Castle park garden project has been running for about thirteen years. The people with learning disabilities have attended the centre weekly keeping the grass cut, the weeds at bay and the wooden pengola, benches and planters painted yearly. We had some storm damage this year and some of the wooden planters need repaired we also need to buy decking to repair the pengola has the wood has rotted. We also need to get a skip to remove some of the gardens older items that cannot be repaired. The people are from Trindlemoss Day opportunities they work hard weekly in the garden , some also volunteer at the older people lunch club and recently the Castlepark Cafe has now opened up weekly provding another service to the community Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We hope that we are sucessfull in applying for funding to buy the following items so we can repair the broken items and get the garden back to its original state so the community can enjoy spending time in it. We also grow fruit and vegetables that can be used in the centre to make soup and for the lunch club.

Skip Hire £300

wood to repair pengola and planters £300

Paint £90

wood to repair and restore planter - £200

wood screws - £30

new water fountain - £80

Trindlemoss Day Opportunities is based in Irvine the people with learning disabilities, physical impairments and sensory  who attend come from all over North Ayrshire. Trindlemoss aims to transform community attitudes to better support and promote opportunities for people with learning disabilities. We help people with learning disabilities share their strengths and skills with the community and encourage recognition for their input.

Throughout our work , we stay focused on our service users, and the relationships that we build with them the supports we offer them and enrich them at Trindlemoss we try to support encourage each individual to reach their full potential.

After receiving PB funding last year Friends of Trindlemoss has organised social events at night which have been well attended by over sixty peopl and the building has been used at night.

Parents, carers, and support workers from other organisations  have attended and the people with learning disabilities have had the opportunity to meet up with their friends and socialise at night some of the people attending have not seen each other since school.

We have also had social evenings fortnightly to bring carers and support staff together. At the monthly social events parents have met other parents and this has also helped new parents with the transitions from school to day opportunities. Parents have also been given the opportunity to meet up with other parents they have not seen from Lockheart school.

Trindle moss Court and Trindlemoss House also have residents that have benefited from the social events has it has also given them the opportunity to meet their neighbours.

The criteria we meet is health and wellbeing as Friends of Trindlemoss promote physical and mental wellbeing the project tackles social isolation and it brings the Trindlemoss Community together as well as bringing the wider community into Day opportunities. The people who reside in the tenancies have mental health issues and learning disabilities so we also hit the criteria for building community spirits as we have had the social event in an environment that is familiar to everyone.

Friends of Trindlemoss would like to hold a big social event in Castlepark community centre, the group would like a bar and band and would like to open the event up to more people with learning disabilities who live in the community they also would like a buffet as at all our social events we always have a food.

This will be a challenge for some of our service users as we would like the event to run from 7pm to 11pm and it is trying a new environment but some people with learning disabilities know Castlepark community centre and attend clubs there already and volunteer at their lunch club, community garden , community cafe and the dementia cafe every week.

We are also working on a newletter to tell more people about our events and if all goes well we will publish this twice a year this in turn will be sent to the community learning disability team and other third party organisations that support people with learning disabilities in the community.

Crossing Together Toddlers was formed in March 2024 following the project being approached by two local new parents who felt there was a need for a group locally in Bourtreehill. Both mums, along with another four mums who joined the scaffolding core team last year, are the lead participant, along with our Mission Pioneer in running the weekly sessions on Tuesday mornings for 2 hours at the Relief Mission Centre. The group lost 9 children at the end of last session to nursery and 4 families where the mum returned to work, but since advertising during the summer we quickly reached capacity of 40 babies/toddlers again, who attend with a least one adult per child. The sessions are free to ensure it is accessible to all.

