Coupar Angus PS Parent Council would love the opportunity to provide each pupil with a piece of toast when they come into school in the morning.  Research has shown that eating breakfast is important for everyone, but especially for children.  In general, kids who skip breakfast will feel tired, restless and irritable. Eating a healthy breakfast has been shown to help attention span, concentration and memory - all very important for learning.

Senior pupils carried out a breakfast survey, the majority of pupils surveyed said they do have breakfast most days, however 6% said they don’t have breakfast before school.  Pupils said when they don’t have breakfast in the morning they come into school feeling hungry, tired, unhappy, sad & angry.  86% of pupils surveyed said they would like to be offered toast when they first come into school.   

P7 teacher Mrs Gourlay believes offering each child something to eat in the morning will improve learning & behaviour within the classroom.

Around 20% of pupils at Coupar Angus PS are classed as living within relative poverty – we want to do anything we can to help these pupils by offering warm toast as they come into school.  Giving every child the best start in life is the first of five strategic priorities adopted by Perth & Kinross Council and we believe providing breakfast will give them a good start to their day.

Coupar Angus PS currently runs a breakfast club from 8am however this is chargeable at £2 per day which could potentially exclude some families.  Toast For All will be free for every pupil.

We plan to run Toast For All initially on a Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday and if it’s as big as a success as we think it will be we hope to roll it out to 5 days per week.  We plan to start on the first day of term after the Easter holidays on Wednesday 23rd April and run until the Easter holidays in 2026.  The teachers will monitor improvements in learning/behaviour and we will do more surveys with the children to gauge their opinions on the project.

A rota will be drawn up for each week and a teacher/volunteer will arrive at 8.45am and prepare the toast.  It will be put on lidded trays to keep it warm and senior pupils will take it around all classes at 9.05am and offer it to every pupil.

We believe every child should have something warm to fill their tummy in the mornings and we hope this will improve behaviour, attention spans and willingness to learn.

2025 will be our fourth year running our Back to School Pack. In 2021 we provided 152 packs, in 2022 - 340, in 2023 - 400, and in 2024 we provided 512 Back to School Packs and 91 Back to Nursery Packs (our first year running this service). Our Packs are available to anyone who lives in these wards.

What is in a Back to School Pack? 

Our packs include 3 shirts, 2 bottoms, 2 jumpers/cardis, 2 PE t shirts, 2 PE bottoms, a PE jumper and a school bag. We also aim to include school shoes and/or trainers plus stationary and other back to school essentials like pack lunch boxes or pencil cases. Everything a child needs for taking part in their school journey. 

What is in a Back to Nursery Pack?

Our Back to Nursery packs include 5 days of mix and match outfits; 5 jumpers, 5 t-shirts, 5 bottoms, messy play clothing, a seasonal jacket and footwear. We also add in extras such as sun hats, vests and socks as we know children need these items to fully participate in their learning and no one comes home clean after one day in nursery!

Packs are personalised to each schools colours and the child’s style preferences (so you can tell us if they won’t wear shorts, or will only wear cardigans!) and their sensory needs to make sure the packs are made to suit the individual. We also ask for bag colours and characters and try our hardest to match up to their personal style. We believe our service should make the child feel confident and comfortable that they match their peers. 

SO IF YOU THINK THAT...

- All children should have access to high quality school uniform?

- We should protect our environment and make positive pre-loved clothing choices? 

- By making little changes to our own lifestyle to support others we can make big changes for the future of our children?

Then please support us by voting for our Back to School & Nursery Pack project.  Thank you.

Team Social Flock

2025 will be our fourth year running our Back to School Pack. In 2021 we provided 152 packs, in 2022 - 340, in 2023 - 400, and in 2024 we provided 512 Back to School Packs and 91 Back to Nursery Packs (our first year running this service). Our Packs are available to anyone who lives in these wards.

What is in a Back to School Pack? 

Our packs include 3 shirts, 2 bottoms, 2 jumpers/cardis, 2 PE t shirts, 2 PE bottoms, a PE jumper and a school bag. We also aim to include school shoes and/or trainers plus stationary and other back to school essentials like pack lunch boxes or pencil cases. Everything a child needs for taking part in their school journey. 

What is in a Back to Nursery Pack?

Our Back to Nursery packs include 5 days of mix and match outfits; 5 jumpers, 5 t-shirts, 5 bottoms, messy play clothing, a seasonal jacket and footwear. We also add in extras such as sun hats, vests and socks as we know children need these items to fully participate in their learning and no one comes home clean after one day in nursery!

Packs are personalised to each schools colours and the child’s style preferences (so you can tell us if they won’t wear shorts, or will only wear cardigans!) and their sensory needs to make sure the packs are made to suit the individual. We also ask for bag colours and characters and try our hardest to match up to their personal style. We believe our service should make the child feel confident and comfortable that they match their peers. 

SO IF YOU THINK THAT...

