We would like funding to run training days and research opportunities for the young carers who are part of the Champions Board. These activities will help young carers to build confidence, learn new skills, and take part in projects that highlight the realities of being a young carer. It will also give them the chance to work together, learn from each other, and share their voices with the wider community.

Young carers often have a lot of responsibility at home. This can make it harder for them to take part in the same opportunities as others their age. Our project will give them safe and supportive spaces to learn, to grow, and to connect with others who understand what they are going through. By doing this, we will help them to feel stronger, more confident, and more able to share their views with schools, services, and local decision-makers.

We will run training days where young carers can build their skills in leadership, public speaking, and wellbeing. We will also run research projects so young carers can share their ideas and experiences in ways that influence change. These sessions will be fun, supportive, and focused on what matters most to the young carers themselves. At the end, we will bring everyone together for a celebration event to share what has been learned.

The project is for all young carers in North Ayrshire, especially those who are part of the Champions Board. It will also benefit families, schools, services, and the community, because the young carers will have more confidence to share their ideas and help make support better for others.

1. Travel Costs – £250 To cover buses or minibus hire for young carers to attend activities, training sessions, or days out in North Ayrshire and Glasgow.

2. Activities and Training – £400 This includes entry fees for activities such as museums, learning workshops, or team-building days. It also covers costs for professional trainers to deliver sessions on skills like leadership, public speaking, and wellbeing.

3. Food and Refreshments – £200 Providing meals and snacks during days out and training days so young carers are well looked after and can enjoy the experience fully.

4. Materials and Resources – £100 Stationery, workbooks, or activity packs to support training sessions and research projects.

5. Celebration/Reflection Event – £50 A small event to bring the group together at the end, celebrate achievements, and share what has been learned with the wider community.

To reinforce the school visits, Irvine Burns Club produce a workbook for each attending pupil, the stock of which require to be replenished.

For the verse speaking event, funding is sought to provide trophies for the pupils representing their schools by performing their chosen poem in three categories, Primaries 1-3, Primaries 4-5 and Primaries 6-7.

Those nominated by their schools are also eligible to compete in the Ayrshire Association of Burns Clubs’ Schools’ Competition held later in the year.

There are 12 Primary Schools in the Irvine Area, and it is hoped that, again, all would participate.

We seek funding towards the re-printing costs of the workbooks, £1000, and the purchase of 39 trophies at a approximate cost of £800, a total of £1800. However, only £1000 is being requested towards this cost.

2026 marks a 200-year unbroken history since Irvine Burns Club was founded in 1826.

In promoting the works of Burns and his significant links with Irvine, annual we host visits to the museum and a verse speaking event for primary school pupils. We also welcome other groups and individuals who wish a tour of the building and to view the treasures we hold.

In partnership with NAC and other organisations we developed several initiatives in the town including the Herbour Dauner.

Our 1st Stevenston Brownies meet together on a Thursday evening for fun, crafts, making new friendships, building confidence and creativity.  The group is run by volunteers and running costs are covered by monthly subs. Each child registered requires to pay a census each year on top of normal running costs. Covering some of the cost would allow other funds to be used for celebrations or events. £30 per child x 18 = £540.  We also buy the group badges on completion of a variety of skills. Approx 18 x £1 ×12 = £216.  Some of girls can earn more than 12 badges in a year. Arts and crafts bundles and cookery sets= £244. 

Dreghorn Youth Club members would like to have access to youth friendly activities and events and would like to attract new members so that moreyoung people can experience the benefits of being part of this group. The group provide free refreshments, activities and events for young people, primarily from the Dreghoen area, although this is not exclusive, young people from other areas are welcome to attend. The group would like to replenish dwindling resources so that those who attend can have the best experience without worrying about having to pay. Dreghorn Youth Group would like to be able to provide opportunities and activities that will help improve young peoples mental health and well beng, challenge poverty and provide a safe space for young people to be ableto express themselves and be part of something that works for them. 

Costings for the resources are based on ideas discussed with young people and how activities could be delivered over the year. 

Vouchers to buys snacks and drinks for the sessions: £250.00.

Bounce Station Vouchers: £300.00. 20 sessions at £15.00 per session.

Arts and crafts equipment: £200.00. Couloring pens and pencils, card and paper, paints and brushes.

Indoor sports equipment: £150.00. Dodgeballs, badminton racquets and darts equipment.

Phone and tablet charging equipment: £100.00. Chargers, plugs and battery packs.

Our group has resources but are very old and in need of being replaced. The young people engaged well in consultation and have each given their ideas to what we should buy to help their youth group to stay active and engaging. 

Amy "all of the stuff is getting a bit old and its starting to break" - "I love coming each week to see my friends and play games"

Harrison "we want to play more sports and build on our team work skills"

Mairi "young people deserve a chance to play, exercise and hang out with their friends with good resources"

Aleigh "to keep the youth group interesting and not repetative"

Erin "I love coming to youth group to hang with my friends and have fun"

resources they young people have requested (photo attached below) are: priced from amazon

Tenpin Bowling £200

Slime making equipment £50

Cooking and baking ingredients and equipment £60

A speaker to play music £40

Bopits £40 x 2 - £80

Art materials and pens £80

Dodgeballs £30

Board games £100

footballs for the summer £22 x 2  £44

xbox games £100

playstation games £100

pogoballs £14 x 4 - £56

spiragraph £13 x 2 - £26

etch-a-sketch £24 x 2 - £48

rounders equipment £10.99

volley ball and net £38.97

switch games £80

TASS Thistle Blues project aims to support the health, wellbeing, and personal development of youngsters aged 14–15 through access to quality training gear and a structured team-building activity. We are seeking funding to contribute 50% towards the cost of training equipment for our players, ensuring every participant has the resources needed to engage fully in training sessions, regardless of financial circumstances. Access to the right gear not only enhances safety and performance but also builds confidence and a sense of pride in representing their team.

