At Gateside Primary School, we believe in fostering a strong connection between our pupils, their environment, and the local community. Two years ago, our pupils took the initiative to create a community garden, installing four raised beds in the field beside the school, just outside the Early Years gate. This space has since become a hub for outdoor learning, where children regularly explore nature, develop their gardening skills, and learn about sustainability.

Our next step is to encourage further community Involvement through Intergenerational Projects. We will extend opportunities for children, families, and the wider community to work together in projects connected to reading, sustainability, gardening, and nature. These activities will take place after school and at weekends, encouraging participation from across generations. The aim is to strengthen community ties, provide meaningful, real-world contexts for learning, and create shared spaces where children and adults can learn from one another.

 We are seeking support to fund three key improvements:

1. Picnic Bench Seating – £500

In the original garden design, the children hoped to include seating to encourage families and community members to use and enjoy the garden space. However, due to limited funding, this was not possible at the time.

We are now looking to purchase picnic benches that will:

• Provide comfortable, social seating for families and community members
• Offer a place for everyone to sit during our intergenrational projects or whilst enjoying the garden space and what it has to offer.
• Make the garden a more inviting and functional community space for everyone to enjoy and learn in.

2. Outdoor Book Storage – £400

As part of our Eco Schools initiative, pupils have recently created a "Reading Garden" within the community garden. Currently, they transport books to and from school in boxes, limiting accessibility and creating additional work.

We propose to install a secure, weatherproof outdoor bookcase that will:

• Encourage a love of reading outdoors, for both children and adults
• Provide permanent, accessible book storage
• Enhance literacy opportunities in a natural, relaxing environment involving local community members and families.

3. Refreshments for After School and Weekend Groups £100 To encourage participation and make our community activities more welcoming, we plan to:

• Purchase flasks for tea/coffee as well as reusable outdoor cups and mugs.
• Provide a selection of tea, coffee, juice, biscuits and cakes during sessions.

This upgrade will help create a warm, social atmosphere, encouraging even greater use of the garden by both the school and local residents. By making gatherings more enjoyable, we will strengthen community ties and ensure outdoor learning feels enjoyable, meaningful, and fun.

Total Cost: £1,000

We are seeking £1,000 to help bring these enhancements to life.

Impact:

These improvements will:

• Encourage more families and residents to engage with the garden
• Support sustainable outdoor learning for all pupils
• Foster intergenerational community connections
• Make the garden a more inclusive, accessible, and enjoyable space for all

We hope you will consider supporting Gateside Primary pupils in their efforts to create a more welcoming and inspiring community garden for everyone.

We are the Junior section of Garnock Rugby Club.  We deliver rugby training to over 100 young people within the Garock Valley, and the wider community.  We strive to keep rugby as affordable as possible to young people while providing opportunties to promote health and wellbeing through physical activity.  Rugby is not just about physical activity and exercise, the young people develop so many more skills that can be transferrable in many siutations for the rest of their lives.  Skills they develop includes communication, teamwork, problem solving, negotiating, as well as increase in confidence and ability.  It has been proven that physical activity in turn can promote positive mental health, and we want to target this from a young age.  We would like to apply for funding to purchase equipment.  New equipment ensures the young people are kept active, challenged and that they continue to attend as they enjoy the sport.  New equipment could include balls, target practices, tackling bags, cones and any ideas that the young people have. 

We'd also like to provide healthy, low-cost snacks and food to our junior players and their opponents.  Providing food options after games will ensure equal access to free food for all.  We understand the food poverty and financial restraints that parents have and in challenging times, and this would ensure everyone was included.  Having food available would increase a strong sense of community, creating a shared space where players, coaches and supporters can come together to unwind, reflect and connect - which promotes mental wellbeing.  At Garnock, we pride ourselves in providing a low-cost physical activity and funding would allow us to continue this.

We ensure that the young people are involved in any funding process by checking in with their needs, wants and wishes.  By seeking funding we are able to keep our membership costs as low as possible, which ensures costs are not restrictive in young people being involved in sport.

Costs

£500 - various sports equipment that the young people are involved in buying 

£500 - to provide healthy snacks and food after games for the young people and their opponents.

As Garnock Valley Sports Leaders we will be volunteering our time to give young people the opportunity to take part in free high quality sports sessions to benefit their mental and physcial health. It will also allow the opportunity to try new sports, find a passion for one and a sense of commuinty. It will also provide t-shirts for leaders to make them easy to identify to pupils and staff when taking the club. The t-shirts will help the leaders also feel part of a community and sense of representation when out coaching in the local schools. 

Tshirts & Pritning - £800 

Equipment - £200 

The project was started in 2018 with over 100 children being taught prior to Covid. Unfortunately following Covid, our numbers dropped significantly and we are now on a journey to rebuild. We are now based at Geilsland Estate with Beith Trust, reaching out to over 60 plus children within and the Garnock Valley. During the summer we held our Wee Pipers in the Park where 28 children learned to play the chanters and drums over 4 days. This was a combination of fun activities and learning through our tutors, volunteer tutors, volunteers and helpers. At the end the week they put on small showcase which was truly amazing considering the short time they had been learning (short video attached) .

