We would like to apply for funding to provide a Christmas Lunch and Party for residents, and fund a bus trip to a local shopping centre. We would also like to bring residents together for social events by providing some live entertainment afternoons. 

Christmas Lunch and Party £500

Bus Trip to Shopping Centre £340

Entertainer Fees £160

We are applying for funding to allow us to promote and increase group membership and to help increase ways for participants to share their art. The art of photography is a skill that can be learned and  applied by nearly everyone. The group has already undertaken a successful exhibition, and produced postcards to raise funds. We want to have a further exhibition, to produce more postcards of members photography and sell these to raise funds for local charities.  We feel that participants sharing their photography will raise their confidence and promote wellness and postive mental health. The postcard and exhibition aspect of the project will showcase what is good about the Three Towns rather than 'buy into' negative views and opinions, thereby promoting community spirit and appreciation. costs will be as follows, print cartridges - £200, Mounting Boards - £80, Postcard printing £100, Banner/flag £200, Craft knifes/tape/backing card £100, travel costs £200.

We are a group of retirees who enjoy yoga instruction, with a registered tutor, every Tuesday morning in Saltcoats Town Hall. We have 25 members, all over 60, most over 70 and several over 80 years of age. Our current hall cannot accommodate any more than 25 and this is a sufficient number for our tutor to oversee safely. We operate a waiting list and we are inclusive of all retirees. Our group has been going for almost 20 years. Yoga keeps us physically active and improves our strength,flexibility, stamina and balance, which is imperative as we age to keep us from falling. Yoga also helps us menally, by coping with stress, when we do our breathing exercises and relaxation at the end of each class.

Many of our members are now widowed or dealing with the illness of a partner and  have consequently lost much of their social life.  We have one member who is registered blind and several who are hearing impaired. This all leads to isolation and lonliness. Covid has had a massive effect on many of us but we set up a WhatsApp group to enable us to keep in touch via phone calls and messages and to offer support when we need a shoulder to lean on.  We like to have coffee meet ups and/or lunches which allows us the time to talk together and find out if anyone is going through a rough time and perhaps needs some support.  We also try to have a day trip and a Christmas Dinner each year.  This allows us to the have the time to just enjoy a day or an evening out together to have fun. As we all know the cost of living is increasing rapidly and we live in an area of deprivation, so to be able to fund some get togethers and outings means a great deal to those who are no longer able to work.

We are all finding that technology is moving too fast for us, but as a group, we are there to offer assistance, if possible, and try to figure things out between us.  We struggle sometimes with so many things having to be done online i.e. applying for funding, making bookings, accessing menus or information and even at times trying to make a GP  appintment or order prescriptions. It's getting more difficult to access hard copies of forms and menus etc. Even when shopping ' It's all online' we hear them say.  A laptop of our own would make things much easier .as phone screens are too small for to see and are difficult for those with arthritic fingers.  We could hopefully learn together, and from one another, how to use a laptop effectively and erase the need for paper copies to be printed thereby helping the environment too. 

We have included a video below.

Yoga lessons £550, Coffee/lunch £250, refurbished laptop £200 = £1000

The explorer unit is based in the three towns and is made up of young people aged between 14 and 18 years of age. The unit leaders are unable to supply the adventurous activities that the young persons wish to take part in. These activities are available at the nation Scout Outdoor Activity centre at Lochgoilhead. They would be able to take part in activities like abseiling, climbing, mountain biking, burn run, sailing and kayaking . We plan to attend there in March 2025 which would allow us time to raise sufficient funds to attend. The total cost for this project is £2050. The cost includes accommodation, food, all activities and safety equipment. We plan to take a party of 12 persons to this event. Booking for the centre is £167 per head. Total of £2004. Transport by private cars is estimated at £46 to cover fuel costs.

Building on the tree planting work we have undertaken in Holm Plantation over the past two years, we plan to plant several hundred Bluebell bulbs in the woodland areas at the site and plant an additional 20 apple trees in the community orchard we recently planted there. This would be the latest part of our ongoing attempts to make this greenspace more diverse, interesting and attractive.

The funding we are applying for would be spent as follows:

- £250 for Bluebell bulbs.

- £706 for 20 apple trees, inlcuding delivery.

Our group has grown from three members into double digits and we have recieved support from Councillors, MSP's and MP's, not to mention local business throughout Ardrossan.  Our current project is focused on Ardrossan Harbour. The situation at the harbour has lingered on for years and years and with little to no information being announced and quite frankly the town of Ardrossan is being forgotten.

The Ardrossan to Brodick sailing not only provides the shortest, most efficient, and cheapest lifeline to Arran it is a vital heartbeat of community life on both the mainland and the island. There is constant talk of ferries and crossings and tourism. However, the human factor is rarely discussed and how Ardrossan Harbour plays a big part in the day to day to life of people in the community.

