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)

Just before Easter 2024, we conducted workshops with young people and children in West Kilbride to explain and encourage them to use photographs as a means to tell stories and impart information. The children and young people then submitted their images on the theme of "Oor Hame", telling what made their home, home. These images were then exhibited in the windows of the shops and other businesses along Main Street and Ritchie Street in the village, creating an open air gallery which residents and visitors to the village could enjoy.

We wish to repeat this project during the same Easter holidays for 2025, but this time we will be running the workshops with the cooperation of West Kilbride Primary School and other youth groups (Brownies, Boys' Brigade etc). In 2024 we held the workshops at what we later realised was not an ideal time, and did not get the level of involvement of young people we believe the project has the potential to engage; that said, we did receive nearly 50 images, and the exhibition was a success, but we believe that with more targeted workshops we could easily receive 10 times the number of images, making the open air gallery that much larger and spreading the collected images around more of West Kilbride's streets.

The project in 2024 looked at what "Hame" means, as it was triggered by Mandy Edwards' documentary project of the same name. For 2025 we have yet to identify a theme (we intend to consult with the school, groups and, most importantly the children) but believe that "Oor Hame" is a good name for the ongoing project, whatever theme is adopted, as it emphasises the community nature of the project.

Funding is required for workshop facilitation (£200), purchase of single use cameras (£250) printing and presentation of images (£150), publicity material (£100)

Expansion of the facilities of the Community Corner - £200

Provision of hot beverages, soup, sandwiches and biscuits- £800

North Ayrshire Healing Hearts Bereavement Support Group is a peer support bereavement group for community members who have experienced the death of someone they loved.

The group was established in January 2024 after an initial CRUSE pilot scheme. The 25 members did not want to lose the group and the support it offered, so Healing Hearts was formed. The group is completely self funded and has expanded now to 4 groups running in North Ayrshire taking their total to over 50 members.

The group support people physically and mentally they address issues such as social isolation, addiction and improve the members well-being and health, meeting up weekly and for social events.

The project brings people struggling with the loss of a loved one together invarious locations in North Ayrshire enabling them to supoort each other. All of the group is constituted and all of the members who run it are volunteers. They offer befriending, mentoring and sign posting to various services locally for example Money Matters, Counselling and CHAP.

The group receives referrals come from Social Work, GPs, dentists, Community link workers, Police , libraries and other organisations in Ayrshires.

We woulike to request money for the below-

50 Christmas Lunches @ £15 each = £750

Bingo Machine £150

2 Boxes Markers £24.99 each =  £50

Bingo Books £30 for 600

Dalry Community Garden has been established for four years, providing a safe and welcoming space for visitors and volunteers.

We host various, accessible to all events throughout the year supporting local groups and organisations helping to bring our community together. As we have no permanent facilities we need to provide a toiilet for our volunteers and visitors.

Funding will allow us to provide a serviced portable toilet unit for a further year.

Cost for a serviced toilet unit for one year is £1560

We allocate tickets and a time slot via our groups FaceBook page in the lead up to each event. Our events are family orientated days, where there is always laughter and smiles, with no financial burden on families. Our Easter event has families taking a wonder around our site in search of baskets of treats left by the Easter Bunny, who likes to make an appearance along the way. For our Santas grotto we have Santa and his elves waiting to meet the children on his amazing sleigh. Our site will be decorated for each theme, there will be an area with free craft activities and an area with toys and games for the children.

We ask for £1000 in total, £500 for each event 

childrens treats combined for each event £500

decoration combined for each event £200

games combined for each event £150

crafts combined for each event £150