We have established more sustainable planting and have introduced a range of perennial plants and shrubs in several areas throughout the village. We top up during summer with colourful annuals some which we grow ourselves. We also maintain over 50 hanging baskets which bring colour to the village during the summer months. All our gardens are highly visible in the village and several have seating areas for people to rest and enjoy the plants. One of our gardens has a sensory theme and a Happy to Chat Bench. We believe that the gardens connect people in the village and give a sense of community and pride in our local environment. We work in partnership with a range of other organisations, schools and community and environmental projects who benefit from the range of habitats that we have to offer.

We would be grateful if the PB could support us to bulk buy a selection of bulbs, perennials, plug plants and hanging basket plants to plant out newer gardens and top up our existing gardens. It would also enable a bulk purchase of compost and plant feed

Our community will soon have access to a range of workshops designed to teach mindfulness approaches for coping with daily struggles, stresses, social barriers, and poor mental well-being. Our directors are qualified holistic therapists that can provide, drum healing, sound healing, reiki, massage, reflexology, therapuetic art.  Also we hold qualifications in education and social services with a vast range of work experience that has built our knowledge of the challenges that many face within our area.

The workshops will be open to everyone, providing a safe and supportive environment where individuals are acknowledged and listened to. Participants will have the opportunity to learn new skills, connect with others who share similar interests, and, where possible, link up with local community hubs and centers to access additional services and support. This initiative is designed to prevent social isolation by encouraging healthy daily routines and giving people a reason to engage with their community.

A sense of purpose will help those struggling to realize their potential and build confidence to contribute to their community. For individuals or families living alone, in poverty, or facing social, emotional, or mental challenges, these services and activities will enhance well-being, enabling them to better care for themselves and their families, and take pride in their local area. Collaborating with other services and local groups will foster a positive community spirit and promote a better understanding of self-care, healthy lifestyles, and a positive outlook for both themselves and their neighbours.

Therapeutic art will also be a key component of the initiative, helping individuals better understand their thoughts and emotions. This creative outlet can significantly improve mental health by offering a safe space to express stress and anxiety while introducing accessible skills that can be practiced at home.

Community members will have access to sessions and holistic therapies designed to promote calmness, relaxation, and stress relief. These sessions will be available to everyone and can be accessed in venue with in Kilwinning or within the comfort of their own homes. By offering home-based sessions, we ensure that even those who find it difficult to socialize or leave their homes can benefit, helping to build relationships and trust. Over time, we hope these individuals will feel safe and supported enough to break down barriers and integrate more fully into the social circles within the community.

We are applying for funding for the following resources to allow us to facilitate our sessions in Kilwinning -

15 cushions-  £100

10 blankets -  £100

4 children’s weighted blankets- £60

10 lightweight drums with beater - £150

Percussion instruments- £200

2 Ear defenders adult and child’s- £30

2 x Activity Parachute - £30

Therapeutic art resources - £80

Sensory resources- £150

2x reclining chairs - £60

Herbal Tea resources- £40

At Crossing Together Toddlers we aim to provide a fun, warm, safe, welcoming and accessible space for babies and toddlers to come along with their grown-ups from Bourtreehill and the surrounding areas of Irvine.  In setting up the group we initially looked at accessing funding to purchase equipment and toys however a toddler group in Troon had recently folded and they gifted us items that meant we could launch the group immediately. The group is free of charge to families to access and weekly snacks and craft materials are provided through donations and fundraising.  It is important for us to maintain a no charge policy to maximise accessibility due to the cost of living crisis and our locality being significantly impacted with regards poverty.  Weekly snacks provided are balanced with items like fruit, toast and juice/water being provided for the children and a warm drink and biscuits for the grown-ups.  As well as the weekly sessions we want to provide the families with new experiences that can include their older children and partners which will extend the community spirit that is being built in and around the group already.  These new experiences include family fun days, parties, trips and days out locally and further afield. 

Many of the families who attend the group rarely travel outwith Irvine and it would be great to improve the health and wellbeing through a summer trip to a farm park, which would provide a new experience by seeing the animals we sing about and read about at our weekly song and story time.  A Christmas Party with entertainment, hospitality and a visit from Santa would also encourage positive mental health during the festive time that brings much stress with extra financial outgoing in winter.  A weekend family fun day using the local park space would enable us to include working parents and older children and through hospitality/food and fun activities create a positive aspect to a park area that carries much saddness in the community and encourage resislience and new owership of the local space. 

