What The Trust is about

Largs Community Development Trust (Largs CDT) has secured premises in Boyd Street, Largs to use as a base for the organisation's work, to be called 'The Space'.  Part of that work will be working alongside other organisations, such as offering access to benefit advice services and a credit union. 

Largs CDT is a local organisation set up and run by local volunteers. We aim to work for the benefit of the community in Largs by addressing a range of economic, social, environmental and cultural issues.

The launch will have several aims:

This application is to help launch our activities and raise awareness of the new facility, and help us sign up the community of Largs as 'Friends', improve awareness and recognition of the Trust and the work we do.

We want the launch to:

• Create momentum and encourage people to join as Friends
• Help us create a register of volunteer's skills within in the community
• Capture the ideas and opinions of Largs people
• Commmunicate the Trust's aims and objectives using eg, leaflets, posters, banners, signboards, events
• "The Trust is for people like me" — speak to the community across all ages and experiences of life
• Gather feedback and create interest in current and future projects

We plan to have a number of days where we distribute leaflets and goodies promoting the Trust on and around Largs Main Street, and at The Space community hub. The objective is to encourage the people of Largs to engage with the Trust, see The Space as a place and the Trust as an organisation that supports them, their aspirations and the well-being of the community.

Proposed marketing materials we are seeking funding for: 

• 10x XL t-shirts, pinted front and back £210
• 2x 2.5m feather flags £240
• 300x window cling vinyls £150
• 1,000x A4 DL (99x210mm) Friends joining forms £145
• 1,000x A4 DL (99x210mm) flyers about Largs CDT and its aims/objectives £145
• Posters, social media boosting and targetting £100

We have obtained the help of professional designers to help us with communications, design and a website which will go live with the events. We also anticipate creating other communications eg, press releases, photoshoots, digital media to publicise the event.

Largs CDT is registered as a Scottish charity (SCIO SC053580)

Our group is so unique. We have people from all walks of life, retired folks, people who suffer from mental health issues, veterans, young teens from povierty who we mentor and try and use nature to distract them from the issue they have, people with addiction issues. We have other groups come and use our woodlands to teach about nature. Scouts and restbite office staff. Lots and lots of folks 

We have been doing lots of projects to help with climate change and habit restoration and creation. Aspin tree planting, fruit tree planting, tree maintenance and control of invasive species, wild flower planting. Water course maintenance. So much going on I could go on and on. 

The funding we need is mostly PPE funding. We desperately need safety equipment like gloves, waterproofs, safety wellingtons, safety glasses, highviz tops, safety helmets with viziers, ear defenders, 

Pricing from Amazon as an estimated price of these things. 

Hi Viz tops = £6.49 each x14

Safety helmets with viziers = £23.99 each X2

Ear defenders = £13.99 each x 4

Safety wellingtons sizes from 7 to 11 = £22.39 to £23.39 each x9

Safety gloves = £8.99 pack of twelve 

Safety gloves anti thorn = £9.99 each x4

Waterproof top and bottoms varise sizes = £19.99 each x15

Safety glasses pack of 12 = £14.99

We have also thought about our circumstances in the winter. We currently don't have a proper place to keep warm and boil the kettle. A small stove was our thoughts as it would provide heat to dry off and heat a kettle. We also make a pot of stew in the winter to help warm all the volunteers. Cooking has been a bit difficult but a little log stove would improve that immensely. 

Stove to cook on = £117.95

Total for all above is £998.97 

Please consider us for this funding. It would be a massive help to our group and the community.

Research on gardening has shown that 'getting your hands in the soil’ offers multiple health benefits, particularly reducing anxiety and depression. Heather Lodge CIC has received funding from the Scottish Government’s Mental Health and Well-being Fund during the last three years to offer outdoor well-being activities.

Participants in a Therapeutic Gardening Group take part in gardening tasks from spring to autumn with an experienced and qualified Educational Gardener. These sessions take place in the Heather Lodge garden and include learning how to grow flowers, fruit and vegetables using wildlife-friendly methods. The programme accepts referrals from GPs, social workers, OTs and other health professionals. It is also possible for individuals just to self-refer.

In addition to health benefits, participants describe the value of the social contact which this activity gives them. They can also learn how to grow some food for themselves. We would like to offer these benefits more widely in the Arran community.

We already have disabled-friendly raised beds and other parts of the garden for this work. Experience over the last few years has shown that acquiring a greenhouse would expand opportunities for groups by providing a protected area for propagating seeds and young plants, and also offering a sheltered workspace for elderly and disabled participants during periods of poor weather.

We have already prepared a solid base for erecting a greenhouse. We are now seeking to source a 6’ x 10’ greenhouse. Options which are safe and suitable for use by groups and robust enough for an exposed site cost in the region of £1000 including delivery. The CIC envisages being able to meet any costs over £1000, if necessary, from donations or general income. The structure will be erected by volunteers. It will offer a potential working life of 10+ years and should become a real asset for the community.

