cling vinyls £150
• 1,000x A4 DL (99x210mm) Friends joining forms £145
• 1,000x A4 DL (99x210mm) flyers about Largs CDT and its aims/objectives £145
• Posters, social media boosting and targetting £100

We have obtained the help of professional designers to help us with communications, design and a website which will go live with the events. We also anticipate creating other communications eg, press releases, photoshoots, digital media to publicise the event.

Largs CDT is registered as a Scottish charity (SCIO SC053580)

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

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. 

Just before Easter 2024, we conducted workshops with young people and children in West Kilbride to explain and encourage them to use photographs as a means to tell stories and impart information. The children and young people then submitted their images on the theme of "Oor Hame", telling what made their home, home. These images were then exhibited in the windows of the shops and other businesses along Main Street and Ritchie Street in the village, creating an open air gallery which residents and visitors to the village could enjoy.

We wish to repeat this project during the same Easter holidays for 2025, but this time we will be running the workshops with the cooperation of West Kilbride Primary School and other youth groups (Brownies, Boys' Brigade etc). In 2024 we held the workshops at what we later realised was not an ideal time, and did not get the level of involvement of young people we believe the project has the potential to engage; that said, we did receive nearly 50 images, and the exhibition was a success, but we believe that with more targeted workshops we could easily receive 10 times the number of images, making the open air gallery that much larger and spreading the collected images around more of West Kilbride's streets.

The project in 2024 looked at what "Hame" means, as it was triggered by Mandy Edwards' documentary project of the same name. For 2025 we have yet to identify a theme (we intend to consult with the school, groups and, most importantly the children) but believe that "Oor Hame" is a good name for the ongoing project, whatever theme is adopted, as it emphasises the community nature of the project.

Funding is required for workshop facilitation (£200), purchase of single use cameras (£250) printing and presentation of images (£150), publicity material (£100)