All our group members take part in volunteering opportunities throughout the local community and help foster community spirit. Most of the group have now completed the bronze level of the award and are now working towards their silver award.

Through the Hobbies and Interests aspect of the award participants are encouraged to engage in and develop new skills, hobbies and to remain socially active. This social activity helps to reduce social isolation and improves the physical and mental wellbeing of participants.  We would like to apply for support to help us provide opportunities for our group to experience a series of new and exciting workshop activities that would contribute to lifelong learning and promote positive wellbeing. These workshops would meet the needs and interests of group members and include arts and crafts, mindfulness and meditation, relaxation techniques, outdoor learning activities and other wellbeing tools.

 Honey Bee Cottage Wellbeing Workshops @ £160 per session x 6 sessions = £1000 

We are a community brass band organisation based in Dreghorn. We run 3 bands (a contest brass band, a community and a youth band) and we provide free or low cost after school music lessons for young people. We have over 100 members in our organisation and thousands of people are entertained by us each year at gala days, Christmas events and community concerts. We also support fundraising of other charities. People who participate in our bands and our audiences obtain mental well-being and educational benefits from musical activity. Each year we compete in several brass band contests and festivals all over Scotland. Any funding obtained would go towards our (2025) travel costs, entry costs, and other costs for competitions such as music, extra rehearsals etc. Participating in these event will inspires, motivates and develops our players, entertains audiences and we also represent North Ayrshire in an important cultural events.

We are applying for £1,000 for our adult groups competing costs

Cost breakdown would be:

• Travel cost subsidies – bus hire £600
• Entry fees - £200
• Music, extra rehearsal costs - £200

Each year we compete at the Scottish Brass Band Championships in Perth (March 2025) and for this contest alone a bus costs c. £700 and other costs (music, entry, rehearsals) c. £500. As we attend 3 - 4 contests per year the costs incurred for all competitions is c. £3,000. Contests / festivals are important for our groups development and the band would fundraise or meet the gap from reserves.  

Our clubs mission is to the give people of irvine and surrounding areas a chance to get physically active and play the sport of table tennis. Alongside playing, our club brings people together from all from all backgrounds and creates an opportunity for social interaction and physical activity which can and does improve their health and wellbeing. Table tennis and sport is one of the best tools we have to improve mental and physical health and table tennis is a sport which can be played and enjoyed by all ages regardless of ages & abilitity. Irvine TT Club priortity is the keep our costs low and affordable for everyone who attends our club night and classes. We continue to offer a FREE first night for newcomers and we have no upfront membership fee. We also provide all relevant equipment at no extra cost such as bats, balls tables and barriers to seperate the playing space. 

We would like to apply for support to assist us to keep our costs low and affordable for players playing at our club sessions. We also want to create more opportunites to play table tennis throughout irvine during the daytime. Our plans is the start a FREE weekly classes outwith the portal in a selected community centres or local schools. This will give irvine locality more opportunities to be active, socialise and interact with people within their community. We aim to call these sesssions "Bat & Chat" as this is what it will do, give people a chance to chat to each other when playing. We also will be starting up a dedicated parkinsons table tennis class at the portal for people with parkinsons to attend.

Breakdown of Costs £350 - 2 tables at £175 each £150 - 5 nets at £30 each £80 - 2 boxes of training balls at £40 each £100 - 20 beginners bats at £5 each £200 - Hall hire subsidy - 40 hours £880 - Total

The main aim of Art in Mind is to reduce social isolation, providing a safe and relaxed environment where people can socialise, while being creative. Over the years, this has increased the confidence of individuals attending, and enhanced their feelings of well-being. There is no time limit, so some people have been coming for the twenty years, others come and go, but they all know that the door is open for them to return.

There is a relaxed, friendly and sometimes really industrious atmosphere, not to mention frequent doses of laughter! Time can be spent in group activity and doing your own ‘thing’, with plenty of help, support and advice – often achieving great results.

Some of the comments about the group have been;

‘I enjoy having a purpose and doing homework for the group. It reminds me of going to school, which I loved. I feel better on Saturdays and Sundays when I’ve been to Aim on a Friday’

‘Being able to be myself, friendship, acceptance, understanding, feeling for the first time in my life that I belonged somewhere’.