In addition, we are requesting support to take the group on a dedicated team-building activity designed to promote resilience, communication, and positive mental health. This experience will provide the boys with opportunities to strengthen friendships, develop leadership skills, and explore strategies for managing stress, both on and off the field.

Our focus is on creating a supportive environment where these youngsters can thrive physically, socially, and emotionally. With your contribution, we can reduce barriers to participation, encourage healthy lifestyle choices, and nurture the next generation with the values of teamwork, respect, and perseverance. This project is an investment in their wellbeing and their future.

Costs required: 

• Training Kit for 19 Youths = £931.16 / 50% = £465.58
• Team Building Day for 19 Youths (£25 x 19) = £475.00 

Total required: £940.58

We have 40 local children that attend the junior triathlon club weekly on Arran. We hold 3 swim and run sessions and a cycling session every week. We have 6 volunteer coaches. We are looking for funding to help with the pool costs and the competition costs of sending our athletes to the mainland which usually includes overnight accomodation due to early start times.We are also looking for funding to help with the costs of training new coaches and current coaches. The cost breakdown is as follows:

Pool hire £150 per week for 6 weeks = £900, New coach foundation triathlon course £100.

Since moving to 11s, game time is longer and the pitch size is bigger meaning that our weekly costs have risen.  This last year we are constantly coming up against financial barriers due to the rising costs of hiring pitches, referee costs, coaches training certificates and equipment.

The team have recently raised funding via sponsorship from local businesses and parental contribution to get new strips for the start of the season as the boys had all outgrown their kit.  All funding raised paid for the new kits for the boys. 

We are seeking funding to purchase new training kits, this will be shorts, tops and socks.  Funding is all sought for new equipment of balls, cones and training poles.  Having all the boys in the same kit promotes inclusion and uniformity. 

We seek this funding to ease the financial pressure on parents/carers who already contribute monthly to the team. 

Breakdown of costs;

16 training strips (shorts, top, socks) x £50.00        £800.00

Equipment (balls, cones, training poles)                    £200.00

The proposed plan would be to have playground games painted onto the tarmac in the playground such as Hop scotch, darts, target throwing, dance, duck duck goose, number lines and squares and Chess. help with gross motor skills through a radical method supporting all.

This would encourage literacy and numerousy learning through a fun and engaging way which would meet the needs of all children and support attainment.

We would also look to use some of the funds for play and sport equipment for the playground such as balls, parachutes, hula hoops among other games.

This would also support the health and wellbeing of our children when playing games and working together. This would be a radical way of encouraging creativity, imagination, social inclusion (sharing, working together), leadership skills developed through play. 

Springside is a very deprived area and we want what is best for our children, this grant would break a financial barrier and would give the children equal opportunities to develop their skills further outwith the classroom.   

Breakdown of cost

Paint and application £900

balls/hula hoops/ play equipment £100

DDLS is a local dance team with over 40 young dancers from across Ayrshire. Competing is an amazing opportunity, but costs stop some children taking part. Your vote will help every dancer shine on stage, no matter their background

The Dance Depot Lyrical Squad (DDLS) is part of Tracy Finlay’s Dance Depot in Kilwinning, an inclusive and welcoming dance school offering children and young people aged 8–18 the chance to develop their creativity, confidence, and wellbeing through dance.

DDLS is the competitive branch of the school, with over 40 local dancers proudly representing Ayrshire and Scotland at both national and international competitions. A highlight of the year is performing at the prestigious Blackpool Winter Gardens competition in March 2026, where dancers showcase the dedication, teamwork, and passion they’ve built throughout the season.

However, participation comes with significant costs—such as entry fees (around £80 per dancer for Blackpool), travel, and costumes—that can prevent some children from accessing these opportunities. Many DDLS families live in areas of high deprivation across Ayrshire (Kilwinning, Irvine, Ardrossan, Saltcoats, Stevenston), where the cost-of-living crisis already makes it difficult to cover extras.

The Youth PB grant of £1,000 would go directly towards covering competition entry fees, ensuring that no dancer is excluded due to financial barriers. This support will help us keep competitive dance open to all young people, no matter their background.

By supporting DDLS, you are helping children and young people to:

• Gain confidence, resilience, and self-belief by performing at a national level.

• Build teamwork and discipline through training and shared goals.

• Experience the pride of representing their community and Scotland on stage.

• Access opportunities equally, regardless of family income.

This project is not just about dance—it’s about ensuring that every child has the same chance to shine, to belong, and to create lifelong memories through the power of community support.

Breakdown of Costs

• Competition entry fees (including Blackpool Winter Gardens 2026, £80 per dancer) – £1,000

Expected Outcomes

• At least 40 young dancers supported to attend competitions without financial barriers.

• Improved health, wellbeing, and confidence through active participation in dance.

• Increased equality of opportunity for young people from deprived areas across Ayrshire.

• Stronger community pride with local dancers representing Ayrshire and Scotland.