<p>West Kilbride Yuletide is an annual event that brings members of the local Community together to celebrate the Christmas.&nbsp; <font color="#00000a" face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Yuletide 2022 was a great success and brought back a sense of Community togetherness following COVID.</span></font></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:103%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#00000a">All activities are free therefore everyone can participate and feel included.&nbsp;&nbsp;By providing free activities, it addresses poverty and inequality by making it accessible for everyone, which is important as we are going through a Cost of Living Crisis.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="text-indent:0cm; margin-bottom:7px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:103%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#00000a">The activities in this event will help to bring back the joy and happiness it brought to all members of the Community.&nbsp; The knock-on effect of this will enhance the Health and Wellbeing of all generations.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="text-indent:0cm; margin-bottom:7px"><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="line-height:103%"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="color:#00000a">West Kilbride Yuletide is an excellent example of inter-generational working and breaks down several barriers that exist between generations and brings a sense of Community Cohesion and Community Spirit.</span></span></span></span></p>

<p>Arran Churches Together Food Bank was set up in 2011 when a concerned resident made a local minister aware that a local family had struggled to put food on the table during the Christmas period. No-one should experience food or fuel poverty however there are more than 2,000 foodbanks across the UK supporting those in need. Our foodbank on Arran provides emergency food for local people who require additional support. The Arran foodbank is independent and requires no referral - anonimity and dignity are&nbsp;very important and can be a problem, particularly in rural communities. The food bank&nbsp;can be accessed in the vestibule of Brodick Church which is open 24/7. The ACT Foodbank is the only foodbank on Arran. Our island can be a costly place to live - lack of affordable housing pushes many families into private lets which can be costly; there is no mains gas on the island, homes are heated by electricity, oil, wood or coal; food shopping is done at either local village shops or Co-op supermarket, there is no option to shop in budget supermarkets. We are aware that in recent times, there are families on Arran with people in employment having to use&nbsp;the foodbank&nbsp;</p> <p>Our local supermarket displays a basket for collection of donated long life food items - these are collected by volunteers who use them to keep the food bank shelves, at Brodick Church, well stocked. Although the Arran community continue to be generous with&nbsp; donations, the volunteers often have to buy food to keep things topped up. Money used for these shops is taken from a fund made up of monetary donations from local individuals and organisations. However the increased cost of food shopping, means we are going through&nbsp;this fund very quickly.</p>

<p>We are seeking &pound;1000 to help reduce the cost of an outdoor&nbsp;weekend to develop confidence, friendships &amp; have new experiences.</p>