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 hope to apply for support towards contributing to our Trips (£500) and a Christmas Dinner (£500).

The group was set up after 3 men in their 40s got back into their teenage hobby of painting warhammer miniatures during the Covid Lockdowns and reconnected on social media.  Each of them suffered from social anxiety and found reintegrating extremely difficult.  After a few years of chatting together online the idea to set up a small gaming group to actually play the games was discussed.  After publishing the idea on social media 18 people showed interest so the group went ahead. Initially it was expected that it would be experienced players with their own miniatures that would be attending however the first meeting saw 9 people attend, 5 of which were new to the hobby and didnt own any of their own equipment.  The second meeting had 19 attendees with 8 of them having to use equipment supplied by the group.  

To continue the group and allow it to grow a lot more equipment will be required to allow everyone a chance to take part, especially the youngsters who have joined who dont have the ability to purchase their own kits.  Each starter box which allows 2 participants to play costs £110 and the club needs a minimum of 4 boxes to allow everyone to take part.  The other side of the hobby which most partipants find really aids their mental health is building and painting the miniatures so a space is being planned that will be fully stocked to allow the beginners to learn and enjoy that side of the hobby too.  Modelling tools and paints for this will cost.about £200. The group also provides tea, coffee and soft drinks for the attendees.

The let fees for the room at the Argyle Centre are £175 for the first year.

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 Pantomime with Livingstone Players has really grown this year and we have doubled the number of young people involved since we reopened after Covid shutdown. The microphones will ensure that actors and singers are heard by everyone in the audience. We have the technology to control the feedback and audio interference but ideally the more microphones we have the less are shared and it avoids errors that can happen when one is shared with a few people as may have different functions for each user which puts stress on sound team so ideally we need more so that we can be as professional as possible. 

We have added another performance to offering so 6 shows this year rather than 5 so equipment used more and we want to be the first choice of Pantomime for local people.

Microphones are called Sennheiser XSW 2-ME2 GB Band lapel set at £333 including VAT. We want to have 3

IMC Community Fridge is applying for £1000 for the purchase of amibient and chilled foods to ensure good stock levels during the depths of winter. Many people on prepayment meters have to choose whether to heat or eat and we want to enusre that our community can do both where possible. 

£1000 will allow for £100 to be spent per week for a 10 week period to provide soups, ready meals and other tinned produce. 

We anticipate that approx 30 household will benefit per week from this provision.

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.

Later this year, we hope to buy Kerelaw - a former country estate in Stevenston – which is a well-loved, well-used, biodiverse greenspace. As part of the supporting documents for the land purchase, we need to submit an environmental survey of the site to the landowner and funder. The survey and resulting report – an ‘extended Phase 1 Habitat survey’ – would map the site’s habitats, note important ecological features, flag the presence of protected species, and provide management advice for the site.

Once we acquire the land, we will improve it for both the local community and biodiversity and seek Local Nature Reserve status from the Council.

The funding we’re applying for (£1000) would part-fund the environmental survey and report, which in total would cost £4626.

The Dementia project provides one to one befriending for people living with dementia, offering companionship at home or support to acces their community. It also gives vital respite to unpaid carers.  Additionally, the dementia wellbeing cafes offer a welcoming space for those with dementia and their loved ones to enjoy soical activities, entertainment and connection over a game of pool, a cuppa and a chat. 

We appreciate the volunteers giving up their time to provide support, however we would like them better equipped for their role.  The money would be used to provide volunteers with first aid kits in their cars, for when they are taking people out.  It would also pay for lanyards and name badges for the volunteers to wear when they are volunteering. 

£250 - First aid kits

£500 name bages and lanyards