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.

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). 

As a result of improvements made at the stadium at Davie Park, Blairgowrie & Rattray Community Football Trust (BRCFT) are excited to offer a programme of activities within the new built-for-purpose social space, designed to benefit the needs of the entire community, by promoting improved health & wellbeing.

It is BRCFT’s intention to open the space on an ad-hoc basis daily to provide a warm, welcoming space for residents of the SIMD 1 community in which it sits. As a result of ongoing community engagement, this has been identified as something that is very much needed, particularly during the winter months, due to the levels of deprivation the neighbouring communities are facing, resulting in glaring health inequalities.

However, not only do we want to open this space to use when needed, but we also intend to develop an activity programme that brings the community through the doors, providing the ability to utilise other support services that are on offer and, thus, reducing the stigma of accepting help. Due to the strength of the presence that BRCFT and the sport of football has in the local community, it provides the unique opportunity to destigmatise and normalise the acceptance of support, making the Trust in a powerful position to monitor changing needs and be responsive to this.

The health & wellbeing project is designed to alleviate the impact of poverty and the cost-of-living on the health and wellbeing of Rattray residents. Recent key findings from SPICe publication titled ‘getting the inactive active: barriers to physical activity and their potential policy solutions’ (Scottish Parliament, 2025) highlights that Scotland have ‘disproportionately poor health outcomes’ and those facing the highest levels of deprivation are far less likely to participate in sport and physical activity, despite being the population that benefit most from it. Therefore, this identifies the need for a more targeted offering, due to the following conclusions: 1. 35% of school pupils living in 20% most deprived areas in Scotland are most likely to be inactive (only 23% for those in 20% least deprived areas evidencing the health inequalities). 2. People with disabilities, who are also experiencing poverty, are considerably more likely to have higher levels of sedentary behaviour. 3. Only 55% of 65–74-year-olds meet CMO guidelines for physical activity – 29% have very low activity. 4. Physical inactivity costs NHS Scotland over £77 million per annum.

Therefore, to support the Rattray community to improve these outcomes, the health & wellbeing project will encompass the following main features: 1. Introduce free BRCFT-led activities using new staff structure – Football Education Officer, Football Development Officer & sessional coaches 2. Provide venue hire at no cost to community organisations that promote improved health & wellbeing - 3 hours per week available with the focus being on mental health, women & girls, and disabilities, due to identified need. 3. Ad-hoc use of venue as a warm space – community café-style offering, hot drinks facilities consistently available etc.

This funding would be utilised to develop our initial programme of free activities, inclusive of: 1. Games club - video and board games in a social environment with physical activity incorporated into session - designed to encourage inactive children and young people to attend and increase physical activity levels. 2. Weight management sessions 'Fan Fitness' - 90-minute session for over 35s to improve mental, social and physical health by promoting lifestyle and behaviour changes through fun, educational and interactive activities. 3. Walking group - low-level activity suitable for all ages and abilities. 4. Sporting memories - supporting people aged 50+ including those living with dementia, depression or facing social isolation to improve their mental and physical wellbeing. 5. Activities for people with disabilities - adaptive and inclusive activities for people with disabilities who face limited access to activities to support their health & wellbeing due to related barriers.

It is essential to be able to provide access to activities at no cost to support those who are least active to become more active by reducing the barriers of participation, such as cost. This provides the opportunity to build upon the activity provision to reduce health inequalities in the area as BRCFT continue to build partnerships with NHS Tayside.

Although the maximum benefits are likely to be experienced by those living in Rattray, due to evidence that targeted physical activity provision is largely more beneficial in the 20% most deprived areas, it won’t be limited to the Rattray community due to BRCFT having a broader remit in Blairgowrie, Rattray and surrounding areas, and pockets of deprivation existing even in more affluent areas.

References: Meir, D., & Scott, D. (2025). Getting the inactive active: Barriers to physical activity and their potential policy solutions. Edinburgh: The Scottish Parliament. Available at: https://bprcdn.parliament.scot/published/2025/1/10/c1a1038a-6254-45be-b329-edba530b47e1/SB%2025-03.pdf

Mums Meet & Make workshops will provide a place for new, young and single mothers to come together to be creative, make friends, and find out about support in the community. Participants will be welcome to bring their babies and young children (under 3 years) to the classes – but the activities will be for the mums rather than the children.

Inclusive, Enjoyable, Inspiring   

Workshops will be led by Jaz Grady, a local illustrator/photographer. Jaz has lots of experience running welcoming and accessible classes for people with little or no experience of art, craft or making of any kind. Activities will be absorbing, enjoyable and easy to do. The aim is to create a safe and inspiring environment where mums can explore their creativity, make friends, and thrive in a supportive and inclusive setting.   

"In previous projects, we created spaces where laughter, community, and creativity flourished—encouraging mothers to rediscover themselves as individuals beyond being ‘just mum’. It wasn’t just about play for the children; it was about inspiring mothers to reconnect with their own creativity, share experiences, and support each other in a nurturing environment." – Jaz   

All participants will receive an art pack at the start of the workshops, so they are able to continue being creative at home.   