At Crossing Together Toddlers we aim to provide a fun, warm, safe, welcoming and accessible space for babies and toddlers to come along with their grown-ups from Bourtreehill and the surrounding areas of Irvine. In setting up the group we initially looked at accessing funding to purchase equipment and toys however a toddler group in Troon had recently folded and they gifted us items that meant we could launch the group immediately. The group is free of charge to families to access and weekly snacks and craft materials are provided through donations and fundraising. It is important for us to maintain a no charge policy to maximise accessibility due to the cost of living crisis and our locality being significantly impacted with regards poverty. Weekly snacks provided are balanced with items like fruit, toast and juice/water being provided for the children and a warm drink and biscuits/cakes for the grown-ups. As well as the weekly sessions we want to continue to provide the families with new experiences that can include their older children and partners which will extend the community spirit that is being built in and around the group already. These new experiences include family fun days, parties, trips and days out locally and further afield. 

Many of the families who attend the group rarely travel outwith Irvine and it would be great to improve the health and wellbeing through a summer trip to a farm park, which would provide a new experience by seeing the animals we sing about and read about at our weekly song and story time. A Christmas Party with entertainment, hospitality and a visit from Santa would also encourage positive mental health during the festive time that brings much stress with extra financial outgoing in winter. A weekend family fun day using the local park space would enable us to include working parents and older children and through hospitality/food and fun activities create a positive aspect to a park area that carries much saddness in the community and encourage resislience and new owership of the local space. In addition we supported the local community to attend all ages art sessions this year and to host a day just for the toddler families to engage and empower them to see how art together can aid mental health wellbeing and be a positive bonding experience we plan to offer this at Easter this year.

For Crossing Together to provide these experiences at no cost to the families in our locality we would be applying for the PB Locality Funding to help meet these costs as well as doing additional fundraising and seeking donations.

Examples of costings to provide such experiences are:-

Farm park admission (approx 80 people includes under 2s free) = £650

Childrens Party Entertainer = £125

Family Art for the Soul Session with Art Therapist and art/craft materials = £150

Hospitality Party/Funday = £130

Additional costings for items like craft materials and additional hospitality would be sought through donations and fundraising.

The aim of the project is to support volunteers involved in the Irvine 'Adopt a Flowerbed' scheme through offering basic tools, bulbs and seeds. It will offer a chance to come together as a supportive group to share hints and tips as well as seed and plant swaps for use in the flower beds. The project will promote physical activity, social inclusion, positive mental health and enhanced wellbeing.

A Facebook group will be set up to share photos of the flowerbeds and events organised to bring volunteers together. The aim is to build a supportive community amongst the 'Buddies' while helping to enhance the Irvine locality for both locals and visitors alike through the maintenance of its flowerbeds.

The approximate costs applied for are:

Bulbs and seeds: £540, gardening gloves: £21.60,  hand trowels: £51.84,  Seed trays £46.08, plant labels: £11.98, seed envelopes:£19.99, refreshments: £96.78, Promotional flyers: £31.99, tote bags: £17.74, room rental for year (monthly x10): £162.

Additional costs involved such as soil improvement, compost, additional plants and bulbs and protective gear will be sought through fundraising and donations.

Festive Celebration for People Affected by Substance Use

Cafe Solace in collaboration with Fullarton Connexions

We are applying for funding to deliver a festive meal and celebration for people in our community who are affected by substance use and/or lonlieness. Many of our service users face stigma, poverty and social isolation, particularly over the festive period when most services are closed. We have facilitated an event over the past 2 years with great success. This project will provide an inclusive, welcoming space where individuals can enjoy a freshly prepared meal, participate in activities and celebrate together with dignity and respect. Ideally, the meal would be held on Christmas Day, however, due to the limitations of availability of payment on time, the event can be held anytime throughout the festive period up until 4th January.

Aims & Objectives

• To provide a safe, stigma-free environment where people affected by substance use can come together and celebrate the festive season.

• To reduce isolation and loneliness by creating opportunities for social connection and shared experience.

• To promote dignity, inclusion and wellbeing by ensuring everyone has access to a festive meal and celebration.

• To strengthen community partnerships through collaboration with Fullarton Connexions Church who are allowing us to use their facility for this event 

• We are hoping that the event will be attended by approx 40 enjoying a high-quality festive meal and activities.

• Attendees will report feeling less isolated and more connected to their community.

• The event will help challenge stigma by creating a positive, welcoming space where people can be valued and included.

• Stronger links will be built between service users, local community, our organisation and community partners.  

