We are requesting funding to increase the hours of our Ayrshire Key Worker – Bridging the gap of the Ayrshire key worker wage will support year-round support on the ground to meet new and existing candidates and support them to retrain and gain skills and encourage them into the vacancies that the tourism industry has due to the staffing crisis in the sector.

Funding to expand the scope of this role would not only provide essential ongoing support to the trainees but also make the Key Worker job in South Ayrshire more sustainable, increasing hours from the 20-25 up to 35-40. This would increase their income, benefiting their family as well as allowing Hi People to provide a more dedicated service for the communities we are working in in South Ayrshire; particularly those in rural and coastal areas where there are additional barriers such as transport links and lack of local work experience opportunities.

Hub International (Hi People CIC) deliver pop-up Hospitality Schools across the West of Scotland which are employability courses to engage and motivate trainees whilst using the themes of hospitality and tourism to make it relevant to in-demand sectors in the regions. We work directly with referral partners such as Thriving Communities, DWP and individual JobCentres to encourage eligible candidates to engage with the programme; it's intended to capture the attention of anyone over age of 16 and unemployed with an aim to maximise inclusion.

We use our passion, skills and experience to motivate & upskill the workforce through innovative, fun & hands on training, qualifications and mentoring support.

Hub’s work organically has a strong link to local place plans as we are passionate about developing local tourism destination development and we understand that communities and the people working in tourism businesses are the key to success. We need more skilled and passionate people in the hospitality and tourism industry, especially in costal tourism areas where there is also high deprecation such as Ayr.

Our work supports people and families to build futures that benefit generations through the honing of immeasurable skills that can help them secure work to provide for their families, cookery skills to support families to grow their knowledge of food, and budgeting to get out of food poverty.

If we were funded for increasing Key Worker hours - ongoing aftercare support would be possible, with more support and mentorship in the region, which will lead to more sustained employment and less people leaving and reduce the risk of any candidate returning to unemployment status.

thickets for theatre

community transport snacks

We are devloping the former Darlington church, a B listed building, in the heart of Ayr North to create a community hub, a creative learning centre and an accessible community cinema and theatre so that people living locally can engage in creative learning at a reduced cost or for free. This will build confidence in the community and support self esteem amongst people living there who want to learn new creative skills.

We are seeking capital funding to support the development of the space to create an accessible place where people can come together, learn and share. To develop this space we are looking for funding for building work, a new window, flooring, a staff toilet and a joinery work to create desks and shelves for a creative community library, and chairs for groups to sit on.

Funding will allow us to build a room in the former Vestry of a building that has lain derelict for 17 years and complement the development of our community studio so that people can access groups that align with local priorities and make Ayr North a more accessible place to live.

The building sits in an area of high deprivation and many people live in poverty, and are marginalised, have disabilities, face addiction issues and social isolation. Many young people living here are Young Carers and are at risk of entering the criminal justice system. Having a space that they can use to learn means that diversionary activities like film education, film making workshops and creative activities can empower them and lead them to more positive destinations.

By having a space to meet and learn, people living locally can have the opportunity to create valuable work in a space that they can take ownership of and we have a sucessful track record of award winning work created by Young People living here. Having a space for them to learn in will give them the opportunity to meet more regulalry and take pride in their place and work. People can become familiar with the space and have opportunites to volunteer at events taking place in the adjoining studio, creating employability opportunities and supporting Young People to feel empowered. Older people can engage in volunteering opportunites, meet new people, and feel less socially isolated.

We have already received in kind support from the community payback team who have cleared the room out and made it accessible and funding would allow us to develop the space into a useable, functioning space that serves and inspires people living locally. We have received many donations of plays, books and film education texts so buidling a small library space will make it more user friendly and people can access specialist books for creative learning. We have applied for funding for laptops and digital learning equipment and have recently recieved funding for new filmmaking equipment that can be used by people who want to learn and create. We have received funding to develop our community studio that will be open to the public and host events and workshops and by having a dedicated space for learning and meeting, people living locally can engage, volunteer and find the confidence to host their own events and screenings in the adjoining studio

Over the past few years, we have seen water sports increase in popularity amongst our youth members. As part of ‘Youth Shaped’ scouting we have responded to this and are eager to carry out more water sports sessions for our young people. We are fortunate enough that many of our leaders have earned various water sport instruction certificates, however we lack a way to transport our equipment in order to deliver sessions.

Funding would allow us work towards our goal of purchasing a new small box trailer to safely transport equipment for use on the water. As it stands, we are unable to transport our equipment without having to hire vans, which has proven to be incredibly costly. The price of the trailer stands at £3,995 + VAT. The group has been actively fundraising for the last 12 months in order to be able to make the purchase, this final grant would allow us to bring the project to life.

This project allows us to continue providing important life skills to our young people. Participating in water sports helps to build confidence and resilience, as well improving physical fitness, balance, and co-ordination. Providing young people with the opportunity to spend time outdoors plays a key role in supporting their mental health and well-being. Time away from social media, screens, and school allows young people the chance to disconnect and recharge, helping to teach them the importance of maintaining a work-life balance – a skill which they will carry through to adulthood.

Additionally, the use of a new trailer will help to reduce the cost of participation in these activities. By avoiding van hire, any cost for these activities will be vastly reduced, helping to make water sports more accessible for the benefit of young people. Furthermore, the new trailer provides a more eco-friendly solution to equipment transportation. When hiring vans, we must drive vehicles to and from collection points to get them back to Troon, being able to avoid this will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint as a group.  

Not only will a new trailer benefit members of the 28th Ayrshire Scout Group, but it will also massively benefit other groups in the local community.  Local groups such as Brownies and Guides will be offered the opportunity to use our paddleboards and safety equipment, meaning more young people can experience the benefits of water sports. As well as this, any Scouting or Guiding groups that stay at our hall will also be offered the opportunity to use the equipment. We are lucky to have groups from across the UK as well as International groups regularly staying at the hall. By providing them with the opportunity to use our equipment, their young people will get to experience more of our local culture and community, as well as building all the associated skills that come with water sports

Not only will the young people benefit from increased accessibility to water sports, but so will our adult volunteers. Being able to transport our own equipment will make it easier for us to provide training for those that wish to improve their skills and build their water confidence. Providing adults with the opportunity to gain qualifications in water sport instruction allows us to continue passing these skills down through generations to our young people and allows for our volunteers to continuously develop themselves outside of work and their other life commitments.

Funding will go directly towards the purchase of a new trailer to allow us to provide our young people and the wider community with the opportunity to participate in water sports. Your support will help us deliver these sessions, helping our young people and adults grow, and to build a community that we are proud of.

SATTC were the first club in Scotland to embrace table tennis for PWP and is the catalyst for (so far) eleven other clubs in the country taking up the project. Thanks to the club demonstrating to Table Tennis Scotland that the inclusion of PWP within the sport is proven to slow down this degenerative disease; However, hall rental costs have risen dramatically recently and we need a constant supply of training balls to alleviate the need for participants using their playing time chasing after one ball after each rally. The Parkinson’s group get through approximately 20 broken balls every month.