Thanks to Creative Scotland we have after school tuition delivered by two tutors and two apprentice tutors from 4 to 6 pm on a Monday afternoon. We also teach children in the primary schools in Dalry thanks to funding from Dalry Parish Boundary Trust. Scottish Schools Pipes and Drums Trust have also helped with funding with in school tution. Last school session, we ran 4 week taster block sessions at most of the Primary Schools within the Garnock Valley which was very well recieved and created much interest in learning the bagpipes and drums. As we continue our journey, we are starting weekend tuition which will bring many of the children together to start forming a band.

Our project brings children together helping their confidence, improve their self esteem, improved mental health , giving them a sense of belonging, building friendships, working as a team and most of all, enjoying the experince of learning the drums and bagpipes. At a recent event in Dalry three of our youngsters, one P7 and two from S1, played together in front of the public which they throroughly enjoyed

After school sessions we have three skill groups, beginners, intermediates and more advanced. This is very rewarding, have received much praise from the CEO of the SSPDT and the Scottish Children's Lottery for the way we ensure children have the opportunity to develop new musical skills.

 If we were fortunate to secure funding it would be used to purchase new equipment . Some of our drummers are nearly ready to move from drum pads to snare drums. If we were able to purchase small harnesses for our snare drums it would be a great step forward for our new drummers. Being able to play the snare drum would be a huge uplift for them .  If we could purchase two harnesses that they could share, would help the development of the program hugely. A small harness would cost £333 each. If we could purchase 2 would be £666.

To meet the demand for new learners we also need drum pads and drum sticks and also chanters. Drum pads and sticks cost £40.99 and would like to apply for 5 which would be £204.95 while chanters cost £43 and would like to apply for 5 which would cost £215. Total cost for drum pads, sticks and chanters £419.95

As our numbers increase new equipment ensures that we can continue to enhance the program for as many young people within the Garnock Valley.  

We have been operating for over 30 years and alot of our equipment is either broken or outdated and we are also looking to enhance the children's experience by giving them new activities to partake in while at the club.  

We provide a fun place where the children can mix with peers and learn new skills through badgework and play.  The elder children also learn responsibility and gain confidence by mentoring the younger members.  

The equipment we would benefit from is

• Freestanding basketball stands ×2 = £150
• Giant Jenga and Connect 4 = £90
• Flint and Steels x 10 = £60
• Foam Balls x10 =  £40
• Ball pit balls = £50
• Rope =£20
• Mini survival kits = £140
• Arts and Crafts ie air dry clay, paint pens, colouring pens, glue etc = £100
• Capture the flag = £50
• Folding tables = £300

Total £1000

Our children come from all over the Garnock Valley and to see children work together and become friends regardless or gender, culture or disabilities gives reassurance that the world will be a better and more inclusive place in the future.

Please vote for us.

This project will break down gender stereotypes, promote physical and mental health, and provide a safe, supportive environment for young girls to thrive.

Through structured training sessions, mentorship from experienced coaches,  we aim to inspire confidence, resilience, and leadership skills in girls aged 10–18.

Boxing has a history of being a male dominated sport. Currently Garnock Valley Boxing Club have approximately 28% female participation at most classes and we aim to encourge more girls to take part to improve on that figure.

Boxing has many benefits for young girls:

Confidence & Resilience: Learning self-defense and discipline fosters self-belief.

Health & Wellbeing: Regular training builds fitness, reduces stress, and improves mental health.

Social Inclusion: A female-friendly boxing environment breaks down barriers and creates community belonging.

Participation rates for girls remain low despite these benefits. The project aims to promote the benefits of boxing and directly tackle the barriers to access, visibility and cultural perceptions by offering free classes run over 8 weeks.

Free eight week introductory classes

Costs

Coach 8 hrs x £40 = £320

Equipment (gloves, protective gear, kit) = £600

Hall hire = £80

Garnock Community Campus Parent Council provides a uniform hub which is free and accessible to all.   Providing freshly laundered, pre-loved and new items of school uniform  to pupils across the campus, our Hub provides privacy and discretion when needed.  By providing an outlet for pre-loved clothes we also reduce the amount of clothing which goes to landfill thus supporting the environment.  Our Uniform Hub also provides toiletries, tights, stationary and school bags thus reducing the cost of the school day - something we are passionate about.

The Uniform Hub is used regulalry by many of our school community.  Be it parents looking for items of clothing to help reduce the strain on the household budget, those looking for an environmentally kinder way of providing uniform to pupils or providing a fresh pair of tights in an emergency, we striive to provide what the school community needs, no questions asked.

Should we be successful in gaining any funds from the Participatory Budget, the Parent Council will purchase new items for the Uniform Hub.  This will  include everything that a pupil would need for the school day.  There are pupil representatives who attend Parent Councill meetings, supported by a member of the Senior Leadership team, who provide requests to the Parent Council as to how the Parent Council can support the pupil community.   They also provide feedback on projects supported by the Parent Council including the Uniform Hub.  

Amount requested to purchase items for Uniform Hub £1000.