Auchengate, and in particular Dundonald Crescent, is home to an abundance of wildlife, beautiful views, and families with young children. Our committee members, with the help of those families, contribute a very diverse mix of skills and experience, and are coming together to help our residents by volunteering time, services and knowledge to improve and enhance the look of our estate, whilst building relationships and community spirit. Due to the cost-of-living crisis and the cost of garden maintenance equipment, such as lawnmowers, many of our residents cannot afford the extra expense that comes with garden maintenance, or simply do not have the time due to working whilst supporting young children, or the knowledge to use such equipment safely. This is where DCERA can help.

We would like to purchase two items for our community.

1. Currently, a member of our committee volunteers his time to cut the grass on the front and rear gardens for 25 out of 76 properties within the estate. He generously does this with his personal old mower which is not reliable or fit for purpose for this capacity of work on a weekly basis. We are looking to buy a new mower from a local company that will provide us with great aftercare and a service plan, to be used by two members of the committee to share the responsibility and workload. DCERA will also be covered with liabilty insurance.

2. We intend to buy a good quality, heavy duty gazebo, that will be bespoke made with our DCERA logo. This will be used regularly at events within our estate and further afield for fundraising, drop-in sessions, community barbecues, boot sales, sports and games, and a whole host of other uses.

Cost of Lawnmower - £450

Cost of Gazebo - £600

"Recovery Rejoice: A Sober Celebration of Christmas & New Year" will be an evening of entertainment designed to fill the holiday season with joy, connection, and hope. The event venue is adorned with twinkling lights and festive decorations, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Inviting people from the whole of the Recovery Community to join us on 28th December, including both voluntary & statutory sectors (event will be ticketed to ensure numbers don't exceed venue capacity)

The heart of the celebration lies in the music and dancing. We will have DJ spinning uplifting tunes that inspire everyone to hit the dance floor. Participants can relax &  unwind while dancing the night away to tunes from the 80's & 90's up to present time.

A night of festive games, adding an element of friendly competition and laughter to the occasion. From old school festive games to interactive challenges, there's something for everyone to enjoy. These activities not only provide entertainment but also encourage bonding among attendees.

One of the most magical moments of the event is when Santa makes a surprise visit. Santa's arrival brings smiles to all faces, as he personally hands out small, thoughtful gifts to each guest. This traditional touch reminds everyone that the spirit of giving and generosity transcends sobriety.

Throughout the evening, the air is filled with laughter, conversations, and the sound of people coming together in unity. It's a celebration of life, recovery, and the strength of community. "Recovery Rejoice" ensures that individuals who might have spent past holidays feeling isolated now have a place where they can create cherished memories, experience the joy of the season, and know that they are not alone on their journey to recovery.

Venue - £80

Food & Soft Drinks - £200

Entertainment - £100

Festive Decorations - £50

Santa Visit - £50

Gifts for attendees - £200

New communal instruments i.e. drums - £500 Hall let hire - £100 Uniforms for young people - £250 Tutoring from professionals - £150 Total - £1000

Having new equipment would allow the band to take on more beginners and give more young people the opportunity to take part in the band. We have some New Scots in the band and would love to be able to take on more to share the culture of Scottish music. People from all over North Ayrshire come to the band and its an opportunity for people to link up and get to know new people and make friends. In terms of mental health and wellbeing, we have some people in the band who suffer from PTSD, elderly people and some who are socially isolated.

The pipe band is really beneficial for the volunteers who build their confidence running the band and getting this funding would mean a lot to us in terms of increasing capacity and learning how to do more things with the band. We work with other voluntary organisations across Irvine to provide pipers for special events at a discounted rate and also refer people to the band who want to learn a new instrument.

We are applying for funding to enable our group members to plan and experience a trip to the theatre and afternoon tea up in Glasgow in the new year.

Social activities such as this can have a genuinely positive impact of the health and wellbeing of older people.  This is especially true in the winter months when the cost of living and social isolation can have a significantly negative impact on people’s lives, especially for older members of the community.  This would be an opportunity for our group members to experience a special outing which many would not be able to access independently due challenges faced through physical health and mental wellbeing.

To enable us to do this we would use any funding we received for:

Transport to Glasgow: £160

Theatre tickets: £560

Afternoon Tea: £280

Choices Community Shop currently has over 500+ households registered to access a food with dignity approach to addressing food insecurity in the local area. With an equal divide of families, couples and single people, the cost of cooking food is a worry for everyone. With winter approaching and the cost of living ongoing, many households have told us that they are worried about whether they will be able to heat and cook this year. 

Choices Community Shop would therefore like to purchase food and containers to be able to prepare healthy, nutricious "ready meals" that households can take as part of the offer within the food larder. These meals will be suitable for heating in a microwave thus reducing the households cooking costs.

Food for meals: £800

Food Safe Containers: £200

We would like to host a community dinner for the wider Irvine locality with the aim to bring all the local groups representatives together and to conduct a discussion and survey to record what they feel the current issues are facing older people across Irvine.

The dinner will feature a keynote speaker on a topic related to current issues.

Breakdown:

• Hall hire £68.90
• Catering £800
• Table Settings, invitations & Decoration £100

Our recipe book will be a collection of simple recipes aimed at reducing waste, saving money and encouraging families to cook together. We aim to partner with other local groups within Irvine and Christmas initiatives to give this book as a gift and inspire families to make exciting food with a minimal budget. We believe it is possible to have healthy great tasting food and not pay a fortune for it and we want to excite people about making more with what they have. We can also combine the cookbook with a video or it can be used as part of an in person class and for the partners we work with on this can offer a set of seasonings to build on cooking knowledge and skills. These classes will be held in the new year when money is even tighter and can be done in conjunction with the existing warm spaces and local community groups. Good food can benefit families in numerous ways, promoting both physical and emotional well-being. Incorporating good food into family life involves not only choosing nutritious ingredients but also creating a positive food environment that emphasises balance, variety, and moderation. We hope that this cook book and classes will foster a healthy relationship with food and promoting its role in family unity and well-being.

Project Costs - £700 Publication Costs – 200 x A5, Spiral bound, 32 Pages Full colour £120 - 20 x Seasoning Packs – 3 packs of 40g - £2 each  £100 - 20 X £5 – Food for cooking classes.£20 – Recyclable bags

Irvine Burns Club are seeking funding to provide trophies and book prizes for those pupils nominated to represent their schools at a “Champion of Champion” event held in Wellwood Burns Centre and Museum and demonstrate their skill in presenting their chosen poem. It is intended that there will be three categories, Primaries 1-2; Primaries 3-4 and Primaries 5-7.

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

If successful there they can go forward to perform at the Robert Burns World Federation National Festival. In the recent past several of our young people have been successful at this stage.

There are 11 Primary Schools in the Irvine Area and it is hoped that all would participate.

We seek funding to purchase 36 trophies at a cost of £20 each (£720) and 36 book prizes at a cost of £7.50 each (£270) a total of £990.

Any unused trophies and book prizes purchased would be held for use in following years.