We are piloting a new after-school tutor-led learning club in Kilwinning for primary and secondary pupils (ages 8–16). The project aims to provide free, accessible support in core subjects such as literacy, numeracy, and study skills to help raise attainment, boost confidence, and reduce stress for families who cannot afford private tutoring.

The club will run weekly sessions in a local community venue for 10 weeks, with small-group tuition led by qualified tutors. Places will be open to all pupils, but we will prioritise children from families living in SIMD 1 and 2 areas who are most affected by poverty and the cost-of-living crisis. By removing financial barriers, the project ensures all children, regardless of background, can access support to reach their full potential.

This pilot will test demand and outcomes. If successful, it could grow in future, helping Kilwinning’s children improve school performance, develop resilience, and feel supported by their community.

Breakdown of Costs:

• Tutor fees (2 tutors x 10 weeks) – £1,200

• Venue hire (community space for 10 weeks) – £300

• Learning resources (books, stationery, equipment) – £200

• Healthy snacks for pupils – £150

• Promotion & materials (flyers, posters, digital) – £150

Total: £2,000

The Garden Haven will be a purpose-built community space within the Community Roots Garden in West Kilbride – a once-derelict site reclaimed by local people four years ago and steadily developed into a thriving community asset. The Haven is a stand-alone project that will provide a base to connect our Community Garden and Village Larder with wider holistic aims of wellbeing, sustainability, and education.  

This welcoming, sustainable building will build on the community’s success in transforming neglected land and place it into fuller use, directly supporting North Ayrshire’s Community Wealth Building strategy. It will create opportunities for skills, learning, and local enterprise while ensuring that wellbeing services are accessible to everyone, regardless of income.  

From the Haven we will deliver workshops on sustainable growing practices, nutrition, and the use of herbs for health, alongside stress management and complementary therapies. These activities promote healthier lifestyles, reduce environmental impact, and help people adopt low-cost, sustainable choices. Sessions will be offered free or on a pay-what-you-can basis, tackling inequalities in access to wellbeing. Through partnerships with the local college’s complementary therapy courses and local holistic practitioners, the project will also support education, fair work experience, and local expertise.  

Costs and Funding  

• Phase 1 – Core Build: £59,849. Due to commence end of October 2025. Funding secured: £50,000 (National Lottery Community Led Fund). £5000 Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund Shortfall: £4849

• Phase 2 – Finishing & Sustainability (decking, fencing, landscaping, solar panels, battery storage, decorating and furnishing): £18900

With support, the Garden Haven will complete the transformation of a once-neglected site into a sustainable, community-owned hub for wellbeing, learning, and environmental resilience 

The Community Wealth Building award will go towards the outlined costs and we are seeking out other sources of funding for the remainder. We aim to be completed by Spring 2025

This year we running a Christmas pantomime fundrasier for the running of the festival, this is open for all of the community at a reduced rate. For 2026 we'd like to offer showings at a even more of a reduced rate. This year the cost of tickets are £10 per person where normally the tickets are £16. Next year we'd like to have the opportunity to greatly reduce the cost of the tickets for school children. We'd like a friday showing for schools to make it acessible for lower income families. Ticket will be at the reduced cost of £3. We will be running other days which will be open to the public which will generate an income. The income we make will be reinvested back into the festival planning and organisation of the festival celebrations for the year ahead.

Pantomime Booking (Geeza a Break Productions ) - £1800

One off hall hire  (Volunteer Rooms) - £200

Kilwinning Community Shed (the Shed) was established just over a year ago with the purpose of bringing the community (our members) together in a space where they can collectively or separately interact and discuss what's important to them; whether it's work, family, hobbies, or skills, they can learn to be creative by participating in a variety of crafts and activities. More importantly, reducing solical isolation and being part of the wider community is key to our ethos which is aligned to the Scottish Men's Shed Association of which we are a member. Belonging to our community group gives people purpose and a sense of belonging because the 'Shed' is collectively the people, not the building.

