Barnardo's Stronger Families provides support across North Ayrshire to Kinship families. We have funding in place for core staff to facilitate groups, sessions and activities however we require funding to provide for resources, refreshments and if we wish to work with local artists. We worked with local artists recently on graffiti projects and creative arts groups with young people and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Those young people recommended that other young people and adults get to experience groups/sessions similar to those that they took part in. Benefits of creative arts sessions are socialisation, reducing isolation, positive communication, learning new skills and discovering artisitic talents. It can build confdence and self-esteem. For Kinship carers it will allow them to take some time for themselves, relax, spend time with other people in a similar situation to them and to build up positive peer relationships and supportive networks. For Kinship families to take part in sessions together, it will allow them to spend quality time as a family, having fun, communicating, supporting each other and relaxing together. Barnardo's will provide the staffing and promotional materials for these sessions.

Costs for 10 sessions:

Venue hire - £150 (2 hours per session)

Refreshments - £100

Creative arts resources - £450

Local artist time - £300

Garnock valley community concert band ( GVCCB Charity number  SCO43326)) is a striving and inclusive community band-  continuing  to grow and reconnect  musicians throughout the garnock valley.

GVCCB  gives public performances throughout the community such as St Margarets church in Dalry in which included a local choir, string ensemble and the children’s choirs from local schools. GVCCB also perform at the Scottish and the National concert band festivals each year ( SCBF and NCBF), being highly successful in both – lifting platinum awards each year.

This is only accomplishable with a hard working committee, fundraising throughout the year and funding made available to us.

We keep our subscriptions as low as feasibly possible, to encourage as many players wishing to return to music.

For many, music is a vital (sometimes - only) social interaction available for them – helping their mental wellness, mental agility through reading music and actively encouraging them to interact with like minded people.

We hire local practice space within the Garnock valley community campus once a week,  maintain a musical library ( costing approx £1000-£1500 per year) to keep our concerts and competition performances fresh, challenging and interesting, and hire our musical director  at £3500 per annum

We should like to put ourselves forward for the full amount possible (£1000)to go towards the cost of our musical  library .

Considering the output for so many, we can make this money go a very long way.