We are hoping to set up our own football team as part of our Friday Night Drop-In and our Summer Programme Project, and develop the team further as the new school year starts. We have access to great indoor and outdoor space; but due to having lack of equipment we haven`t managed to utilise these spaces yet for more organised sport activities.

Quite a few young people visiting the Ark show great interest in football and we think it would be an exciting opportunity for them to be able to set up their own team. The proposed team name is Ark United.

We are looking to arrange personalised football kit, football agility and speed training kit, training footballs and a target net for the goal post.

We would also love to promote the love of golf amongst the children visiting us, especially with Scotland being the "birthplace" of golf. The equipment we would like to purchase would be suitable for indoor play too and also could be used outdoors.

We are looking to invest into 2 Golf indoor/outdoor putting mat, some golf putters, golf ball and a golf chipping game set ("golf darts").

As part of our Summer Holiday Programme we are looking to organise a golfing experience day and we would like to be able to provide continuity for the kids who show greater interest in the sport.

We do understand that funds are limited and we are happy to work with any funding availability and alter our project accordingly if that is an option.

The residents of Morrison Gardens Sheltered Housing complex would like to improve the communal patio area by purchasing patio furniture and planters to create a more welcoming and accessible outdoor environment. Residents will be able to come together to relax, connect with others, and enjoy time outdoors. The planters will make the space more attractive and will offer opportunities for light gardening activities, which will support physical activity. Overall, this meaningful improvement will enhance the quality of life for the residents. 

£2000 will pay for 10 refurbished bikes, to be supplied by our CGX Cycle Works as capital assets costing £200 each to be donated free of charge to individuals.  CGX Cycle Works has recently completed two successive years producing 400 refurbished bikes to issue free of charge to young people across South Ayrshire.  The Cycling Scotland recognised cost of a refurbished bike exceeds £250, with the additional costs of storing and distributing them to recipients further exceeding that, all being regarded as elements of the total capital cost to achieve the transfer of ownership of the capital asset.  During distribution of the bikes to children, many of the parents asked about the availability of free bikes so they could go on rides with their children.  We hope to meet this identified need.

The project’s long-term vision for heritage preservation is the creation of a fully accredited museum of Scottish cinemas, with the Broadway’s heritage collections already extensive and featuring a varied catalogue of original features, equipment, and preserved memories from both the Broadway, and other cinemas across Ayrshire and Scotland. To continue to capture these memories, an extensive oral history project is planned to be developed by an official filmmaker of the project. This project will ensure recollections of the golden age of cinema in Scotland are preserved for future generations. There is currently no public museum to cinema in the country, despite Scotland once having the highest rate of cinema-going in Europe, and Art Deco cinemas remaining an integral part of our cultural and built heritage today.

This funding will support the acquisition of professional museum exhibit displays, including plinths, glass cabinets, and exhibit labels. These items are essential to ensuring that the museum will deliver a safe viewing environment for visitors whilst protecting and preserving the culturally important items in the exhibits, many of which are fragile and require the correct storage conditions. The items that will be purchased will be utilised in the museum project long-term and continue to serve in showcasing the Broadway’s collections for the foreseeable future as the heritage project continues to grow and expand

Over the past year, we’ve recorded a rise in Ayr North referrals for young carers, many are supporting a parent or guardian with chronic mental health condition, which often takes a heavy toll on their own emotional wellbeing. To address this, we’d use this funding to assemble 10 mobile “Mental Wellbeing Backpacks,” each containing:

• Guided Journals: Structured prompts to help carers process stress and reflect on positive experiences.

• Mindfulness Colouring Books & Premium Pencils: A proven tool for lowering anxiety and promoting focused relaxation.

• Mindfulness Card Decks: Simple, one step exercises for breathing, grounding or gratitude—easy to use anywhere.

• Stress Relief Fidgets (spinners, squeeze balls): Portable sensory tools to diffuse tension in moments of overwhelm.

• Headphones Pre-loaded with Guided Meditations & Relaxing Soundscapes: Instant, private access to mental-health resources, even without Wi-Fi.

Young carers (aged 10–18) can borrow a backpack for up to one week, giving them discreet, portable access to self care tools whenever and wherever they need a moment of calm be that at home after school, in the school library between lessons.

• Emotional impact: Young carers of parents with mental-illness are twice as likely to experience anxiety and depression compared with their peers.

• Barriers to support: Young carers can often lack private space or time to access traditional services; mobile kits may help overcome both by bringing resources directly to them.