Since it was established we've been housed in a temporary accommodation while we await the decision of the asset transfer in December. When awarded a permanent home we understand the responsibilities that come with it relating to legislative requirements and compliance. We must ensure the building is safe for our members and we meet all requirements for both compliance and regulations. This funding application is to help us meet the costs for surveys and reports relating to health & safety, fire risk assessments, electric and gas equipment and services as well as the overarching assessment of the intended function of the internal space and the external land space.

We estimate the spend to be as follows:

Site survey for fire risk assessment - £500

Site survey for extinguishers and signage - £250/day

Fire warden training - £60/person (minimum 4 persons)

Health & Safety Assessment - £500/day

Pre assessment survey and advice - £500

In the past year we have experienced membership growth and wider engagement with the local community, e.g. we work closely with Choose Kilwinning and will be actively involved in creating and building the Christmas trees for the town centre as part of Choose Kilwinning's sustainability plan. Our male to female ratio is 1:3 and we have an active membership who regularly attend our twice weekly meetings which we anticipate to increase in a permanent home. Our members benefit from a space to come together and be creative, or simply to be with people and chat. Our activities include but are not limited to woodworking in our workshop and a variety of crafting activities such as sewing, pottery, crochet, knitting, paper crafting and model railway building.  Essentially we are a member led organisation, a self funded charity which generates a lot of interest in Kilwinning, and while perhaps some people may not feel they are ready to join us right now, we want to create a community that will be here and ready for people of all ages in their future, young or old, from all walks of life, with or without a skill they just haven't discovered yet.

Agreement from application review: as the group are currently undergoing the CAT process, and the funds would cover work to be completed if they take on the asset being applied for, funding (if the group are successful at the public vote) would only be released once the asset transfer has been completed. If this has not been concluded by the end of the 2025/26 financial year, the funding will be offered to the project with the next highest number of votes. 

DDLS is a local competitive dance team in North Ayrshire, with many young members from areas affected by deprivation. Competing at a high level brings amazing opportunities for our dancers, but costs for travel, entry fees, and kit often create barriers for families. We want to test new ways of fundraising that not only support our dancers but also benefit the wider community by bringing people together and opening up access to dance.

This project combines three small but powerful initiatives:

1. Community Showcase Event – A large-scale performance event featuring DDLS dancers alongside local schools and community groups. Funding will cover venue hire, costumes, lighting, and marketing. Tickets will generate income to reinvest in competition costs, while the event itself celebrates community talent and inspires others to get active through dance.

2. Branded Merchandise – Purchase of initial stock of DDLS-branded hoodies, water bottles, and dance bags. Sales will build a sustainable income stream, while also promoting team identity and local pride.

3. Dance for All Workshops – A series of community workshops led by DDLS dancers and coaches, open to children and young people who may not otherwise access dance. These sessions will be free or low-cost initially, with future paid workshops generating income to support competition costs. This gives back to the community while building a model for longer-term sustainability.

Breakdown of Costs (total £2,000):

• Community Showcase Event (venue hire, costumes, lighting, marketing) – £1,000

• Branded merchandise (hoodies, bottles, bags initial stock) – £500

• Dance for All workshops (venue hire, facilitator costs, resources) – £500

Total: £2,000

This project fits strongly under the Enterprising Communities theme, as it is designed to test and develop new ways for DDLS to generate sustainable income that can be reinvested into our goals. The community showcase event will bring in ticket sales to help cover competition costs while also creating a positive event for the wider public. The branded merchandise will provide a small but ongoing income stream that promotes team identity and encourages community support. The Dance for All workshops will give local children and young people affordable access to dance, while establishing a model that can generate income for future community sessions and help subsidise competition costs.

It also links to Local Innovation, as we are piloting a combination of new activities (merchandise, workshops, and a public showcase event) to see which approaches work best in creating financial sustainability. By testing these ideas, we are building resilience into our organisation, reducing reliance on one-off fundraisers, and finding new ways to involve the wider community in dance.

This project therefore directly supports the Community Wealth Building mission by maximising the potential of our place and our young people, while reinvesting income to ensure that opportunities to compete and succeed in dance are not limited by financial barriers.