The event will be hosted at Fullarton Connexions, who have generously offered the use of their facilities. Our volunteers, will prepare and serve a festive meal, with entertainment, music and activities to create a celebration. Transport support will be provided for those who would otherwise struggle to attend. Each guest will also receive a small festive gift to take away.

Budget Breakdown

• Food & refreshments: £450 

• Decorations & festive items: £150

• Entertainment & activities: £150

• Small festive gifts / wellbeing packs: £100

• Venue hire: £100 

• Essential Travel Costs £50

Total funding requested: £1,000

Our sewing and craft group - The Canny Crafters, offers a welcoming space where people of all ages and abilities can come together every week to learn new skills, share knowledge, and enjoy creative activities. The group helps improve wellbeing by providing a relaxing outlet that reduces stress and gives members a sense of purpose and achievement. It also builds confidence as people develop new skills or mentor and help others and take pride in completing their own or group projects. Just as importantly, it reduces social isolation by bringing people together, helping them form friendships and feel more connected to their community. The group encourages intergenerational learning, with younger and older members exchanging skills and experiences, and creates opportunities for people to give back through handmade items that can be kept, donated or sold by the group. The group improves members mental health, strengthens community ties, and provides a supportive environment where people of all ages can thrive.

At the moment there are around 10 members registered who come along weekly or on an ad hoc basis.

To enable the group to offer a wide range of projects throughout the year and be able to invite different crafters the group would like to apply for funding to allow them to buy new resources and some machines which can be used multiple times throughout the life of the project and invite external crafters to come in and demonstrate new crafting experiences for the group to try.

Breakdown of costs

Sewing machines x 2/3   = £300.00

Hand held knitting machines x 4 = £100.00

Threads / Wool / knitting & crochet materials - £150.00

Arts / Craft resources - £100.00

External groups coming to demonstrate and offer new experinces - £300

We are Lok Oi, a Hong Kong Cantonese community group – our name means bliss or happiness in English. Our project will bring elderly Cantonese speakers and the wider community together through shared lunches. These events will reduce social isolation, give people a chance to meet new friends, and celebrate Cantonese and Chinese culture with others in North Ayrshire. Each session will include traditional food, music, and karaoke to encourage fun, relaxation, and participation. We aim to create welcoming spaces where cultures are shared, connections are built, and wellbeing is improved.

• Venue hire: £300

• Food ingredients and preparation: £700

With your vote, we can make these lunches a reality and bring joy, friendship, and culture to our community.

Considering that a large proportion (at least 50%) of our learners are drawn from communities which are feature on the bottom 20%, 10%, or 5% of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, our Band is a lifeline in preserving the often-expensive art of Highland Bagpiping and Drumming the community.

We see our greatest achievements to date as being the achievements that our young members have attained through the years. Our young learners have gone on to a range of positive destinations in the piping community including study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and many have gone on to play in Grade 1 corps including Inveraray and District, Shotts and Dykehead, The Glasgow Skye Association, and Greater Glasgow Police Scotland Pipe Band.

Specific Project

Notwithstanding the success of our free tuition programme in producing high caliber pipers, drumming tuition in our community has significantly trailed behind. Drumming tuition in the wider area has been inconsistent both in terms of provision and quality. This has led to a shortage of young, innovative, high-quality players within the community which, over time, has become a key factor in restraining the local piping and drumming ‘scene’ from reaching its full potential.

To resolve this problem, we have recently launched a new drumming tuition initiative. We have acquired three Grade One drumming instructors (two side drummers and one tenor drummer) from outwith our community to revitalise drumming tuition in the area. These instructors are young (all under 30) and are delivering first rate tuition in a forward-thinking manner that cuts through to our young learners. We shall equip these learners with the skills they need to take their drumming to the next level and we intend to facilitate them acquiring qualifications through the Piping and Drumming Qualifications Board.

Total Amount Requested: £1000

Total uniform cost £300

Transport - £250

Day to day running expenses: £450

Total Project Cost £1000

We have a reserve account that will be able to accomodate the other £4,000.00

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