The North Stevenston Community Association is dedicated to supporting the local community in North Stevenston. However, financial limitations are hindering our ability to provide free events to the community, especially to vulnerable groups such as children and those over 50 who are affected by financial challenges, food crises, and isolation.

Community Challenges: North Stevenson is a financially challenged area, making it difficult for many families to afford necessities, especially food and activities. This has led to an increased reliance on anti-poverty support and often isolation. Christmas is a special time of year and we would like to help people make positive memories of 2024.

Community Events: To address these challenges, we aim to provide festive events for the community. An all-the-trimmings Christmas lunch &  Free family event including a visit from Santa, a gift, and entertainment. 

Budget Requirements: To successfully organise these events, we require funding support totaling £1000, allocated as follows: - £450 for the Christmas Lunch 3 course 50+ for food and entertainment  - £550 for the Free  kids’ and family Santa event

Activity Costs: Over 50s Christmas lunch -We estimate a guest list of approximately 60 individuals for Christmas lunch and plan to utilise the funds towards 3-course Christmas meals, table settings, crackers, and entertainment. For the kids and family Santa event, we expect approximately 100 children to attend, and the budget will cover expenses for a photo booth, decorations, a disco and DJ, and small gifts or selection boxes.

Impact and Community Resilience: The funding to enable these events will provide temporary joy and enhance community interaction and resilience. Our hall venue allows for positive interactions and offers a supportive environment to strengthen social networks and general well-being within the community.  We would like to increase our services to support people locally and will use the opportunity to highlight our anti-poverty and activity-based program to provide support when needed. 

Conclusion: If the funding is successful, it will enable the Association to bring joy to kids and improve the lives of those in need. It will also encourage local engagement for the development of our service provision in line with local needs and wants.

We are a rainbows group that has 22 girls and 11 on our waiting list. We would love to take the girls to the cinema to see Moana 2. We would also like to buy them badges and supplies to continue delivering the Girlguiding programme  

the cinema is £6 per child £132

badges required 22x4=88 88badgesx £2 each =£176

resources =£300

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.

We've created a Suicide Prevention Information Directory to act as a lifeline for anyone having thoughts of self-harm and/or suicide.  We distribute as many booklets as we can along with posters with a QR Code link to the online version. 

The funding we're applying for would allow the group to:

• Distribute more booklets and posters across the community
• Reach more mental health organisations, local businesses, and education centres
• Reach more people living with poor mental health and wellbeing due to isolation, bereavement, addiction, food insecurity, and the cost of living crisis
• Reach those who have fallen through the net, the hardest to reach, the most marginalised
• Build community spirit by attending mental health and public networking events and coordinating training and holding events

The funding we're applying for would be spent as follows:

• Poster Production costs (printing and laminating)
• Travel, Event and Training costs
• Promotional Materials for networking and public events including:

• Branded Pens
• Branded Keyrings/Trolley Tokens
• Branded Tops
• Branded Banner

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 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  

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.