We are applying to run a day of cookery classes in early 2026 for Island families - using sustainable produce to create budget friendly meals, perfect for batch cooking for the freezer. 

Participants will take part in interactive demonstration, bringing families together to learn new recipes for hearty healthy meals like stews, pies, pastas, soups and roasts that bring everyone to the table—plus tips for adapting dishes to suit all ages. Families will build essential skills like measuring, mixing, seasoning, and timing, with guidance tailored to both adults and children. The session will focus on sustainability, making the most of ingredients and avoiding waste, creating cost effective meals that can be batch cooked and frozen, supporting families to prepare for any produce shortages which can affect Arran during bad weather. 

The hands-on cookery class is designed for families who want to reconnect with food in a positive way. We believe that the kitchen is the heart of a home - and cooking together and sharing what you have made with friends and family can be a powerful way of tackling social isolation during the colder months. 

We previously delivered a series of cookery classes on Arran already at the high; school where local catering staff benefited from elevating their skills. The feedback was so positive, we are confident that there is a real desire on the island for this kind of activity.

The sessions would encourage island families to come together to learn new skills and spend quality time together. The classes would be open to families including children aged 6+ with adult supervision, and numbers for sessions will be dependent on venue capacity - 6 families would maximise reach whilst protecting the personalised nature of the session.

Cost breakdown as follows:

• Chef Tutor @ 1 day delivery plus prep time - £250.00

• Travel from mainland including ferry ticket and fuel costs for one vehicle - £100.00

• Contribution to local venue for hosting event - £200.00

• Creation of recipe books for all families to keep, containers for food - £50.00

• Refreshments provided by host venue - £100.00

• Ingredients from local suppliers - £200.00

• Project assistant to support chef tutor with set up/sign in, including admin allowance for booking families into sessions/evaluations  - £100.00

Total requested: £1000.00

We confirm that we have all relevant insurances, policies, training and PVG checks required to deliver this project. 

The Isle of Arran Pipe Band is at the heart of the island’s traditions, carrying its music and spirit into every local gathering, parade, and celebration. To continue performing at their best, two essentials underpin their work: a hall to rehearse in and the instruments they play on. Hall hire (£200) provides a warm, safe, and consistent space where pipers and drummers of all ages can come together to practice as a group, build their sound, and prepare for the many community events they support throughout the year. Without this, the band simply could not maintain the high standard expected by the community that relies on them.

Equally vital are the instruments themselves. Replacements for pipe chanters, reeds, sticks, and drum skins (£1000) ensure that the music the band produces is clear, tuneful, and powerful enough to fill the open air of island events. These items wear out quickly through constant use, and keeping them in good condition is not a luxury but a necessity. With the right equipment, the band can deliver stirring performances that honour both tradition and community pride.

Benefits for Members

• Being part of the band gives members a sense of belonging, discipline, and pride.

• It allows people of all ages to develop musical skills, teamwork, and confidence.

• For younger players, it provides mentoring from experienced musicians and a positive outlet for their energy and creativity.

• For adults, it offers a meaningful way to contribute to island life while deepening friendships and community ties.

Benefits for the Community

• The band is a source of cultural identity, keeping alive Scotland’s iconic pipe and drum traditions for future generations.

• Their performances bring people together at fairs, memorials, parades, and celebrations, turning events into moments of shared pride.

• The sound of the pipes and drums is woven into the island’s atmosphere, marking its history and seasons with music that unites residents and visitors alike.

• By nurturing local talent, the band strengthens intergenerational bonds and creates experiences that children, families, and elders all enjoy.

Supporting the hall hire and essential instrument upkeep is not just about covering costs—it is about safeguarding a living tradition and ensuring that the Isle of Arran Pipe Band continues to enrich island life with its music, spirit, and sense of togetherness.

Creating opportunities for young children (aged 4-8 years) on Arran to discover tennis is a key goal of Brodick Tennis Club. With funding from the Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) Parks Tennis Fund, we’ve resurfaced our three courts and are nearing completion of this project. While waiting for the courts to be ready, many of our primary school teachers have completed a CPD tennis module delivered by Tennis Scotland so as to be able to actively promote tennis activities within their schools.  We now also have a new group of LTA qualified Assistant Coaches who are eager to share their skills and enthusiasm with local children. Children as young as four can participate in tennis activities. To launch children’s tennis sessions on the island, we now seek funding for the essential equipment needed to introduce tennis to this age group.

The club is seeking funding to purchase age-appropriate tennis equipment that helps young children develop the key hand-eye coordination and movement skills tennis requires, all while having lots of fun. Research from the LTA shows that early enjoyment and success are critical to long-term participation. By providing properly sized and learning stage appropriate racquets, nets, and balls, as well as fun training tools like hoops, cones, and bean bags, we aim to create a positive, confidence-building environment for young players.