• Equity of access: Backpacks can circulate through schools, youth centres and community events ensuring young carers alike can borrow them at their convenience.

The purpose of Troon Men’s Shed is to provide recreational facilities and advance the social needs, health and well being of men of all ages and backgrounds living in Troon and surrounding areas. Troon Men's Shed is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO) regulated by the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR), Scottish Charity number: SC053474.

Troon Men’s Shed was established in April 2024 and has a growing membership of 75 members, and currently meet fortnightly in The Lighthouse Christian Centre with guest speakers attending, as well as occasional visits to places of interest. Our members have volunteered to help out at community events in Troon at Wintertainment, Troon Round Table Fireworks and Santa Float, and we have recently assisted Ayrshire Cancer Support with practical DIY work at their new Ayr Centre. 

Members benefit by meeting with other men in a safe environment, reducing their social isolation and providing mental stimulation, which also benefits their families. The acquisition of the Hosiery Park Pavilion will enable us to meet more regularly and undertake practical workshop activities, which we are unable to do in a hired meeting hall. The establishment of workshop activities will enable men to utilise their practical skills, and to pass on their knowledge to others. It will also allow us to provide practical help to other community groups in Troon. 

A Stage 1 Community Asset Transfer Request was submitted to South Ayrshire Council in November 2024, and the Stage 2 request is currently being prepared. The Hosiery Park Pavilion building is in poor condition as it has been unused for several years, and once acquired would it will be repaired and converted into a suitable facility comprising of an activity workshop area where woodworking and other similar practical activities can be undertaken, and a separate multi-use social space. 

We are applying for funding of £2,000 towards our Shed redevelopment capital costs for:     • Ducted Air to Air to Heat Pump     • Heat Recovery Ventilation System     • Solar PV + Battery      • Sunamp Water Heater and Storage 

Information about Troon Men’s Shed is available on our website https://troonmensshed.wordpress.com/ 

We also have a Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/troonmensshed/

Membership is free and is open to any man aged 18 or over who is lives Troon or surrounding areas and who supports our purpose. Apply to join online:https://troonmensshed.wordpress.com/join/

Please support us so the men of Troon can "head to the shed". Thank you!

The money would be used to purchase a laptop for the Hub, enabling us to modernise our operating system onto a digital platform. The Hub has grown hugely in the 4 years we have been in operation and, although very basic systems allowed the project to get off the ground, it is no longer sustainable or finacially effective to be reliant on mobile phones, library computers and photocopiers. Having the ability to administrate the Hub digitally would allow us to communicate with NHS and other referrers securely and consistently, our accounting could be completed in-house to a higher level reducing costs to the CIC on professional fees, and a digital platform would enable us to communicate with service users in a whole new way, which would impact hugely on our interactions, particularly with young people and those in remote areas with transport limitations. We would be able to provide ongoing support and tailored wellbeing plans digitally, work remotely to ensure the service reaches people at times of crisis without delay, improve accuracy and access to information, and generate in-depth reports for funders.  

Reducing the time spent on admin would free up resources for frontline work and would allow us to provide much more resiliance and adaptability in our future work, which is an essential element in the sustainability of such a fast growing grassroots organisation.  

Stinchar Connections is a community transport initiative which connects communities in the Stinchar Valley area. The steering group have received funding through Carrick Futures to run a timetabled bus service connecting Girvan, Pinmore, Pinwherry, Barrhill, Colmonell, Ballantrae and Lendalfoot on 6 days of the week. The group has also received Community Mental Health and Wellbeing funding for a Development Officer to help progress the project over the next year. Stinchar Connections is aiming to become constituted, open a bank account and apply for charitable status, however Colmonell Community Association have agreed to act as sponsor organisation meantime. NHS Ayrshire & Arran Health Improvement Team are also supporting the project by evaluating the first year of the pilot transport project. We have applied to Carrick Futures for a second year of the pilot timetabled service. 

The participatory budgeting funding would allow further promotion of the project by the Stinchar Connections Development Officer at local community events where she will have a stall to promote the service. This will help with recruitment of volunteer bus drivers for local trips, which will help the project become more sustainable. A budget for branded clothing has also been included, for the volunteers who will be helping to drive the buses for community outings. We have included a budget for a laptop and software for the Development Officer, as well as costs for printed leaflets and marketing materials (e.g. banner, gazebo, beach flag, pens) to help with promotion.