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. 

Mindful Makers supports Health and Wellbeing in the Three Towns. Our mantra is ‘Be Kind to Your Mind’ (see Descriptive Image attached), and we will build on our successful previous projects (see Document 1 attached, Saltcoats Mindful Makers Report July 2023). We are a non-registered not-for-profit group and are applying for funding to continue teaching and nurturing creative textile skills in the context of mindfulness and social connection. Our aim is to combat loneliness, so we bring people together in a positive and safe environment while building confidence through the acquisition and practice of new skills. We also aim to enhance emotional resilience, by encouraging and challenging people to adapt to new techniques; for instance, in August we explored how being outdoors in nature can heighten the stress-reducing benefits of mindfulness, and the success of this exercise meant that we intend to repeat it annually. To meet the increased demand for Mindful Makers activities over this past year we doubled engagement opportunities for participants who come from all across the Three Towns. Please see the Box below for a description of how we organise our activities.  Funding goes to the provision of materials, and workshops and tutoring are provided free of charge to ensure there is no financial barrier to participation amongst vulnerable and/or disadvantaged communities (see Document 2 attached for a few examples of Mindful Makers activities). Mindful Makers will provide a warm welcome throughout the winter at Saltcoats Library, and through our outreach work at CLASP HOPE in Stevenston, while a link has been established for outreach work in Ardrossan where we plan to hold an Introductory Workshop at the Library in January 2024. Additional activities already planned for the next few months include:  A further 6-week outreach textile project at CLASP HOPE in Stevenston starting on 19 September; we will be supporting the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival in October by holding an extended workshop focussing on the benefits of mindfulness and shared experiences for mental well-being, and also involve Saltcoats Book Group using carefully selected reading materials; we will support a collaborative community fund-raising event in conjunction with CLASP HOPE in October where we will sell items produced using participants’ new skills to raise additional funds to support our sustainability. Through a link with Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society made at the North Ayrshire Participatory Budgeting and Chit Chat event we are proposing to hold a field trip as the basis for a creative project.

We are applying for funding of £600, to reflect the enormously increased costs of materials in recent months and our greater number of participants. £550 will be for materials, and £50 for awareness-raising and hand-outs.

ONE STEP AHEAD this will be aimed at 13 -14 year olds rather than the 15 -16 age group,The young people, assisted by an adult mentor would volunteer in exchange for gaining sound knowledge of various subjects that would stand them in good stead to succeed at school, giving them an insight in  different subjects that would help them volunteer in groups of their choice. The subjects will be beneficial to young people and short programmes will be introduced such as working with children, equine therapy, tackling poverty, first aid, admin,  children's mental health and well being, As on line courses usually start at 16 ACES staff would give short insights into the subjects, young people would help out at Youth club, school holiday clubs, community shop, and working with our equine therapy pony all under qualified supervision , the young people would gain a portfolio with their volunteering story in it and pictures ,comments by themselves and  staff who work with them. This would be evidence to show to other groups, further education, or employment and be a step ahead to full volunteering, further education or employment. the young people would lean a suitable work ethic which will help in the future, the volunteers would train for six weeks then they could stay and volunteer with ACES and Woodwynd or move to Other groups or clubs. Costs will be required for hall hires for training evenings, £12.90 x 6 = 77.44 preparing portfolio's, portfoloi's  £,13.14 x 12 =157.68, safety equipment hire for equine therapy, £ 19.00 x 12 = 228 cost of riding instructor £ 45 ph x 2  =90 arena hire  2x 75 =£150   additional pony hire £ 25x4 =£100 cost of materials for fist aid training,£15.00 volunteers polo shirt £15.00 x12 =180

It is intended to extend the use of the facilities to other local groups including pensioners, those with Alzheimer's/Dementia, and a friendly hub for those who would otherwise find themselves suffering from isolation. It is centrally located and it is intended to offer a wide range of activities from bingo, cards, dominoes to book exchange, colouring books, nostalgia and gentle exercise. As those who suffer from Alzheimer's and Dementia are susceptible to certain colours it is intended to repaint internally(£400) and also offer a change of coloured crockery (£100). Whilst materials for the activities would also have to be obtained (£200).  The Function Suite are also keen to offer a variety of entertainment each month for the general public to attend including music, race nights, etc (£300).  We feel that the Function Suite can play an important role in the integration of people from all age groups, genders, ethnicity and will try wherever possible to be all inclusive.

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.