Facilitating the engagement in meaningful and therapeutic activities (horticulture, woodwork, gastronomy, fitness, nutrition and arts), we aim for people to have better physical, emotional and mental wellbeing; to have better connections with the wider community; and to gain access to new skills and training which will help them move on to positive destinations. We can work with anyone aged 16+ who is reporting difficulties with their mental health and wellbeing.

Three of our engagement staff recently qualified as Decider Skills Facilitators. We are now looking to introduce Decider Skills within our activity engagement sessions at The Walled Garden – Creative Wellbeing, Healthy Lifestyles, Gardening and Hospitality. Decider skills supports and encourages self-management, which includes things like sound and rational decision making. Participant workbooks are not within most client’s affordability, creating a financial barrier to meaningful access. From a cost of living perspective, supporting these expenditures would alleviate any financial pressure and allow clients to engage in this form of therapeutic and self-development activity equitably.  

How Decider Skills can directly influence the cost of living -

The ‘think’, ‘focus’ and ‘pace and plan’ skills support resilience and anxiety management, offering clients the confidence to navigate problematic situations with finances and seeking help. ‘Turn the mind’ challenges habitual behaviour and patterns, and offers alternative ways that can lead to a more helpful outcome. ‘STOPP’ considers impulse, and how we can objectively respond to strong emotions.

The Decider Skills | The Decider

Crieff Community Gardeners are a constituted community group based in Crieff Community Garden. 

Our current space offers numerous opportunities for community groups to take part, whether it’s growing vegetables in one of our many raised beds, or creating bee friendly zones in our wild meadow section, or hosting wellness meetings in our open green spaces. In order to maintain the garden, we need to purchase annual plants and bulbs together with compost and bark. 

Crieff Community Gardeners host free family events throughout the year- our first one of 2025 being an Easter celebration with an egg hunt and games. These events require catering, crafts and activities, as well as marquee hire and prizes. 

Addressing the cost of living Rattray primary children will have the opportunity to have a fun filled afternoon with laughter and joy and bring about memories.   This project combats poverty and alleviates the cost of living pressures on parents who are unable to afford additional costs outwith the normal weekly living expenses.   This is not about education, keeping fit and active,  learning a new skills or achievement - it is a simple approach to providing a little extra excitement and fun in a world where the challenges against the cost of living crisis can be overhwelming for many parents.     The party events can be spread over a period of time ensuring that Rattray Primary School children can share fun with their school friends in an environment where they will feel safe with no stigma.  This project aligns with the Perth & Kinross Community Action Plan 'for everyone to live well, free from poverty and inequality'.   

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.

"People who give you their food give you their heart." - Ceasar Chavez

The aim of our Logos, Eat, Repeat Project is to consistently provide free food at after school and evening sessions from May 2025 – March 2026 during term time. This includes toast, fresh fruit and hot/cold drinks.

We've previously had funding to provide food for young people during the holiday periods and would like to extend this offer to cover term times as well (May 2025- March 2026).

Following Maslow' developmental theory, we understand that food is key to growth and progression. By providing free food at each of our sessions, we ensure that all young people have access to a basic need without stigma.

We run 3 after school clubs for high school aged young people and 2 evening clubs, one specifically for S1’s and the other for S2 and over.

We currently offer toast and hot drinks at our sessions but due to the increased demand, we are unable to sustain this. In every evaluation that we have completed the young people have indicated that food is one of the key factors in why they attend the club.

There are young people living in the community who don’t regularly come into the club, but will come to the door and ask for toast because they know Logos is a place where they can get something free to eat.

One young person described: "I think the first time I came was because of the food and drinks but I have grown attached to the club and it's like a second home to me." - Young person aged 15.

We would like to be able to provide free food at each of our After School and evening club sessions from May 2025 – March 2026. This would include hot and cold drinks, toast and fresh fruit.  

Young People always ask to cook and bake in their youth club sessions. Along with providing food at our after school clubs, we would also like to offer at least 2 cook and eat sessions per month, whereby the young people are involved in cooking a meal which they can eat together.  This would also give them the opportunity to try new healthy foods. We are currently running Soup-A Saturday’s as part of the Warm Space funding, and we would like to be able to offer similar sessions during our evening clubs.

Through our Soup-a Saturday sessions where young people make soup together, we have observed young people improve their team working skills, communication skills, listening skills, responsiveness, resilience and responsibility. 

Youth voice and participation is fundamental in our delivery. One of the requests from our young volunteers, many of whom are volunteering as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award, is to complete their level 2 Food Hygiene. We would like to provide the opportunity for them to complete these awards.

The Access to Adventure Project will provide financial support for the pupils of Rattray Primary School and Nursery to take part in learning outside of the classroom. The funding would cover the costs of transport and entry fees to venues for children from low-income families to ensure that financial hardship does not prevent any child from participating in school trips.

A significant proportion of children attending Rattray Primary School live within SIMD quintiles 1 (36%) & 2 (5%) and 35% of pupils are entitled to free school meals. Under the Acorn measure of poverty in rural areas, 48% of Rattray pupils fall into the categories Acorn 5 and 6 which are the most deprived rural communities.  A large proportion (36%) of families have multiple children attending the school and 41% of Rattray pupils have additional support needs, putting further financial pressure on parents/carers.

In this rural community, with limited transport options and with the rising cost of living, a school trip may be the only outing a child experiences out with Blairgowrie.

In previous years, the school and the Parent Council have provided subsidies to reduce cost to families. However, due to increasing levels of need and increased costs, this is unsustainable and there is a very real risk that school excursions may be limited.

The head teacher, staff and children recognise the importance of these wider experiences. The Scottish Government notes the value of learning out with the classroom and wants all children and young people to have positive learning experiences in a variety of settings (See attached document).

These experiences can enhance academic learning, whether it be visiting a historic castle, local museums, farms, or places of cultural significance, and give context to classroom learning. Often, the children gain first-hand experiences that cannot be replicated in school. This helps develop engagement and interest in subjects that may help shape their future choices.

Trips away from school also develop personal growth allowing children to develop a sense of independence, perhaps experiencing life out with their comfort zone. They develop skills, responsibility and confidence that helps them try new things, explore new environments and look after themselves. Children can develop a sense of adventure, and these fabulous types of experiences can encourage communication with teachers, families and peers.

As a Parent Council we feel it is important to be inclusive and equitable for all the children and families in the school to avoid the stigma and/or embarrassment of having to ask for help. Therefore, the funding would not only be beneficial to those on low incomes but for every child, every family, so that all pupils are included.

School trips can be great fun for children and staff alike and provide lasting memories. I’m sure everyone who has kindly taken the time to read this proposal can remember their own school trips and what it meant to them growing up. We sincerely hope we can continue to support the school in being able to provide these valuable opportunities. (See attached documents for staff and pupil comments on school trips).