Community Café Enhancement**

We are seeking funding to enhance the visibility and functionality of our Community Café, which plays a vital role in our local area yet remains underutilised. Many local workers and residents are unaware that our café is open to everyone, resulting in missed opportunities for community engagement and funding generation for our local initiatives.

Our  Goals

1. Increase awareness of the café among local residents and passing workers.

2. Boost visitor numbers to generate income for our community projects.

3. Create a welcoming and inclusive environment through improved outdoor seating and signage.

Impact- The café serves as a cornerstone of community wellbeing. It provides affordable meals, a friendly meeting place, and a safe space for all residents. Our café hosts various activities aimed at reducing social isolation, and an increase in visitor numbers will enable us to diversify and expand our event offerings, providing further benefits to the local area.

By adding outdoor seating, we will attract more customers, particularly during the summer months. This will not only accommodate dog walkers and families but also create opportunities for increased income that can be reinvested into improving our services.

Benefits of Increased Footfall

- Sustained and enhanced community events. - Greater income flow to support more activities.

- A stronger sense of community cohesion and engagement.

Cost Breakdown

To realise our vision of a bustling Community Café, we require funding for the following items:

Signage Costs:

- Circle Stamp: £10.37  - Mesh Banners: £58.98  - Outdoor A-Frame Signs: £94.51 

- Indoor Banner Without Eyelets: £121.48  Total Signage Costs: £342.41 (Inc VAT) 

Outdoor Seating Costs: - 16 Stacking Bistro Seats: £260  - 8 Bistro Tables: £320 

- Delivery: £45.00  - Total Outdoor Seating Costs: £624.88 

Total Funding Request: £967.41

 Investing in improved signage and outdoor seating is a cost-effective strategy to capitalise on the café’s potential. With this funding, we can transform our Community Café into an inviting hub of activity, fostering greater community interaction and enhancing the overall quality of life for residents. We appreciate your consideration and support in helping us realise this vision.

Ripple Effect Saltcoats (RES) are currently undergoing the Community Asset Transfer of Melbourne Toilets and Community Asset Lease of Melbourne Public Park. Phase 1 of RES's plan is to renovate and reopen the public toilets. In order to make the project financially viable and sustainable in the long term, Ripple Effect will reinstate one of the former 18 hole putting greens and intend to introduce 2 or 3 Target Bowls rinks. Further plans include a fixed, giant chess and draughts board and possibly a concrete table tennis table (there was one there in the 1980's). 

Not only will these additional outdoor activities compliment the work already done by S.A.L.T at the new Pirate Playpark, and the proposed development by SPLASH and the outdoor pool, they will serve as a revenue stream which will feed into the funds necessary for the polonged upkeep of the toilets and park. 

The container will house the putters, balls, flags for the putting, bowls for the target bowls, chess sets, draughts sets and table tennis equipment. Initially, the 'office' will be manned by volunteeers who will rent out the equipment, however it is Ripple Effect's intention to create employment in the future.

If successful, Ripple Effect would continue to stick to its unwritten rule of buying 'local'. We have sourced a suitable container from Rhino Containers in Glengarnock, a reputable company who came highly recommended by another community group with whom we work in parthership, SeaSalt Streets. 

The container offered by Rhino Containers is priced at £1375.00 plus VAT @ £271.40 plus delivery cost of £155.00 plus vat @ £31.00, plus 2 x Magmaus Shipping Container padlocks (£29.99 each) £59.98.     TOTAL = £1892.38

The surplus of the requested amount will be used to purchase used tables, cahirs and cupboards to house the equipment.

A Film Club would provide opportunities for the commuity to come together, for cutural and educational benefits.  What was once the old cinema could once again deliver many different genres of film.  As the new building is totally accessible everybody will be able to participate.  There could be screenings individually for children, for those suffering with dementia, for those who would revel in the old stories of the Clyde and the tales of Para Handy, for families. These are just a few examples.

A consultant would research this local innovation to provide a clear strategy and guidelines to be developed for future use by those taking the project foward.

A self employed consultant at 8 hours per week for ten weeks at £15 per hour would cost £1,080 - see role profile below for further information.