We, a group of Syrian New Scots, are embarking on a remarkable journey to promote cultural understanding, foster unity, and build bridges within our local community. Our project, "Bridging Communities Through Syrian Cuisine," is a testament to our belief that food can transcend borders and create meaningful connections.

Our Vision

Our vision is simple yet profound: by sharing the rich heritage of our cuisine, music, and traditions, we aim to bring Scottish, Syrian, and other communities together through food. It's about celebrating the universal language of food as a catalyst for stronger, more inclusive communities.

Our Culinary Heritage

At the heart of our project lies the vibrant tapestry of Syrian cuisine. Iconic dishes like falafel and kebabs serve as gateways to the soul of Syrian culture. Through these flavors, we hope to introduce our Scottish neighbors to a world of tastes and traditions.

Our Inclusive Approach

Inclusivity is at the core of our project. Regardless of cultural backgrounds, we extend an open invitation to all members of the local community. It's about creating a space where diversity is celebrated, and friendships are forged.

Our Plan

Over the course of our project, we intend to host ten large brunch sessions at Whitehirst Community Centre. Each session promises to be a sensory delight, featuring expertly prepared Syrian cuisine, live music, and laughter. These gatherings aren't just about savoring delicious food; they are opportunities for genuine cultural exchange and interaction.

By sharing our culture and embracing others with open hearts, we aim to build a more connected, empathetic, and inclusive community. We kindly request support to turn this vision into reality and create a brighter future for all. Together, we believe we can build bridges, one meal at a time.

Costs:

Food ingredients per session £100 x 10 = £1000. (enough to feed 30+ people per session).

The cost of bringing one author to Arran including travel to the island,  overnight accommodation, subsistence plus their fee (on average) was  £500  in 2022 - all depending on where they are travelling from.

It is anticipated this figure will increase for 2024. At the moment our Wee Mac Programme is expected to have 8 guest events over the two days

Venue hire for 2 days - final figure yet to be advised by AHM Committee but the very modest sum of  £200  hire fee is expected to increase for 2024.

Set up of Microphone, Speaker/Sound equipment and cabling - supply and in person support for Wee Mac over two days £350 

The funding we are applying for would be used to cover :-

Arran Heritage Museum venue hire costs, sound engineer and any balance left to help towards the cost of one programme guest.

Our volunteers and members regularly attend other events promoting the Community Garden and we would like to provide warm fleeces/ waterproof jackets with our logo. Also advertising material to help promote the amazing work our volunteers do. 

We have two bee hives which are now producing honey. Two of our trustees self fundeed a bee keeping course and bought their own suits. We would like to purchase two additional suits to allow members of the community who would like to learn about bee keeping and see first hand what happens within the hive.

We would like to trial soup packs made up with the produce from the garden . These would include everything to take home to make soup including a recipe. Two of our volunteers recently attended a beginners cooking class at a Radio City initiative and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, gaining so much confidence in preparing and cooking simple wholesome meals.

Fleeces/ jackets £470, Bee Suits £110, Advertising banners and leaflets £200, Soup packs £150,  various gardening gloves £70

We are applying for £1000.

Rough guide costs per large container which will house a couple of Mini Munch cucumber plants, 2 tumbling tom tomato plants, or a courgette plant/2 kales/1 broccoli plant/mixed salad with radishes and spring onions, etc For a 35litre trug with compost and pearlite for £15 per filled pot

or 15litre pots/trugs with 1 tumbling tom tomato plant/1 mini-munch cucumber/several lettuces/1kale/ with compost and pearlite around £5 per filled pot

+Seaweed (organic) concentrate fertiliser filled from plastic drinks bottles that people can bring to us around £8 per filled pot

+Seeds between £1-3 per person (some are specialist varieties we have tried out this year to check for size, yield and taste)

Participants will be able to choose several plants and a start up kit that suits them and their gardens best. 

If the average take up was a 3 trug start-up per person then we estimate that we would have enough funds to secure £55 per household for 18 households. We anticipate people taking up a mixture of pots/trugs and some only taking 1 of either. We think around half of participants  will be Village Larder customers. 

Dalry Community Sports Club, will be working in partnership with both, Dalry Community Development Hub and Dalry Action Group to reintroduce a proposed yearly gala event, to be held in Dalry Public Park. All groups have within them, the previous experience and knowledge required to progress this, where we will pull our resources together to ensure this is successfully progressed. Dalry Community Sports Club currently has a temporary occupational licence for the sports pavilion within the park, and is in the final stages of an asset transfer of these premises – this pavilion is an excellent focal point from which to stage this event, where we have recently refurbished welfare and toilet facilities for use on the day. This year`s King`s Coronation event was a great success and was managed by Dalry Action Group with a number of local groups in support including DCSC. We see these events as an extension of some of the work that we are involved in, where we are looking to help address some of the key issues in our community, including, social isolation, food deprivation, mental health & wellbeing and the impact of the current cost of living crisis. We would look for this event to encourage people to come out, and make use of this great outdoor space that the park offers, minimise the cost of participation, especially for families where we would look to have as many free / low cost activities as possible, and also offer free food, previously this has been burgers / hot dogs. Dalry Community Development Hub will also be promoting the Community Garden.  Their stall will also have supplies and tools to enable people to come and try to “grow their own” eg compost, pots, plants, Hints & Tips etc.  Dalry Community Sports Club will also have a stall promoting their latest project - the creation of Community Allotments, which will include, Community gardens, Educational Area and Allotment Letting opportunities.  They will take this opportunity to consult those present as to what else they would like to see adjacent to the allotment area and use the event to promote their continuing projects – Sports Pavilion,  Parklives, Community Larder, Warm Space  etc.  Hopefully this will lead to some volunteers.  Volunteers from the Sports Club will also be circulating on the day asking people to complete surveys for upcoming events and projects.  This could also include, initiatives by Partner groups, including,  Christmas Lights, which is run in partnership with Dalry Action Group. These have all worked very well in previous events where we have seen generous donations by those in attendance. We do see this type of event, as a key driver to help bring people together and help to build a better, more inclusive and stronger community for us all to live in.

Costing Notes

Insurance – already covered by DCSC Insurance policy

Gala Tents x 2 = £1470

DJ / Compere –  £400

Bouncy Castles – £550

Burgers / Hotdogs / rolls / sauces /napkins –  £600

BBQ Gas ( re-fills ) x 3 –  £72

Face Painting – £100

Gardening / Allotments Community awareness & participation stall - £200

Traditional stalls ( including equipment for, eg wet sponge, coconut shy, prize hoopla, beat the goalie, knock the cans, hook a duck, prizes etc )  - £700

Advertising / posters etc - £150

Misc -£758 ( this will be determined more if funding agreed and groups coming together will help generate further activities and requirements )