The foundation stone of Ardrossan Harbour was laid on 31st June 1806 and completed in 1864, initially proposed by the 12th Earl of Eglinton. The harbour has been a hive of industry in the town from its early days exporting coal, stone and pig iron to Europe. Contrast that with the situation we see today when the Harbour has been left in a perilous state with its very future on the line.

It may not be the main exporter these days but there is plenty of businesses that are drawn to the harbour and as a result into the town of Ardrossan itself. Businesses on both sides of the crossing suffer the ebb and flow of customers in direct proportion to the number of sailings. These are hard working locals who have chosen to support their town and invest here while providing a service for the community. Without these businesses we will have higher local unemployment, reduced facilities, and abandoned units. Businesses need to be able to plan and a timely process regarding the business case for Ardrossan Harbour would have afforded them option.

The harbour has many more links to the town and communities surrounding it than business. Healthcare plays it role as many islanders attend dentists, doctors, opticians, clinics and hospitals on the mainland. The Ardrossan to Brodick sailing allows this vital healthcare network to function. The infrastructure is there from boat to train to destination in easy, tried and tested ways.

We ask all stakeholders involved; Peel Ports, Calmac, CMAL, North Ayrshire Council and the Scottish Government to plainly lay out all relevant information pertaining to Ardrossan Harbour. The long-delayed business case for the work to be carried delayed time and again with a variety of explanations only serve to sow confusion. There is urgent action needed to save Ardrossan harbour and that needs to be discussed publicly and the route forward needs to be clearly marked out giving everyone in the community an opportunity to plan.

Mistakes have certainly been made along the way and that is inevitable, and nothing is irreversible, however, we at Save Ardrossan Harbour ask clearly for all involved to show respect to the towns and people of the communities affected by the ongoing harbour issues. This can be achieved through open truthful discussion and transparency through every stage of the process.

We aim to ensure that everyone can raise their voice in this matter and our funding will be used to increase our community engagement by organising information/fun days, advertising through leaflets and posters and hiring local venues that will allow us to interact with the public.

Costings:

Hall hire for Civic centre in Ardrossan, Small hall £7.70 per hour = 3 hour booking £23.10

Large hall £15.45 per hour = 3 hour booking £46.35

We would be hiring the hall out to host public meetings and community information and drop in sessions.

We are also planning a fun day to generate interest and buil the groups profile. Inflatables cost £180.80 for 3 hour booking and there would be a DJ at £180 and a buffet in the region of £200.

For these events we would also purchase some pop up banners at a cost of £65 plus vat, two banners roughly £156 including vat.

The remaining funds would be used to purchase leaflets to hand out at these sessions.

Expansion of the facilities of the Community Corner - £200

Provision of hot beverages, soup, sandwiches and biscuits- £800

If we were to be sussessful with the funding the money would help us offer the community the free meal & hot drink 3 times per week so they are able to come along sit in the heat get a hot meal and a wee chat with friends or just to see some friendly faces in the cafe. We would love to offer this throughtout the day from morning to later afternoon as we know people have different circumstances in life and may not be able to get out early and also we want to encourage parents to come in before the school pick up as we know with the cost of living parents may skip a meal and this way they have had something warm to eat before heading home. Also we encourage anyone coming along to the cafe to charge any devices they may have including mobility scooters to try help them save some of their own electricity. We are here to help with any calls that may need to be made regarding any home issues they have, for exmaple if they have any issues with gas or electric and they are unsure how to call for help or advise. 

Cost for running over 3 days per week for 12 weeks

Food cost per week £120

£100 per week for hot drinks

At our get togethers every second Sunday we do crafts along with providing refreshments for everyone who attends and this is free of charge. We also have a planned activity for everyone to take part in if they wish too, these range from mini pamper treatments, to meditation and even a starter class in hypnosis.  we are looking to get some funding to help towards the events that we have planned for the rest of this year these are taking families to pantomime, hold Christmas/Halloween/Family nights with games, food n movies, stocking up our food bank, buying Christmas gifts for families or offering a respite day for parents who need it and all this without the financial burden.

The ongoing cost of liviing crisis is continueing to have a significant impact on households ability to eat, heat and survive. We are looking to continue to support our community be being able to offer the range of foods that we currently have. Due to ongoing price rises, the community shop will not be able to provide the same choice and range of products if we are unable to secure funding to achieve this. Having access to a range of foods, provides a dignified support for families when they are at their most vulnerable.

£1000 would allow us to purchase food over a 3 month period, which will take us over the depth of winter when energy bills are highest for families. This equates to £83.33 per week and we support approx 65 household each week which is only £1.28 per household per week for food.