‘Meeting up with like-minded people, and doing art in a relaxed atmosphere’

  The second group started in December 2023, and both groups continue to meet every week, enjoying a wide range of creative pursuits under the guidance of a tutor. One group meets in the Ranger Centre, within National Trust's Brodick Castle Grounds. The other uses  part of Brodick village Hall. Transport from the ACVS Transport scheme, assists some members to attand, as well as some Art in Mind  Volunteer drivers. Both groups are supported by volunteers who take part in the art activities and help the tutor with materials and setting up the venue etc. The grant from Arran Community Council's Scottish Power Renewables Fund, has made this possible, but in reality has not been sufficient . There is a second year of funding due in October 2024, and Arran Visual Arts intend to advise them of the shortfall. However, the time allowed for the Coordinator of 3 hours per week, has not been enough, and the Art Materials requested by the different Tutors, and cost of ACVS transport,  has cost more than originally anticipated.

Arran Council for Voluntary Services Transport costs approx £30 per month  = £360

Art Materials    Clay  £40, Paper  £80,  Paints £40   =  £160

Additional Coordinator Hours  2 hours @ £20 per hour, per month = £480

Total  £1,000

Barrfield Community Garden is a new space located in Largs. Though only created in the winter of 2023, already volunteers have brought in raised beds, planted a large varity of vegetables, fruits, and flowers, and harvested vegetables which were  donated to the Largs Food Bank. We have served as a site for local small projects as well as a well-being space allowing local people with varying levels of ability to work with plants. We hope to expand this site in the coming years to grow more food and create a space for local people of all ages and ability to engage with, as well as of course continue to grow tasty food and beautiful flowers to share with Largs and those who presently do not have access to healthy, locally-grown food.

At present, the site has water but no electricity. We'd love to keep a few plants growing well into the autumn and need to procure solar-powered grow lights to do so. This involves the purchase of two sets of grow lights with attached solar panels to keep our melon, pepper, lettuce and tomato harvests going into the late autumn.

Our water pipes are at present not protected from the colder temperatures that come with Scottish winter. We are seeking to insulate the water pipes and employ a local plumber to install this insulation. 

In the interest of increasing the environmental sustainability of the Barrfield Community Garden space, we would like to install drain pipes and water butts. This will allow the garden to collect and utilise rainwater for watering the garden's beds and indoor plants.

People in Largs may be aware we recently experienced vandalism to the garden. After this event, we would like to  install a motion-activated camera, as well as solar- powered, motion-activated lights for the main path into the garden.

Adequate amounts of compost will be needed for planting over the winter, including but not limited to the growing of garlic and seed potatoes.

We would in future hope to create a tiered garden on the hilly portion at the east side of the garden. The area is at present covered with thistles and weeds, so we would to cover this area with weed-killing membrane as the first step of this project.

10 Meter weed membrane roll (x10) @ £6.95 = £69.50

10w led Solar grow light (x2) @ 68.50 = £137.00

Motion sensor lights for pathway lighting (x6) @ £6.99 = £41.94

SolarCam Kit with night vision and SDCard = £85

Builders bag Compost  = £52 

Insulation for water pipes, materials and labor = £200

Water butts and guttering for rainwater collection = £400

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

Our group provides a crucial role in reducing social isolation by providing a friendly welcome to those who enjoy physical exercise in an outdoor environment.  We attract members from Kilbirnie, Beith and as far afield as Saltcoats.  We are proud of our contribution to the regeneration of the park which is located on the site of the Glengarnock Iron and Steel Works, remnants of which can be seen to this day.  Our weekly workdays are opportunities for volunteers who share a love of the outdoors to connect with one another and strengthen community bonds; tasks have included planting trees, coppicing, creating paths and wildlife projects.

Lochshore Park is a newly created country park with a 5-kilometre tarred and hard-core path, designed for eventual use as a Saturday morning park run venue.  Our current project is to create a woodland trail through our “Enchanted Forest”.  To attract greater numbers to the park we would like to make this a magical experience for younger children with models and sculptures en route to a woodland glade with tree stump seats.

Over the winter months we intend to build bird and bat boxes and craft willow sculptures.  This will require the services of a willow weaving artist.  These activities will be open to the public with anything created by them free to be taken away.

We have secured funding to build a habitat for ground nesting bees, which will be a labour-intensive exercise.  However, many of the other projects we would like to tackle require expertise which none of us possess.  If awarded a Proportional Budgeting grant we would like to buy in support and training for our members.

Estimated Costs

Creation of Enchanted Forest    £197

Timber for bird boxes  £236

Free Public Classes  £325

Advertising  £240