Our sewing machines are regularly serviced and well maintained, ensuring a safe and supportive learning environment. To expand our provision and enable more advanced projects, we are seeking to invest in heavy-duty machines that will allow participants to develop their skills further and explore more challenging techniques.

4 x Signer Heavy Duty Sewing machines - £796.67

Purpose of Funding:

1. Health and Wellbeing:  Organise weekly movement-based activity sessions such as baby yoga, toddler music and dance sessions and outdoor nature walks to support physical activity and mental wellbeing for both parents and children.  Provide healthy snacks and refreshments to encourage nutrition education and community mealtimes.

2.  Community Building:  Host monthly "stay and play" sessions with rotaing themes to build connections among local families.  Creating a welcoming and supportive environment that reduces isolation and strengthens community ties, particularly for new or struggling parents.

3.  Cost of Living Support:  Run a "swap shop" for clothes, toys and essentials to support sustainable living and reduce financial pressure on families.  Offer free to all group sessions, ensuring economic hardship is never a barrier to participation.

4.  Green Projects:  Launch a "Mini Gardener" initiative where toddlers and parents can grow herbs and veg learning about sustainability and food growing.  Using eco-friendly materials for crafts and encourage recycling and waste reduction during all activities.

This funding will help create a nurturing space where parents and toddlers can connect, grow and thrive together.  The activities will not only address immediate needs caused by the cost-of-living crisis but also foster long-term wellbeing, resillience and environmental responsibility.

Estimated Costs:

Facilitators (wellbeing activities)  4 sessions - yoga, music & movement, mindfullness) £200

Craft & Green project initiative - eco-friendly supplies for crafts, mini gardening (compost, seeds, pots and gardening tools) £150

Healthy snack & refreshments 48 week sessions fruit, crackers, drinks, cups and plates £480

Swap shop set up - bins, signage, clothing rails £70

Toys and sensory play resources £100

Chatty Chalkers intend to run classes in the Argyle Centre (rent sponsored by SeaSalt Streets) to teach adults and children how to paint murals via the Oculus Quest, build and install 3D wire sculptures, create and paint moulded ornaments and how to construct sand structures and pictures. Chatty Chalkers have experience in delivering projects having successfully produced a series of pop-up events featuring pavement chalk drawing, sand art and sculptures and stone and shell painting. The pop-up events are advertised on social media two days before and the location  disclosed. They often draw up to 30 participants at their free events. 

Chatty Chalkers will offer, free and open to all, kids and adult art workshops, both indoor and outdoor. The participants will be taught mural structure and painting, basic sand art and 3D forming, simple plaster  moulding and how to form and strengthen wire figures. 

In order to facilitate the classes/workshops, Chatty Chalkers require the following equipment and materials. 

Oculus Quest & power bank £220.00. Stepladders and spray paint £80.00. Masonry paint, brushes,dust sheets, overalls, warning tape etc. £196.00. Chicken wire, foam blocks and cutter, UV resin £175.00. Expanding foam and gun, miscellaneous acrylic and water colour paints, pens and pencils etc. £175.00. TOTAL incl postage = £875.00.

Baby sensory classes promote communication and language skills in babies.  The sessions are lead by a person qualified in childcare and specialising in Baby sensory activities.

The cost is £100 per session 

Our group of 8 Beavers will attend a group camp at the Blair Activity Centre along with the Cubs and Scouts.  Based on previous costs for the same setting in early 2024 our costs are:

8 heads at the Blair @ £35 each - £280

Beavers share of meals and snacks - £120

Badges x 3 per Beaver @£1 - £24

We are launching Connections for Families CIC to better support whole families raising children and young people with Additional Support Needs (ASN). Before we begin, we want to listen. This pilot project will run a welcoming community event where parents, carers, siblings, and wider networks can come together, hear our plans, and have their say.

This event will create a safe and inclusive space for families to share what matters most to them. We will introduce our new whole-family approach, which focuses on strengthening resilience, reducing isolation, and improving wellbeing. Families will help shape what services and activities should look like—whether that’s peer support, practical workshops, advocacy, or family activities.

The pilot will also build community spirit by connecting families who often feel isolated, offering an opportunity to meet others with similar experiences. With refreshments, child-friendly spaces, and trained facilitators and childcare support, the sessions will be accessible and supportive.

By piloting CCF, we will gather real feedback, test what works, and ensure the future of Connections for Families CIC is led by families themselves. This grant will allow us to make sure our new service is truly community-designed.

Costs

Days events and preperation

Room Hire: 1 room for 6 hrs = £120

Marketing Materials: £50

Hospitality: Based on 30 attendees @ £8 per head £240

Childcare: 2 specialist workers to supervise children £198

Materials and Equipment for the event: £190 ie, hand outs, flare and books 

Event Staff and prep time: £200

Total: £998

The Committee aim to keep this a free event in line with the rising cost of living struggles which are evidenced in the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation figures, with Stevenston sitting in the top 10% most deprived decile.

Our aims is to work in partnership with local organisations to provide free fun activities on the night like face painting, glitter tattoos, badge-making, arts & crafts, large outdoor games, retro gaming and much more however, we would like to invite in other businesses to bring something different to the event. This includes the hire of a snow machine, providing free food & and live entertainment. We are also lucky to have the appearance of Santa, where young people will get to visit him and receive a free small token gift in the form of a selection box.

We also host 2 competitions on the run up to the event. These include a Christmas Card Competition and a Window display competition. (Prizes are generously donated by local businesses) The Christmas Card Competition is an opportunity to get our young people at primary school involved. The top three cards will be professionally printed and gifted to the successful young people. We will also make additional prints to sell on the night for those interested. This sale helps kick start the fundraising for the following years event. The window display is an opportunity to encourage community engagement and participation. A friendly competition between businesses and neighbours to get people into the festive spirit and help create community cheer.

With the help of North Ayrshire Council in the past the display of the lights costings have been covered, however, with budget cuts this now falls into the hands of Stevenston Lights Volunteers to source. Alongside the cost of living crisis, businesses and individuals are no longer in a position to sponsor like they once did, as they face rising costs also. So we need to reach out to funders like you to request assistance.

 This event is a year long commitment to plan and implement and requires £8,000 - £10,000 each year to host. We are applying in advance for our 2026 switch on event to help kick start our fundraising efforts.

We are applying for the following resources to be considered for funding:

£500 - money to buy ingredients for free food distribution

£150 - Santa's Grotto inflatable

£350 - Live entertainment delvered by Irvine Beat FM

The project will see 60 apple, pear and plum trees planted in Holm Green. The public will be free to pick the fruit each year for their own use. This project is part of a wider movement of planting community orchards across the local area. The trees will cost approximately £2300. We are seeking £1000 from the Participatory Budgeting fund.

IMC Community Fridge is applying for £1000 for the purchase of amibient and chilled foods to ensure good stock levels during the depths of winter. Many people on prepayment meters have to choose whether to heat or eat and we want to enusre that our community can do both where possible. 

£1000 will allow for £100 to be spent per week for a 10 week period to provide soups, ready meals and other tinned produce. 

We anticipate that approx 30 household will benefit per week from this provision.

Lunches £450

Tea & Coffee £50

Buscuits £50

Hall hire £450