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 of 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.

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

Project Overview

Project Title: Monthly Lunch Clubs  

Duration: One year  

Total Funding Requested: £1,800

Objectives:

1. Promote Community Integration: Create a welcoming space for individuals from diverse backgrounds to gather, share a meal, and engage in meaningful conversations.

2. Provide Access to Information and Resources: Collaborate with local services such as the Citizens Advice Bureau, Welfare Rights, and the Heat Project to provide attendees with valuable information and support.

3. Reduce Social Isolation: Foster connections among participants, helping to mitigate feelings of loneliness and enhance overall well-being.

4. Encourage Healthy Eating: Serve fresh, nutritious lunches that promote healthy eating habits and well-being.

Audience

Our lunch clubs will primarily target individuals from minority backgrounds, but we welcome all community members to join us. This inclusive approach will help to break down barriers, encourage understanding, and promote a sense of belonging among participants.

Activities and Structure

Each monthly lunch club will include:

Light Refreshments: A healthy, balanced meal prepared from fresh ingredients, promoting nutrition and well-being.

Guest Speakers: Representatives from partner organisations will be invited to speak and provide information on various topics, including welfare rights, financial advice, mental health resources, and community services.

-Open Forum: An opportunity for participants to share their experiences, ask questions, and seek support from staff and volunteers in a relaxed and friendly environment.

Expected Outcomes

Increased Community Engagement: Participants will develop new friendships and connections, fostering a sense of community.

 Improved Access to Resources: Attendees will gain awareness of and access to local services, enhancing their ability to navigate challenges they may face.

 Better Quality of Life: By reducing social isolation and providing nutritious meals, participants will experience improved mental and physical well-being.

Conclusion

We believe that the Monthly Lunch Clubs will be a vital initiative for promoting community cohesion, providing support, and enhancing the quality of life for individuals in Perth. With your generous funding of £1,800, we can implement this project and create lasting positive impacts within our community.

Thank you for considering our proposal. We look forward to the opportunity to work together to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.

We appreciate your support and consideration.

The club is based in Rattray and offers boxing lessons with separate classes for both adults and children. We are run totally by volunteers who give up their free time to ensure the club keeps running. Some of these volunteers have been brought up in poverty and can share their own experiences how much boxing helped them through that and other challenges in life.

We also share our space with local mens mental health charity Mantalk. We are very aware of the benefits boxing can have on not only your physical wellbeing but your mental health also. We work closely with Mantalk to encourage some of the guys along to give boxing a try and this has been massive in helping some of the Mantalk men.

We are affiliated with Boxing Alliance Scotland which allows our boxers to compete in competitions.  This gives the boxers the opportunity to showcase their learning and abilities and gives them memories for life. We currently have two novice champions and one open Scottish champion however no matter if it’s a win, lose or a draw these opportunities give so much to their development, not only as a boxer but as a human being.

We are a not for profit club and any money we take in goes towards keeping our minibus on the road, travelling to competitions, heating and replacing any small damages. Boxing is a sport that needs to be accessible to all so we try to keep our membership fee down to ensure it is. Currently we ask kids  for £10 a month( around 80p per session) and adults £20(around £1.60 a session). No one is ever turned away because they are unable to pay. In an ideal world we wouldn’t take any money as we believe sport should never be barriers for getting involved in sport however with the little we have coming in its already very hard to sustain.

This brings us to why we are applying for funding. Due to very little funds its very hard to update, renew the equipment we need to continue to offer this great sport at low cost and safe to the community. The basics needing renewed come to a total cost of just over £7000 which is a massive amount, we are asking for £5000 in this application and we have just raised around £1300 and with the young boxers planning a sponsored hill climb we would look to make up the remaining amount. These are things that we will have no choice to get to keep the club running safely and if the funding application is not successful then we will have to explore other options. The last thing we want to do is raise any memberships which would then put up a lot of barriers for those already struggling to the cost of living.

For those not involved in boxing it can be hard to understand the sport, however it gives so many people a sense of belonging. It offers discipline, fitness, opportunities to compete with the best and the benefits to mental health is immeasurable. If our project is given the green light then we will be offering free boxing lessons to any resident of Rattray for free for 10 weeks to allow them to give it a try and see the benefits for them self

The Royal Voluntary Service manage approx  150 volunteers in the Perth & Kinross region and we have a need for transport to support the elderly & vulnerable in the community.We are applying for a mini bus and need to upskill the volunteers for the coming years. We would like to train 10 drivers on the MIDAS mini bus course and also 15 first aiders. Currently we run Perth lunch club,Perth social club,Crieff lunch club,Bridge of Earn lunch club and are looking at a new lunch club in North Muirton. The elderly clients need transport to get them to the clubs which will greatly help with nutrition ,mental and physical well being. We are being tasked with growing the numbers at each of the clubs and opening new venues thus requiring a transport solution.

This vital training will allow us to run this service.

Your support with this funding would allow us to

Continue to rent a property on the High St which creates an accessible and visible community venue for everyone in North and Central Perth to be involved in making and mending.

To build on those connections that individuals have made in their community, and all the positive impacts that has on well-being by offering more workshops and groups.  

Offer free or very low cost access to an activity that has proven environmental, health and well-being credentials. 

To continue to put volunteering and peer mentoring at the heart of everything we do at On the Mend by upskilling and increasing opportunities. 