We are seeking funding for the following core equipment:

Red stage balls suitable for children aged 5-8 years (n=72) £86, foam balls for children aged 4+ (n=48) £104, pop up nets x 3 £300, 19” tennis rackets x 10 £159.90, 21” tennis rackets x 10 £159.90, mini cones (set of 4) x 3 £45, set of 6 hoops (50cm diameter) x 4 £84, set of 24 bean bags x 2 £60 

Total requested = £998.80

Having the appropriate equipment for our youngest learners will also help the club to be inclusive, removing barriers of expensive and multi-stage equipment costs to families on the island, and enabling every child aged 4-8 years who would like to explore the game of tennis to get the chance to do so. Tennis is a challenging sport for our children to learn, but provides multiple potential benefits of physical activity, complex coordination and motor skills, confidence-building, and the mental and social skills offered by tennis being both an individual and team sport. We hope to use our island’s new playing spaces and trained coaches to help create a community of enthusiastic young tennis learners, contributing both to their physical and mental wellbeing.

The specialist Print maker would spend time servicing our printer and preparing and delivering two or three teaching sessions. Arran Visual Arts pay all tutors the Scottish Artist Union Rate of pay which is £44.90 per hour.   10 hours would therefore be £449.

We have a lot of art materials in both venues. But the starage space is a shared space, so improving the shelving would allow beetr use of all materials we have.We would either use ready made storage units or a local joiner to fit shelves in a cupboard. Ready made units are approximately £200 each and we would need 2. 

“We are awaiting a quotation from a joiner for fitted shelving, but we expect it to be in the region of £250.

The total costs will be £999”

This project will purchase tools, seeds, compost and fruit trees to support food production across Arran communitiess. By investing in quality, durable equipment and quality organic and heirloom seed varieties, we'll continue to support more residents to grow their own food, reduce grocery costs and improve access to fresh, healthy produce.

Specific Costs We're Applying For:

• Compost: £200 (we make a our own compost and supplement this with high quality bought compost from Dalefoot composts. the amount bought has reduced year on year)
• Seeds for 2026 season: £200 (From high quality suppliers, Seeds of Scotland, Tamar Organics, Scotia Seeds, Vital Seeds, Real Seeds Company)
• Fruit trees and soft fruit plants: £400 (From RV Roger in Yorkshire and Drumfearn Trees in Skye)
• General garden tools and ongoing maintenance: £200 (bought locally or from online suppliers)
• Total: £1,000

Who Will Benefit: All people who use the community gardens, from regular volunteers who grow food throughout the season, to people who enjoy the produce or occasional visitors to the gardens. Tools and supplies will be stored at each community garden for use by their volunteer groups. Fruit trees provide long-term benefit, producing food for future years whilst improving local biodiversity. Why This Deserves Funding: This project addresses multiple Locality PB themes:

Cost of Living: Growing your own food significantly reduces grocery bills - particularly important on an island where food costs are higher due to transport. 

Health & Wellbeing: Home-grown food provides better nutrition and the physical activity of gardening improves fitness and mental health. Gardening also connects people with nature and provides stress relief, and provides opportunity to connect with other people.

Building Community Spirit: The gardens create connections between islanders  and sharing knowledge and experience about growing creates stronger community bonds.

Green Projects: Local food production reduces food miles and plastic packaging waste. Diverse seed varieties support biodiversity and climate resilience.

The project helps to build sustainable systems and build knowledge throughout the community. This creates lasting impact beyond the initial funding.

Sparcely populated rural area in the south end of the Isle of Arran.  This project will bring young and old people of the community together to celbrate and reminisceabout the positive impact that Kilmory SWI has made and cotinues to do so in providing a platform to bring people together in the one place for the benefit of the mental health and welbeing.  This will address social isolation and will be an inter-genrational inclusive event.

Decorations for event - £100

Purvey for event - £680

Celebratory cakes - one for children and one for adults - £60

Band - £160

The Land Initiative ('ACLI') own and manage an area of former farmland which consists of a hub field with orchards, allotments, community gardens, benchs and play areas which needs regular mowing as well as a newtwork of wider paths allowing access to all.  These are all regularly cut by volunteers using a self propelling commercial lawnmower which at 10 years old is near end of life; we would like to replace this with a robust new machine at a cost of £745. We have included a photograph below but for additional information view us at arranland.org.

All of the work undertaken by ourselves is by volunteers from the community for the community therby building community spirit, making access possible at no cost, encouraging health and wellbeing,as well as actively raising awareness of the natural enviroment.