We would like to run a banded table tennis tournament at Inverclyde Sports Centre this season. A banded tournament would bring to Largs approximately 60–70 players from across Ayrshire and Glasgow for an afternoon's competitive table tennis. Hall hire for 5 hours would be £440. This would be a once-a-year annual event, and as such the cost of the hall hire does not constitute rent for the normal week-to-week running of our club.

 We also need some equipment for our club for the new season. First off, we would like to purchase a training robot to help elevate the skill levels of our existing members. A training robot is also a big draw for younger players. Secondly, we would also like to purchase some new bats, as the ones we currently have are poor and not suited to developing players.

Breakdown of costs:

Hall hire for banded tournament: £440

Entry-level training robot: £200

Starter bats x 8: £80

Intermediate bats and rubbers x 5: £200

Balls (2x120): £75

Total: £995

We currently have £550 in our club account and are able to put £300 towards costs, so we are applying for a total of £695.

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Largs Table Tennis Club attracts people from across the North Coast, including Fairlie, West Kilbride, Skelmorlie and Inverkip. Almost two years ago we took advantage of the fact that our town enjoys a state-of-the-art sports facility and a wide array of table tennis equipment by opening our own club in the town. Largs is fast becoming a hotspot of Scottish table tennis; in March, the centre hosted the Scottish Nationals, and in July, Inverclyde hosted the Scottish Parkinson’s International for the second year running. One of our coaches, Paul Carson, attended a supplementary course at the Scottish Parkinson’s International designed to better prepare coaches for people with Parkinson’s attending the club. We have members with Parkinson’s and members with MS. Table tennis is renowned in sports circles for its benefits to people with degenerative and neurological conditions. We aim to embrace all people at our weekly sessions; it is an open group, and you can regularly find a ten-year-old playing with a sixty-year-old, and young and old mixing with people with various disabilities. We are very proud of this fact.

Our club is open to all ages and to encourage everyone we only charge £5 for the two hours session and we have made it FREE for under 18s.

As a small group..we are creating a garden/space for all to enjoy.

A way of giving back to our community

A year ago we took ownership of a desolate,drab and weed-filled area..a year later we have transformed it into an oasis of calm..so important for mental health. We have a spot full of insect life..all our plants are bee/butterfly/pollinator friendly so important as this will be our village legacy for the next generation of up and coming gardeners.

The environmental benefits are exponential.

The village now has a focal point,a meeting place,somewhere to chill.

Our young people have a safe place to access.

Thanks to last years PB award we have a Wee Library..and a large planter filled with pollinator-friendly plants..both built by  Clyde Coast and Cumbrae Men's Shed

Our next wee project is the area at the entrance to the CC..we've already sited a planter full of polinator-friendly plants.

Seating in this area affords views to the hills and also all the play areas too..ideal for parents to watch their kids whilst also allowing them freedom to play.

We would like to purchase two sturdy benches..for the enjoyment of the village of Skelmorlie.

The benches in mind cost £75 pounds each.

They are made locally by a woodcrafter in Dalry.

Total cost would be £150

As well as GVAA members the association encourages community participation with many young people who are engaged in projects in the allotment.  Some of the projects currently running are growing and harvesting produce for the Wee Pantry and Solace Cafe and young people involved in learning how to prepare areas for growing, how to sow, care and harvest produce. A primary and indispensable piece of equipment would be the installation of portable power stations in the allotment which would be used to energise various tools essential for gardening tasks. Portable power stations would ensure we have have the necessary electricity on demand. The members currently take the rechargeable batteries home to re-energise which often means that communial tools required by the members and young people are not always available to complete the task.  A portable power station capability would not only enhance efficiency but also provide the flexibility to maneuver and operate equipment throughout the plot without being tethered to fixed power sources.  The portable power stations would be charged from two solar panels thus reducing the carbon footprint of members travelling to and from the allotment to collect and deliver charged batteries and the personal costs to members associated with fuel and energy.

2 x portable power stations = Ecoflow River 2 Max + 110W portable solar panel =£1000 (GVAA will meet the costs beyond this amount)

The ongoing increase to food is making it harder for Choices Community Shop to maintain a full range of produce. The grant will allow for the current range of products to be continued, especially through the depth of winter, when people have to choose whether to heat or eat. 

Our older community of people are reliant on Choices Community Matters and we want to ensure that can have at least 3 good meals from what they purchase so this funding will go on the purchase of food to ensure that choice, value and dignity are preserved. Tackling food insecurity is our way of reducing poverty in our immediate community.

Food (tinned, frozen and fresh) £1000 made up of:

Ambient Food (soups, hotdogs, potatoes, peas, sweetcorn,tea, coffee, sugar, juice, stews, curry, pasta, pasta sauce, rice) - £500

Frozen Food (Veg, ready meals, chips, pizza, fish, sausages etc) £250

Fresh (milk, eggs, cheese, mince, chicken. yoghurt, ) £250

Prices in supermarkets vary so an exact order is difficult to price until the day of the order. However, tinned and long life products will make up the main purchase of the foods.