Expand what we currently offer over more days and to reach more people who cannot afford to enjoy lots of the leisure activities on offer in Perth.

Share the knowledge and skills of CATH outreach, housing support and literacy staff to as many in the community as we can and help those experiencing difficulties in housing, accessing benefits and the social isolation that poverty/lack of opportunity often brings.

On the Mend has been based on the High Street for just over a year having a positive impact on the Central and North Perth Community.  We would like to be able to open more days and offer more opportunities for individuals and local groups to be able to access our workshops.  This continuation funding would also enable current participants to build skills further as we have found peer mentoring has been a really successful way of engaging and is a gateway to more structured volunteer opportunities.

On the Mend currently operates Wednesday to Friday and the current core activities are;

Wednesday morning Textile Upcycle, which currently has 16 participants where attendees can come along and knit, crochet and sew all with donated materials and all free of charge.  Some participants come with a strong skill level and take great pleasure in sharing those skills, others are perhaps new to making.  For many in the group it would be prohibitively expensive to buy and learn to use a sewing machine but with the support of On the Mend staff and others in the group we have seen confidence and skills grow.  We currently do not have enough time to accommodate everyone wanting to use a sewing machine and would want to create a new group for this activity to develop and increase inclusion.

Wednesday afternoons is Furniture Upcycling.  To keep within space constraints and to adhere to health and safety best practice this group is kept to a maximum of 8 participants.  Again, this activity is free and we provide all materials with the pieces of furniture being saved from going into landfill.  This workshop has created a small income with upcycled items being displayed in the window and sold.  This creates a huge sense achievement,by working on something over a number of weeks, and seeing the finished piece going to someone’s home.  This group demonstrates, on a tight budget, the impact of repurposing rather than buying new.

On Thursdays we have had a community-driven crochet group, this developed from a tutored group with participants wanting to keep the group going themselves.

The Friday the Fun Crafternoon has been a huge success and we do not have the capacity for everyone who wants to attend.  During the Crafternoon participants are given the opportunity to make an upcycled item to take away, no special skills are required.  A huge part of this, as with all the groups at On the Mend, is the social aspect. Whilst being creative everyone is chatting, laughing and connecting with their community.  It has been extremely difficult to turn anyone away and we would very much like to be able to offer a second session of the Fun Crafternoon. 

We have run a number of volunteer led workshops in,for example, upholstery and needle felting and have worked with local organisations like Trauma Healing Together and would aim to build on collaborative projects with other organisations in Perth. Everyone who attends On the Mend groups has access to the expertise that CATH staff have in housing, benefits issues, literacy and building confidence and skills .  This is not the focus of any On the Mend activities but can serve as a gateway to anyone who may find themselves in need of support or advice.

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.

Crieff ConneXions Cafe is a social space in Crieff Connexions where people can meet,  chat and find support from volunteers and staff. We will be open 3 times on the week providing a safe,  accessible and warm environment for people from across the community to meet.   A range of people in Crieff experience social isolation due to their family circumstances,  age or condition. The community cafe provides a low-cost place to meet others,  get support and access services.  We would like to step up from offering tea, coffee and biscuits to delivering a warm plate of soup to those who come along. With this added value will reach more people and provide them with nourishment.  We will be able to utilise some of the surplus vegetables and bread, which we collect, to make an impact on food waste. Money will be spent on storecupboard ingredients, equipment and training. Some existing volunteers will be upskilled to make and serve soup, we have young volunteers working with us as well as volunteers with special needs and those who find it hard to get work.. Crieff ConneXions also provides a community pantry,  offering low-cost food,  a school uniform shop,  providing gently used school uniform, public WiFi, access to computers and printing and a low-cost second-hand shop.  We want to provide support for people whilst giving the dignity and choice.  For this part of the project we would like to reach out to local elderly people through an invitation leaflet, 

After public consultation we know that there is demand for community allotments in the North Muirton area.

These will provide a huge range of benefits to those who are involved, including fresh, sustainable food, a real sense of community, exercise and fresh air, access to others’ knowledge and skills, and access to a tool library.

The increased cost of living is affecting everybody, and having somewhere local, cheap, and healthy to meet others will be of huge benefit. Allotments often become social hubs for those who engage, meaning people will not need to pay to travel into the city centre to meet friends. Tools are often a large expense in gardening and DIY, the library will alleviate this allowing people to make meaningful improvements to their home, garden, and life.

This is not a profit making exercise. We expect to charge at most £30 per year to cover the cost of general upkeep and stocking the tool library.

We are also in conversation with Riverside Primary School and if successful will provide them an allotment for free to help educate the next generation on food, nutrition, budgeting, and sustainability.

North Muirton Community Group is well established as a constituted group that works to support local people, running free lunches, multiple Community Fun Days which attract hundreds of people, maintaining the local Community Hall and providing that space at low rates for other groups to use.

There is a disused and graffiti covered pitch owned by the council that in principal they have agreed we can use for allotments when we have the funding in place. It is currently an eyesore between the community and the river, a common dog walking spot, so transforming it visually would also be an important benefit to the community.

This funding would get us started on the project but not finished. Securing the allotments from vandalism is vitally important and this funding would go towards that in the main. The next step would be building in the actual allotments and acquiring tools, before launching them for the community. 

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