We would like to apply for funding to take the residents of Saltcoats High Flats on trips and outings throughout the year. As an older community of people with a range of mobility needs, many of us live by ourselves. We can go days without talking to people. The High Flats Afternoon Club brings us together with the common theme of living in the same buidling. 

We would like to be able to book some trips and days out but due to many different mobility needs, such as walking frames, sticks etc, we need accessible transport. Transport is very expensive and if we were to get £800, we could use a varierty of taxis, minibus or small bus hires to take us on some days out. 

£500 for transport costs

£300 for entrance fees, food and drink etc.

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. 

The project is Art Venturers it is a programme designed fo babies and children under three years.  The aim is to develop a childs creativity by providing experiences and opportunities for creative play in a relaxed environment.  Children explore and create at their own pace and develop a sense of well being .  the programme promotes bonding and attachments between the babies and their caregivers.  A professional early years worker leads the sessions and the sessions are planned to support childrns development.

The costs of the project is 20 sessions at £50 per session £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.

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

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.

SeaSalt Streets are seeking funding to continue its successful run of events in and around Saltcoats Town Centre. These pop-up events have included a "kerbie" competition, a basketball challenge, a bird box building day and more recently, the Betsy Miller Awareness Day.

These occasions are intended to create a talking point, a feel good factor, a want to get involved, inspiring others to create their own events, thereby starting a Ripple Effect !!!

If successful, SeaSalt Streets intend to use the funding to hire 2 smoothie bikes and a life size interactive cow. The 2 smoothie bikes, 1 adult and 1 child's, each have a built-in blender which, when peddled by the individual, mixes the milk, fruit/syrup of their choice, into a healthy smoothie drink.

The interactive cow has milking teats, which, when "milked" dispenses water giving the milker the opportunity of a lifetime to "milk a cow" A unique, one-off experience which will create a lasting memory to the participants. 

Estimated costs :

  Smoothie bikes + insurance        £350.00                                      Interactive Milking Cow                £185.00                                      Smoothie Supplies  60lt milk,                                                             fruit, syrups, 250 cups                £150.00                                    2 x Operators @ 4 hrs each          £180.00                                    Delivery & set up costs                  £70.00                                      Promotional materials                   £50.00

  TOTAL                                              £985.00

The group will use this event as an opportunity to promote the Health and Well-being benefits of eating well, and by introducing regular physical activity, the individual can bring about personal change.

By involving families, SeaSalt Streets, by way of these interactive events, hope to continue to build up community spirit and create positive changes both to to individuals and the wider community. 

HMS Dasher Memorial - Ardrossan

HMS Dasher was a Royal Navy aircraft carrier that blew up on 27 Mar 1943 and the parade weekend is always the closest weekend to the anniversary.  Even though it was 80 years ago, we still have family members of the crew attending each year.  On Sat 29 Mar, there will be a service at sea on board the CalMac ferry, which will stop over the wrecksite. There will be wreathes laid at the memorial at Brodick ticket office.  On Sun 30 Mar, there will be a parade at the sunken garden across the road from St Peters in Chains church, where family members and community groups will have the chance to lay wreathes, flowers and other tributes

2024 costs 

Outgoings                           £   919.20

Biodegradable Flowers   £   100.00

Entertainment                   £   200.00

Buffet                                   £   240.00

Fri Catering                         £     20.00

Wreath centrepieces       £      9.20

St Peter's                              £   100.00

IoC Pipe Band                    £   250.00

Remembrance Day

Stevenston

Static Remembrance Day service in afternoon of Sun 10 Nov at the memorial outside the council building on New Street supported by Auchenharvie Academy, Stevenston youth organisations, including Stevenston Boys' Brigade and Scouts.

Saltcoats

Parade from Bradshaw Street, through Dockhead Street and Hamilton Street to the war memorial on the roundabout outside Cafe Melbourne in the morning of Sun 10 Nov.  The parade will be led by the Isle of Cumbrae Pipe Band and will be supported by various organisations, such as Ardrossan Air Cadets, Ardrossan Sea Cadets, church groups and other community organisations.  The service will include the laying of approx 50 wreathes by various groups.  

Costs

Pipe band £1000

Note: costs which exceed this funding request will be paid out of branch funds.  We receive no central funding or council funding specific to these events (other than this application)

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