Following COVID, there has been population movement away from Arran resulting in Think About Plastic losing some of their volunteers and supporters and an influx of new people who may not be fully aware of the work of TAP. Think About Plastic-Arran (Charity No. SCO48987) is a steering group, set up in response to community concern, which works by involving community groups, businesses and individuals to think about their plastic use at source, in use and in disposal (reduce, re-use, re-purpose, recycle),  This project seeks to engage or re-engage people to work together (thus reducing social isolation and loneliness) to reduce the amount of plastic in use on Arran and subsequently reduce plastic litter in our environment (benefitting our seas and marine life and our countryside) and promoting the health and well-being  by maintaining and improving our beautiful island. Every single person can truly make a difference.

1. The project aims to raise awareness of the services of TAP and encourage people to become actively involved in reducing the amount of plastic entering the seas around Arran through the launch of a new @friends' scheme. To support this we would like to purchase materials to engage/ re-engage individuals and groups including a supply of metal pin badges for members and friends and generally raise awareness of issues with the general population and visitors to Arran.  500 badges @31p each  £155    Total £195 and to produce and stckers to raise awareness about the disadvantages of wet wipes being flushed down the toilet. (the incidence of plastic-containing wet-wipes has increased on Arran's beaches and constitues a health hazard. as well as being unpleasant). These two actions will form the basis of a 'Don't Flush' campaign in Spring/Summer '24. Initial set-up costs for badges £40, 500 badges'@31p each £155  Design fee for 'don't flush' stickers £150  80x 75x110mm vinyl stickers £89.76  Postage £3.90   Total   £438.66                                       

The Club would like to be able to offer lighter paddles with a flexible feathering system.  Very simply, paddle feathering is when you adjust the two blades of your paddle so one of them is at a different angle than the other.  Some people like to have the two blades at the same angle resulting in no twisting of the wrists.  Others like to feather the blades so erducing wind resistence as you push the blade through the air, but requires wrist rotation. The paddles the Club are looking to purchase can be feathered at any angle (from )-90) so the paddler can find any position that is comfortable (including left/right handed). This is especially important to those with current wrist injuries, want to go on long journeys, or hope to paddle regularly for many years.  6 x Ainsworth Paddles Sea polycarbonate blade with glass shaft option £115 each.

The Club wants to also invest in four new buoyancy aids.  Two for adults and two for youths/children.  Buoyancy aids do deteriorate over time so a number of the ones in the Club store are due now for retirement.  Modern buoyancy aids are more streamline and less bulky, and have places for a radio to be attached to and a pocket for a safety whistle and safety knife to be stored.

2 x Yak Buoyancy Aids adult £81 each 2 x Yak Buoyancy Aids youth £68 each 

Members use Club kit every Thursday evenings during the summer months, and in weekly pool session during the winter.  Members are also able to borrow Club kit for supporting local water events eg the Holy Isle race and the Lamlash Splash.

Dalry Community Sports Club have a number of key priorities which were originally based on increasing the health and wellbeing of our community through various sports and leisure activities. Prior to the pandemic we were also looking at opportunities to help address, both social isolation and food deprivation issues, aligning ourselves with some of the key priorities of North Ayrshire Council and Scottish Government. As part of these priorities we have been operating our Community Larder since Nov 2020, initially as a foodbank during the pandemic, but now aligned with NAC`s Community Larder model, where customers pay £4, for a selection of items, and also a variety of free short dated / best before items. To complement this, we opened our warm space throughout the winter period, but have actually kept this going all year now. Once people have visited the larder, they can then have a hot / cold drink and a filled roll / biscuit. Both the Community Larder and the Warm Space have allowed both individuals and families the opportunity to meet and socialise with other members of the community previously unknown to them. We operate both the Community Larder and the Warm Space on a Wednesday night and a Saturday morning. Since the cost of living crises started, we have seen the numbers of people attending our Community Larder steadily increase. We are now seeing more families attending these, and more people who are working. To support these activities, it has put a strain on the commitment of our volunteers, but also on the stress and strain of constantly looking for funding opportunities to support these. Local businesses have been great here, where we work in partnership with Tesco, ASDA, Bookers, Co-op, Irvine`s Bakery, Lidl and Reid`s Food Services, who supply us with a combination, of either free short dated / best before items, or items at discounted prices. Unfortunately over the last 12 months, we have seen how the rising costs have impacted on our funding, where it doesn`t buy as much. To help us get the best value for money, and bulk buy when the prices are good, we require the purchase of an addition upright freezer and pastries storage. We further require a labelling machine so that we can mark up items of food that we pick up free, and aprons / fleeces which would help give our volunteers a feeling of identity.

Costings

Polar G-Series Upright Display Fridge 218Ltr Black - £599.98, Lacor Countertop Ambient Food Display 554mm - £239.99, NIIMBOT B1 Label Maker Machine plus additional role - £29.99 + £8.99 = £38.98 &  Aprons / Fleece / Print – cc £120

Brass band: £700

Hall hire: £200 (Geilsland Hall)

Choirs (youth): £150 donation schools

Refreshments: £350 (guests, audience and performers)

Parking stewards: £50

First aiders: £50

Admin: £50

Total est: £1550

We will alo have a display relating to green issues from NAC waste management team.

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

A 'Wendy House' style shed for equipment to be stored safely in a child friendly and all weather setting. Cost £500

Raised and flat planters for herbs, flowers, fruit and vegetables. Cost £250

Seeds and young plants to be planted seasonally. Cost £150

Tactile and Sound items such as cedar shillings, lava stones and wind chimes. Cost £100

• The tubs across from the school are already tended by the Primary school year round. We have a janitor who is employed all year and she does this and would take charge of the sensory garden during the holidays.

• The Primary school has a very close relationship with the community. We have had daffodil tea afternoons and Christmas Coffee afternoons which are open to the village residents. We use the local church for school services and we would look into a collaboration with the Warm Rooms. Due to school risk assessments and council restrictions for people who are not part of the school community, it would not be feasible to have them come to the garden. However having spoken to a member of the church and Warm Room volunteer they feel it would be of benefit to them to have flowers, drawings and a presentation when the work is completed. 

• Whiting Bay benefits from a Community Land Initiative and we would be working in conjunction with them to source sustainable and local plants

We can provide for up to 12 participants at every cooking class event, in addition to a cook station for the chef to instruct the class with assistance of our staff with a fully equipped commercial kitchen also to support the event.

The facility provides a fantastic environment for cooking lessons to assist with the cost of living with tasty, fresh and cost effective meals, each of our meals prepared cost less than £1 with an average of 81p per portion

• Facility costs = £1500 (providing 15 classes for 180 participants)
• Ingredients & Chef Instructor for 15 classes = £2500 
• Slow Cookers (x12) & Air Fryers (x12) = £750
• Marketing promotion with online cooking videos by chef & tote bags = £250