Ayr United Football Academy is a well-established Third Sector organisation in South Ayrshire, committed to improving health, wellbeing, and lifelong learning through football. Based primarily in Ayr North—one of the top 5% most deprived areas in Scotland—we deliver inclusive, community-led programmes that support people of all ages, from schoolchildren to older adults. With a dedicated team of over 100 staff and volunteers, we use the power of football to promote positive change and tackle deep-rooted social inequalities.

Our new Dementia Walking Football Programme is a community-based initiative offering tailored football sessions for individuals aged 50 and over who are living with dementia or related cognitive conditions. Building on our successful walking football provision, this programme directly responds to local community feedback calling for more dementia-friendly activities that support holistic wellbeing.Participants will attend two one-hour sessions per week, each followed by an informal social gathering with refreshments and occasional guest speakers. Sessions are designed to be inclusive, supportive, and enjoyable—providing a safe and welcoming environment for people to stay active, engaged, and connected.

Programme Objectives

• Enhancing physical health – improving mobility, cardiovascular fitness, and coordination in a way that is safe and adapted to participants’ needs

• Stimulating cognitive function – encouraging memory, focus, and decision-making through structured, enjoyable activity

• Fostering social interaction – reducing isolation and encouraging the building of friendships and support networks

• Promoting emotional wellbeing – providing participants with a sense of purpose, enjoyment, and belonging

Strategic Fit with UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) The Dementia Walking Football Programme strongly aligns with several key UKSPF investment priorities, particularly under the “Communities and Place” and “People and Skills” pillars:

✅ Health and Wellbeing This programme supports better health outcomes by promoting regular, adapted physical activity for older adults. It also aligns with the Scottish Government’s A Fairer Scotland for Older People strategy and South Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership’s Dementia Strategy.

✅ Social Inclusion and Reducing Inequalities The programme reaches a vulnerable and often overlooked group, providing accessible and inclusive support. By removing financial barriers, it directly addresses health and social inequalities and increases community participation.

✅ Pride in Place and Community Participation Using trusted local venues and engaging community volunteers, the programme fosters local pride, strengthens community ties, and increases opportunities for people to contribute meaningfully to civic life.

✅ Local Delivery, Local Benefit Firmly rooted in Ayr North and surrounding communities, the programme reflects the UKSPF’s commitment to place-based investment. It harnesses existing community assets—facilities, volunteers, and networks—to ensure sustainable, locally-driven impact. It also supports the South Ayrshire Council’s Local Place Plans and the strategic objectives of the Health & Social Care Partnership.

Conclusion The Charity's Dementia Walking Football Programme is about far more than football—it’s about dignity, connection, and supporting people to live well. The programme is a cost-effective, scalable, and compassionate response to a growing health and social care challenge. Through clear alignment with UKSPF priorities and a strong foundation of local delivery, it represents a strategic investment in healthier, more inclusive communities and provides a replicable model of best practice in dementia-friendly sport and wellbeing.

Funding will directly support the UK Shared Prosperity Fund’s goals by strengthening community resilience, tackling inequalities, and improving life chances for vulnerable men affected by addiction in Girvan and South Carrick — as part of Harbour Ayrshire’s Bridge to Shore project.The Bridge to Shore pathway supports individuals from crisis through to stability, community integration, and ultimately, independence. This proposal focuses on the early and middle stages of that journey, providing essential support where it's needed most.

Harbour Ayrshire currently delivers a vital weekly support group led by staff and volunteers with lived experience. The group offers a safe, trauma-informed environment where men can share openly, build peer connections, and learn practical coping strategies. By addressing root causes of addiction — such as poverty, poor mental health, and intergenerational trauma — the project empowers participants to break negative cycles and build long-term resilience, both personally and within the community.

This funding will cover essential delivery costs including venue hire, refreshments, and holistic therapies. These elements are key to removing barriers to engagement and ensuring all participants feel welcomed and supported.

In addition to sustaining the current group, funding will enable expansion into surrounding villages where need is high but services are scarce due to poverty, digital exclusion, and lack of transport. Development work — under the Bridge to Shore framework — will focus on:

Increasing outreach and engagement in rural areas of Girvan and South Carrick

Supporting individuals to access central services and digital resources

Building local capacity by helping communities create peer-led support groups

Fostering community cohesion and empowerment through shared learning and lived experience leadership

By supporting this project within the Bridge to Shore model, you are investing in the creation of healthier, more inclusive communities, reducing health inequalities, enhancing social capital, and empowering individuals to contribute positively to their local areas — fully aligning with the aims of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The project will support two different levels.

1. Archery Tag – This will support community engagement at the weekly Come and Try events we run at Riverside Sports Arena and community charity events that we support. Having just moved into new outdoor facilities at Annbank Football Club, Weston Avenue New Pebble Park, Annbank, Ayr KA6 5EF we will be supporting the Annbank Community Fund to support the local community. Archery Tag is a way to get all ages involved in group games which then introduces people to the sport moving onto other target games, soft archery and eventually to engage with the sport of archery. In the past we have had success from 8 – 80 years in age.
2. Disability Sport Support – We have members of the club that are disabled. To have their equipment adjusted it requires a minimum of a 10 hour round trip or to send equipment away for adjustment/repair.  We propose to buy several items for bow maintenance which will be held and stored at the club’s facility to allow access to repair and tune compound bows and recurve bows.  The compound bows are compressed and cannot be adjusted without specific equipment including a Bow Press, Draw Board, and a  Bieter Vice.  

   The Archery Tag will be used as part of the Come and Try / Community events that we host weekly / monthly in Ayr North and other areas where we are asked to support community events throughout South Ayrshire. We expect to begin to host out own Archery Beginners courses to Archery GB standard June / July 2025 which will be open to residents across the whole of Ayrshire.

   Initially we will be targeting SIMD areas working in partnership with Active Schools and Scottish Disability Sports Sport. The club has a range of equipment suitable for beginner’s courses and a limited supply of equipment that can also be borrowed.  

   Disability Bow Maintenance  The equipment being applied for will allow archers from across North Ayr and beyond to access equipment to maintain their personal equipment. The club at the moment has several disabled archers who also are competitive archers and shoot across the UK most recently gaining a 3rd and 4th place in the Scottish Indoor Championships. To aid the disabled archers who shoot compound we need to invest in specific items of equipment that allow compound bows to be maintained without having make a 10 hr round trip to an archery shop.  Part of this can also be used by the whole club as clamps and draw testers for different types of equipment. Introducing maintenance develops new skills within the sport and the community. It also means that individuals take ownership of equipment and learn how to develop new skills Archery is one of the most inclusive sports there is. It is multi-generational and multi-cultural while being a sport that abled and disabled can complete together.  As a club we have worked with the local area West of Scotland Archery Association and Scottish Archery to support inclusion running events for Scottish Disability Sport. Locally we have supported Active School with children who were non attendees at school and many neurodiverse children have found archery to be a sport that that they can focus on and repeat. One of the Scotland U21 Team that I manage who is neurodivergent has now progressed onto representing the country at senior level a fantastic achievement.