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Saltcoats Mindful Makers
2024-09-18 • No comments • • Three Towns
Mindful Makers brings together Three Towns adults to combat the adverse effects of loneliness and social isolation with mindfulness. This community group is run by four volunteers (no cost) and comprises weekly Crafting Sessions and a Book Group. Sessions are open to all and free of charge to users. Friday meetings are held in Saltcoats Library where the welcoming environment encourages regular attendance. Week 1: Crafting - a new skill tutored by an organiser; Week 3: Book Group; Weeks 2 and 4: crafting together. Crafting and mindfulness are beneficial and can alleviate the symptoms of anxiety, stress, depression, loneliness and even dementia (craftscouncil.org.uk and verywellmind.com). Sharing experiences can counter depression through a feeling of belonging. Feedback from participants will guide our work and shape our 2025 programme. We use WhatsApp group to share and communicate between meetings, and a new Instagram account will raise awareness.
Our bid for £800 will allow for increasing costs and will (a) continue the provision of free crafting resources so no one is excluded for economic reasons - £500 (b) enable us to continue to provide community and outreach work - £50 promotion, and (c) increase equality of access for disabled members - £250 towards transport. We need to keep our activities free of charge as it becomes harder to budget for activities to help us thrive. Our 2025 development plan calls for an occasional outside maker to lead a session for a reasonable fee. A 2023 field trip was successful, but transport costs suitable for disabled participants are prohibitive, yet because of the weather we need to plan to visit indoor venues relevant to our selected crafts.
We respect sustainability, recycling items wherever possible, and augment our funds through craft sales. We support an average of 14 members at any time - an optimum number given the donated time and effort for organisation.
Performance in 3 days with Ardeer Primary School
2024-09-20 • No comments • • Three Towns
This project will consist of three days of workshops with fifty 9–11-year-olds from Ardeer Primary School. The project will be in connection with the 'Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival', exploring the festival's theme of 'In/Visible' using Shaun Tan's beautiful picture book, 'The Red Tree'. The process will begin by using drama activities to explore these themes, then will delve into drama skills and confidence building, which will set the young people up to create a performance that will be shared with the rest of the school and wider community of parents, carers and guardians. This project will focus on the process to get to the performance, putting the young people’s learning and development in the forefront of the work. The project will allow young people to explore mental health themes, ensuring they are relevant for their ages, for example, friendships and belonging. We aim to engage the wider school community by getting other classes to help with prop making, so they can feel connected to the performance even if they aren’t onstage themselves. This prop making will use origami to create paper boats to be used within the performance; a motif from 'The Red Tree'. The young people will then be asked to write on their boat what tools they use to 'stay above water'- what do they do to ensure they are maintaining their wellbeing? Drama is a brilliant tool to build community spirit, as each performer can present something they are proud of and share it with their audience of supporters who will come out of the event with a shared experience that can bring them together. This is why it is so important we bring this unique project to the Ardeer community.
Cost Breakdown
2 Theatre Facilitators delivery and planning: £780
Travel: £100
Workshop materials: £40
Performance materials: £80
Total: £1,000
For a breakdown of the materials needed please see the attached document.
High Flats Afternoon Club
2024-09-11 • No comments • • Three Towns
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.
Three Towns Growers (3TG) - Look & Learn
2024-09-20 • No comments • • Three Towns
3TG maintain and manage the Community Allotments, Elm Park, Ardrossan. We are seeking funding to produce 'interpretative' boards to be positioned at key areas within the allotments. These will present visual and textual information. For example, the wildlife pond, and its inhabitants, why biodiversity is important for us all as well as the environment. How the pond benefits growing food. As place to chill and relax and by extension be part of resetting your wellness and mental health. A board at the community & training plot explaining, whats growing and how it is governed by the seasons etc. Three further boards (including a site map and information) at other locations on the site. The fund would buy materials to make the boards from scratch, with volunteers from the allotment’s membership, and importantly volunteers from the communities of the Three Towns working together to construct them. The project will introduce people to woodworking, digital design, desktop publishing, and get them working outside gaining an understanding of biodiversity and growing food all at local level. They will be designed so that information can be changed and updated as and when required. The boards will be part of an ongoing move to encourage people to visit the allotment for leisure and relaxation, to experience the 'outdoors' in a safe space. This project will benefit an estimated 40 participants throughout the construction and placement stages, and further 300 - 400 people using the allotment or visiting.
Costs would be as follows, Clear Acrylic Boards £200, Marine Plyboard £396, Coach Bolts £30, Yacht Varnish £40, fence posts £300, Ducks Black Matt Paint £86, post cement £80. The 3TG will contribute £200 to the project, making a total cost of £1132.
HMS Dasher Memorial / Remembrance Day 2025
2024-09-11 • No comments • • Three Towns
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)
Save Ardrossan Harbour
2024-09-12 • No comments • • Three Towns
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.
The Saltcoats Men's Group
2024-09-12 • No comments • • Three Towns
The group is about being supportive and encouraging to each other. Building camaraderie and helping participants to reconnect with others and themselves.
- Reducing loneliness and isolation
- Reducing low mood and depression
- Increasing a sense of purpose, community and belonging
- Increasing a sense of routine, structure and self-worth
- Promoting health and wellbeing - time together and a safe and trusting space to open up to peers
- Providing peer support for mental health - checking in with each other - "anyone struggling today?"
The funding we're applying for would be spent as follows:
- Cost of weekly room hire for a year (£350)
- Cost of weekly refreshments/food provision per group – teas, coffees, juice and fruit
- Cost of additional monthly or quarterly healthy activities and travel out with the community centre (e.g archery, bowling)
- Cost of promoting the group and recruiting more group participants - to reach more men in the community who have poor mental health
Art ventures at Flying Start Toddler group
2024-09-11 • No comments • • Three Towns
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
Environmental survey to support community purchase of Kerelaw
2024-09-20 • No comments • • Three Towns
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.
West Coast Crucible Gaming Group
2024-09-17 • 1 comment • • Three Towns
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.