The Autumn Club meets fortnightly in Ardrossan Parish Church from Sept-June and provides those in the 'Autumn Years' of their lives with the opportunity to get together for companionship and entertainment. We provide a speaker or performer at most of our meetings and also arrange a Christmas Lunch, a Tea Party, and an afternoon outing. We regularly get 40+ members attending each meeting and had almost 100 people registered last year.

This application is to cover the cost of coach hire for an outing, which is estimated at £500, and the cost of catering for a Tea Party, which is estimated at £250.

This funding request would allow us to subsidise the costs for up to 50 people at each event.

Our project aims to reduce loneliness and improve mental health by bringing older people together in a supportive and fun environment. Our current 52 members benefit from regular activities such as bingo, quizzes, and day trips.

To make our club inclusive and affordable, we are seeking funding to cover:

• £500 for bus hire to enable members to attend day trips and outings.
• £500 for seasonal community events (Valentine's and Easter celebrations), which provide opportunities for members to socialise, build friendships, and feel part of their community. 

By helping with these costs, we can remove financial barriers, encourage more people to get involved, and ensure our members feel valued, connected, and supported. 

We allocate tickets and a time slot via our groups Fagebook page in the lead up to each event.Our events are family orientated, 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.

This year we would like to host a Colour run event where participants will get showered in bursts if brightly coloured powder. 

We ask for £1000 to be split between the two events.

£250 for treats for Easter 

£75 for decoration for events

£100 games for events

£75 crafts for events

 £500 for colour run powers

This project focuses on improving well-being though physical and mental exercise in a friendly and supportive environment. While we have a few games already, we are seeking to expand our library of age and mobility appropriate activities that promote physical movement and help our members maintain dexterity, movement and thinking skills. This also encourages team working and can be very competitive! We are supported in this by engaging  2 local practicioners for chair based yoga and relaxation/ sound bath therapies.  Our members have greatly enjoyed these and found great benefits in them. 

The associated costs of this are:

Arm chair yoga instructor: 1 session each quarter @ £60; total £240

Relaxation/ sound bath therapist: 1 session; total £60

Subscription to 'Golden Carers' respurce pack for activities, games etc; £50

Games and activities:

New Age Boccia set £175

Boccia targets to go with set: £104

High score wedge activity game: £145

Tabel Boccia and target board: £125

Portabel Cornhole game: £35

Traditional dominoes sets (2): £20

Trinimoes set: £24

total: £978

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. 

1. Transport to the SEC show in March 2026. Average of quotes £450 A lot of our members do not drive anymore and public transport to the SEC is not direct. Hiring a mini bus and driver means these members are included which makes a big difference to the whole group. The Scottish Quilting Show is the only one left in Scotland and we would like to support it with our attendance as much as possible. The show provides inspiration and generates ideas. There are workshops that can be signed up for which build skills.
2. Engaging a tutor to give us a workshop. Estimate £400.  The group has had workshop providers in the past and would like to have the again. Having a tutor come to us means that all members are included. These workshops will build skills and provide inspiration.
3. Materials so that members can present a workshop and everyone has materials provided. £150  This allows long standing members to share their knowledge and experise. This is very good for all concerned as it values the skills in the group. The cost of fabric has risen and whilst we reuse and recycle as much as we can in our quilts, sometimes it is appropriate to have materials that co-ordinate and are pre-prepared for a workshop.

We are a voluntary group with a parent run committee.  We support 3-5 year olds in early learning and childcare, and our aim is to provide a warm, welcoming environment where all families feel valued and supported.  We try to keep the costs down for families of the children attending the nursery.  

We are applying for funding to purchase outdoor clothing and equipment for the children.  Outdoor learning plays a large role in early years now and it has many benefits.  Some of these benefits include physical activity, promotes mental health and emotional wellbeing as reduces stress and boosts confidence, improves focus, social skills and relationships are developed and also a connection to nature and sustainability.  Outdoor learning supports childrens health and wellbeing in many powerful ways.

Funding for clothing and equipment to encourage outdoor learning would ensure: 

• equal access to clothing for all children 
• every child can participate in outdoor learning and play, regardless of family ability to afford appropriate clothing 
• promotes inclusion and fairness 
• encourages outdoor play in all weather - can go outside safely and comfortable in the great Scottish weather! 
• enhances learning opportunities 
• supports mental and physical health 
• protects childs own clothes

Costs

£850 - Outdoor clothing such as waterproof trousers, jackets, gloves, hats and wellies

£150 Cable Drum play equipment 

Everyone an Artist has been running from the North Ayrshire Foodbank in Ardrossan for two years. Our group aims to offer a safe, judgment free space to be creative, learn new skills and combat social isolation by offering community. Facilitated by a local participatory artist and the Trussell Trust's North Ayrshire Community Campaigner, participants will unlock and develop new skills, such as printmaking, textiles, sculpture, drawing etc alongside having the opportunity to use these skills to address local issues that matter to them. We know from research that taking part in arts based activities has numerous benefits including that on mental and physical health and wellbeing. This funding would allow our group to continue running that little bit longer. 

costs: £540 artist fee (3hrs a week for 12 weeks , £360 materials, £100 food and drinks budget)

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.