- All children should have access to high quality school uniform?

- We should protect our environment and make positive pre-loved clothing choices? 

- By making little changes to our own lifestyle to support others we can make big changes for the future of our children?

Then please support us by voting for our Back to School & Nursery Pack project.  Thank you.

Team Social Flock

We asked our young people and families about the impact of the cost of living on them, and what we as an organisation could do to ease this. The most common issue was the cost of clothes with ever growing kids. Some parents also said that children with sensory needs were not keen to buy new clothes as they liked the feel of the texture of certain garments, so help to repair them would be appreciated. 

If funded, we will run a series of sessions over the Easter, Summer and October holidays in partnership with a local sewing group where skilled workers will be on hand, along with youth workers, to help mend and improve items of clothing. Our AYP branded hoodies are extremely popular, and we can also add our logo to any other clothing, potentially making it more desirable for the young people to wear. Young people could even add the logo to their clothes to give them a new lease of life.

The whole project is a chance for our young people to be creative, for families to save money, and for waste to be reduced too. This could be extended to school uniform swap shops and become a regular feature of our work.

Partizan Gymnasium is a new Boxing and Kickboxing Gym based in North Muirton Perth. I’ve grown up and lived in North Muirton and aspire to give back to the community after travelling the world gaining a wealth of experience in both sports and achieving Scottish & British titles.

Knowing how boxing and kickboxing has enhanced my life, my aim is to share what I’ve experienced with the local community and provide a chance for people to get involved in both sports. In response to the cost-of-living crisis and the continuous interest from youths and community organisations it has inspired us to develop this free programme to support young people, provide new opportunities to learn skills, without putting financial strains on families.  

Through Boxing and Kickboxing we can address so many social issues and we are keen to work with partners in the community to tackle these. After recent spates of anti-social behaviour there is an increasing number of youths who are disengaged.

At Partizan Gymnasium we want to promote a sense of pride in the community which is why we are developing a new angle of approach to widen opportunities to get involved with sport, in a safe environment, with our motivated and keen coaches and volunteers who are positive role models supporting this programme.

Partnership working is key to our proposal, we already have a wide range of partners on board including interest from the Police Scotland and the Safer Communities team and we are keen to explore new partnerships. As we build trust with our young people we can support them to build confidence and develop skills in the sport that they can use in their everyday life and become a part of the community. We can work with them to engage with the community supports available to them through partner organisations that can provide them with the supports they need, improving their life chances.

We plan to run a referral system for this programme and we are keen to work with Schools and Community organisations/ groups who are at the frontline and working with youths deemed hard to reach, as a result of the impact of the cost of living crisis.

We will run 3 Allstars programmes targeting different age groups throughout the year and we plan to work with 20 individuals each programme.

The 12 week programme is divided into 3 key areas and can be adapted to reflect the different age groups involved, some activities may change in order keep things fun and engaging.

The full programme can be viewed as an attachment and will cover three main areas.

Week 1 – 4 = Fundamentals (Weeks 1 – 4)

Week 5 – 8 = Wellbeing, Fitness and Nutrition (Weeks 5-8)

Week 9 -12 = Technique and Finesse (Weeks 9 – 12)

As part of our funding, we will purchase additional boxing gloves, shin guards and pads required for participants to use during the programme, this equipment is costly and can be reused for those who aren’t able to buy their own equipment. I would also like to offer Allstars participants a Partizan Gymnasium T-shirt and certificate on completion of the programme.

 With this funding we will also look to upskill volunteers with Boxing Scotland coaching qualifications, First Aid training and cover the cost of PVG scheme disclosures.

Being able to offer opportunities like this to the community and share my passion was entirely why Partizan Gymnasium was set up, Allstars success will also provide evidence for future programmes and the future of Partizan Gymnasium.

The CAYAG Adventure Seekers project aims to get more young people outdoors and being active.  There is evidence that suggests young people being outdoors can improve their physical and mental wellbeing, support social skills and academic performance. Spending time outdoors can reduce feelings of stress and anger, and boost self-confidence and self-esteem by allowing young people to take risks in a safe space. In Coupar Angus and surrounding areas we are very lucky as there are so many great spaces we can explore and utilise.

We would start the project in May and end in October with every second Saturday having a different activity on offer.  Each activity will be facilitated by skilled staff, which CAYAG staff and volunteers will support.  Activities will include, adventure tubing, archery, gorge walking, mountaineering, paddle sports, clip n climb, mini highland games and more! We would be tailoring the activities to the young people's needs and abilities and set the programme with their input.  There would also be the opportunity to gain awards and certificates in paddle sports, mountaineering, map reading etc.  We would end the project with a residential to celebrate everyones achievements and also to deliver training oppotunities in outdoor first aid and Dynamic Youth Awards. 

