About 2 months ago we started manually burning signs onto wood, which has proven to be a sucess with the community and we now wish to purchase a wood burning machine (PyroprinterX) to do a more professional job in a much quicker time, we will also need a laptop/ computer to run the softwear.

PyroprinterX and softwear £629.00 (including postage) plus £118 expected Inport Duty, as it is manufactured in Ukraine - £747.00

Laptop/ Computer approx £500

Total expected costs £1,247

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

We hope to run another social trip to the parkhead forge and market. The funding would pay for the bus journey and lunches for our members.

Bus Cost £480

Lunches £410

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

This project aims to create a community carousel in partnership with HSCP Carers Team, Youth Services, and KA Leisure to create opportunities within each locality. This will provide a family respite opportunity for unpaid carers accessing the service, or for individuals who may require support in benefit advice, education support, funding, carer support plans or a listening ear as we understand how demanding being an unpaid carer can be. This project will initially be rolled out in seldom-heard communities such as Garnock Valley and North Coast where we aim to provide support within our capacity to unpaid carers along with a fun day out for families to access activities and information based on their needs and abilities. This project will provide an opportunity to tackle isolation, food poverty, and fuel poverty by giving carers a safe, warm space to use for the day where they can bring their cared for, and also access a meal and refreshments along with the company of Carers Centre staff and partners.

North Coast Locality cost breakdown: (250), arts and crafts supplies for young and adult carers - 100, food provisions - 150

Three Town Locality cost breakdown: (250), arts and crafts supplies for young and adult carers - 100, food provisions - 150

Garnock Valley Locality cost breakdown: (250), arts and crafts supplies for young and adult carers - 100, food provisions - 150

Irvine Locality cost breakdown: (250), arts and crafts supplies for young and adult carers - 100, food provisions - 150

laguna 14/12 bandsaw bundle including bandsaw, 4 blades, mobility wheel kit and sliding mitre. Total cost incl delivery £1581.88, the excess being paid from Shed funds.

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

Our project will be to purchase a new defibrillator which our community volunteers will use to provide lifesaving treatment to anyone who needs it on Irvine beach and as part of our community outreach projects. Volunteers will be trained how to use the defibrillator, increasing their existing skillset around first aid, increasing resilience and building their confidence to use the lifesaving piece of equipment.

Our volunteers benefit from reduced social isolation by volunteering at Coastwatch through the day and at weekends, benefiting their health and wellbeing. Having equipment such as the defibrillator is essential to providing that service for volunteers and the public. All our volunteers learn from each other’s varying experience and Coastwatch has a sense of community spirit among the volunteers, building positive relationships within the community.

Breakdown of costs:

Mindray C1A Semi-Automatic defibrillator - £1100

Coastwatch will subsidise the additional £100 from our own funds.