For Crossing Together to provide these experiences at no cost to the families in our locality we would be applying for the PB Locality Funding to help meet these costs as well as doing additional fundraising and seeking donations.

Examples of costings to provide such experiences are:-

Farm park admission (approx 80 people includes under 2s free) = £625

Childrens Party Entertainer = £125

Gifting from Santa (approx 40 gifts) = £120

Hospitality Party/Funday = £130

Additional costings for items like craft materials and additional hospitality would be sought through donations and fundraising.

Purchase of replacement motifs

Project is to purchase 3 motifs to feature in the centre of the village's Main Street.  This is where the Yuletide Parade passes through and the public follow to visit other events and traders' premises.

The new motifs will replace old, malfunctioning motifs and will enhance the atmosphere in the village to encourage residents and visitors to mingle together in an enhanced atmosphere.

Blachere Illuminations have quoted £321 each for these motifs, including fitting of wall-mounted brackets to maximise display values, as per attached quote.

Our voluntary group aims to promote social inclusion, mental health and wellbeing, physical activity and community service. We promote these aims within the group and, through our activities, to improve accessibility Eglinton Park's core pathways for all users.

Our work is in addition to, and  goes above and beyond, the routine maintenance and repairs of the park as provided by Streetscene and North Ayrshire Ranger Service.

Our aim is to continue to improve the work that we are doing around Eglinton Park and also to grow our group. To be able to do this we need to replace existing worn out tools and upgrade our toolset to improve our offering to all users of Eglinton Park's core pathways and the community of North Ayrshire.

We are applying for funding to help us to promote the aims of the group as noted.

Tools that would help us to achieve our aims, with associated costings:-

Galvanised Wheelbarrow (x3) £270

Cordless Chainsaw (x1) £200

Ratchet Lopper Shears (x5) £150

Digging Spades (x5) £90

Round Spades (x5)  £90

Extendable Tree Lopper (x1) £60

Heavy Duty Brushes (x3) £75

PPE, Gloves/Goggles (x12) £60

We are a local, volunteer run club that provides instruction in the Martial Art of Shotokan Karate to adults, youth and children. Karate teaches self respect, discipline, respect for others and the importance of healthy exercise. We have run various courses bringing world class instructors to the local area as well as taking part in local, national and international events and competitions. Any money taken in fees helps fund our courses and subsidise our students competition entry fees and or travelling costs.

As a local sports club we are keen to promote positive mental wellbeing as well as physical health, we encourage our members to participate at their own level of fitness whilst providing a variety of exercises to work towards improving their overall fitness and skill level. We have a code of conduct which ensures our members are supported and have polices in place to ensure our club is an inclusive space where participants feel welcome and respected. 

The provision of t-shirts with the club logo will help to raise the profile of the local area and also instil a sense of pride and connection to the area in our students. This will help our members to develop community spirit through a sense of belonging. We hope this will also encourage new members to join enhancing our community. 

The ability to provide these t-shirts at no or little cost to the students also prevents anyone feeling  marginalised in this current difficult financial climate. This will ensure equality and finacial inclusion during the cost of living crisis. This will make joining the Karate club more accessable for those who may not have the finacial resources to access similar activites that require equipment or clothing to participate. 

As a club we are passionate about the enviromental impact. We encourage our members to walk or wheel to the club training sessions where possible as a way to promote positive change to reduce our carbon footprint and encourage enviromental awarness, to this end we are looking at ecologically sound t-shirts utilising organic and recycled materials where possible..

We would seek to purchase around 60 t-shirts as this would allow us to distribute them to our current members as well as encouraging new members to join. 

Purchase of 30 Adult T shirts with logo, including set up cost for logo £400 

Purchase of 30 Kids T shirts with logo: £300.00

3TFM was launched in 2008 to provide a local health and wellbeing and music radio offering to the people of the 3 Towns.  It broadcasts on 103.1FM to the local area, and to the rest of the world on the Radio Garden app.  As well as broadcasting every day, the station offers training in radio presentation and production to local young people. Our music library is stored on a laptop.  Our current laptop is slow and outdated.  £500 would allow us to purchase a new laptop which would offer faster, more secure storage for our library.  It would also allow us to store more tunes, broadening the range of music that we play to our listeners. 

More information about the station can be found at www.3tfm.org.uk/about