All activities would be open to the young people of Coupar Angus and surrounding areas, whether they are a member of CAYAG or not and will be free of charge.  We are looking to boost engagement with the young people in the town and hope this project will encourage more young people to attend CAYAG.  There would be free refreshments offered at each session with lunches provided for full day activities.  Transport will also be available at no extra cost to the participant. 

We will be working in partnership with local businesses, youth work partners and youth scotland to create a varied programme with something for everyone. 

The d.i.y luch bags started a few years ago and became a way to help out parents, make sure children in need were stil able to access food during the school holidays and also educate families on cooking meals together in the kitchen (just like back in the day). These bags are available for anyone with a child from nursery all the way through to highschool. As any parent knows children tend to eat a lot more when theyre not at school for a number of reasons, Boredom being the main one the d.i.y lunch bags are designed so that children (sometimes with supervision) can make their own lunchs if needed during easter, summer and october holidays. 

Letham4All SCIO has been working with a variety of partners across Perth and Kinross at a very local community level, a dignified and holistic route to reduce the impact of poverty.  As a result of this work, Letham4All has successfully piloted the use of the Pay Point Platform and extended to scope of Perth Cards, to provide small amounts of financial support, to help people in immediate financial crisis. Working with existing referral routes this project will provide an additional route for support for those who are not successful with a crisis grant or where a crisis grant is not an appropriate option. The Paypoint Platform enables the sending of utility voucher codes by text message to a mobile phone that can be redeemed in the usual place people top up their utility cards/keys and the Perth Cards across Perth and Kinross can be used in a variety of shops to purchase food and utilities.

This referral-based support has been accessed by a range of public agencies and 3rd sector organisations who have had no other means of supporting people with financial support to offer a breathing space while longer-term solutions are set up. This has been particularly effective out with traditional working hours and at weekends and support can be organised and delivered within an hour.  We know from feedback from agencies that being able to offer this quick solution to those most in need is very beneficial to the household, encourages further discussion to longer-term solutions to prevent further crises, and reduces stress and worry. Partners have also told us that being able to use the Pay Point Platform as a means of offering support saves valuable staff time in handling and delivering cash payments for utility tops-ups and is a much faster way of getting support to their clients.  To deliver this project Letham4All and its partners use the Citizen Advice Bureau’s information-sharing protocol, The Fast Online Referral Tracking System, FORT. This system enables all partners to see what referrals and support services have been received by a service user eliminating the risk of duplication, and giving support services a clear picture of services received and of any gaps emerging in meeting the needs of the person.Letham4All will reach out through its existing partners and networks in Coupar Angus, Meigle, and Alyth to ensure that information on how this support can be accessed through the referral process and The Fast Online Referral Tracking System is widely shared and understood.

Whilst the charity is focused on the young people the range of activities they are involved in allows respite for their families and carers. By delivering more than 5,000 hours of purposeful activities every year, our members can each benefit safely from over 4 hours per week of vital socialisation and friendship.

The heating costs of community halls has gone through the roof, it has meant that halls have to charge a lot more for rent, whether they want to or not. It is heating costs that have prevented our clubs from moving premises. The cost-of-living crisis has impacted in particular on the poorer and less able members of clubs. Many members spend the majority of their time at home, so are affected to a greater extent by the increased heating costs. If we receive money we will be able to continue to offer these sessions at affordable prices to the young people.

We are seeking funds for the cost of the room hire for activity classes stated below and the cost of the Volunteer Co-ordinator for next year. We can only deliver these projects by having a roster of 24 local volunteers who unfailingly offer their time to support our range of activities, and having a co-ordinator to support them is essential. The total cost is £7,030. However we are seeking £2,343 (a third of this cost to equate to the proportion of our young people living in South Crieff ward). 

We run the following activities which makes a huge difference. •    Tuesday Club social group – weekly, average 20 attendees – promotes social and interpersonal skills and with the support of volunteers allows members with learning disabilities to access a range of enjoyable activities of their choice including arts and crafts, games, quizzes, films, music and trips further afield. •    Wednesday Social afternoon group – weekly, average 6 attendees – meeting to socialise and enjoy games, music and films. •    Knock Down social & citizenship group – fortnightly, average 15 attendees – similar to Tuesday Club, but with more emphasis on partnerships and involvement with other local groups and organisations, such as Crieff Highland Gathering, Perthshire Amateur Operatic Society, Remake Scotland and the Co-op. •    Thursday Zoom informal friendship group – meeting fortnightly via Zoom with average 6 attendees. A one-hour online get-together to chat about what each person has been doing recently and to share news. Hosted by two adult volunteers. •    Boccia group in partnership with P&K Disability Sport – weekly, average 15 attendees (including some younger, non-SBB members) •    Saturday Lunch Club- a  popular kitchen workshop - monthly for 3 hours with 6 places. Members are taught food skills to prepare and make a themed lunch led by an Activity Leader and supported by volunteers. The group then sits down to enjoy lunch together and chat.