Support with Child Care  

A crèche service will be provided so everyone can get a bit of a break from being mum. The sessions will be set up in the Strathearn Arts main auditorium with the adjoining side area set up as a creche and left open and visible to the mums. The crèche will be free and staffed by qualified childcare/nursery practitioners.

Connecting the Community

During the sessions we will also signpost mothers to important local services like the Remake Repair Café, Crieff School Uniform Bank, Crieff Community Garden’s food scheme, Crieff Connexions, and PKC’s lifelong learning courses. To do this we will provide a ‘Support Bank’ that summarises all the available health and social services, community groups, courses, opportunities and other support in our area that is available to mothers, women and families. 

Reaching New Mums  

We intend to reach new mums in South Crieff by working with Health Visitors and other community health practitioners who visit new mothers at home. We will also advertise these workshops through GP surgeries, dentists, the local Social Prescriber, PKC Association of Voluntary Services (PKAVS), Stronger Communities Network, and existing mother and baby groups like Breast Buddies, Singing Mamas and Bumps to Tots. 

Many people believe the ‘arts are not for them’ or may feel a bit intimidated, so we will hold the first workshop at a venue like Crieff Connexions’ Community Café, where Jaz can demonstrate some of the activities and participants can see what to expect. The rest of the workshops will take place in our auditorium space with break-out café and crèche areas.  

What we can do with this funding  

Currently, Crieff residents must travel 20+ miles to access similar creative support services. This isn’t realistic for many young, new and single mothers. Mums Meet & Make will specifically support mothers in our area who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to take part in creative activities.   

• Free to attend and all materials provided;  
• Weekly workshops will run for 20 weeks from April – August 2025  
• Space for 15 participants in each class;  
• We will employ two nursery carers and hire/purchase equipment for our crèche;  
• Lunch, snacks and tea/coffee for participants provided free of charge;  
• Led by a professional artist with lots of experience working with people from all backgrounds;  
• Two sessions with a mental health professional on journaling for mental health and wellbeing. 

Our project

We work tirelessly to empower refugees, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable individuals to rebuild their lives in a foreign land. Through consistent engagement with our students and service users, we have identified a pressing need many of them are battling poverty due to unemployment. A significant number of new refugees have recently joined our society with little to no knowledge of how to access employment opportunities. Despite their eagerness to work and contribute, they lack the skills, confidence, and awareness needed to secure jobs.

To address this challenge, we are launching the "Job Club” project, a program exclusively designed to equip refugees and asylum seekers with the essential skills and confidence to enter the workforce. This initiative will provide a structured pathway to employment through tailored workshops, practical training, and one-on-one support.

Objectives

1. To teach key employability skills such as CV writing, interview techniques, and job search strategies.
2. To build participants’ confidence through soft-skills training, including communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
3. To provide guidance on navigating the job market, including understanding workplace culture and labor laws.
4. To foster connections with local employers and create opportunities for work placements or apprenticeships.

Activities

• Weekly classes on employability skills.
• Mock interviews and practice sessions.
• Digital literacy training for job applications and online communication.
• Networking events with local employers and recruitment agencies. We regularly work with Street League, Search, and Graham Hygiene. Our in-house Admin Officer supports our students with searching for jobs on job boards, applying for suitable jobs, and writing CVs.
• Ongoing mentorship and support to help participants sustain employment.

Expected Outcomes

1. Increased employability among refugees and asylum seekers.
2. Improved confidence and self-reliance in navigating the job market.
3. Strengthened connections between employers and the refugee community.
4. Reduction in poverty levels within the community

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.

Our club has always demonstrated our values which are to provide a safe, fun and inclusive netball club. We have always ensured that our girls understand the benefits of how having an active lifestyle can only bring positive outcomes for their physical and mental health. It also helps our girls from the different schools across our area to make real connections and friendships away from the ever increasing dependency children have on social media. Perth City Juniors were re-established in 2021 and since then we have managed to obtain success in the form of twice winning the Netball Scotland Scottish Youth Cup along with many netball leagues throughout Scotland and across all of our age groups. We also have some girls who have gone on to represent Scotland. The costs involved in playing netball competitively can put a financial burden onto parents therefore our committee have always strived to fundraise so that we can keep our fees low. 

We have a culture of giving back at our club with many of our older girls volunteering their time to help coach sessions at the club as well as within their secondary schools. Many of them have obtained coaching qualifications along with becoming umpires. With this in mind, we'd like to continue this by giving back to our communities. 

We are hoping that with a successful funding application, we can deliver free netball sessions within local primary schools. We would like to coordinate with the headteachers and Active schools coordinators to offer 4 weekly sessions to be held either in school hours or as an after school club. 

Our hope is that by offering these sessions, we can encourage the children to subsequently be involved in playing netball at the many clubs in Perth & Kinross. Showing that no matter what their socioeconomic background is, there is accessible netball available to everyone. Following these free taster sessions, we'd hope to hold some holiday camps to benefit all netball players in the area. The funding would also allow us to upskill our coaches and equipment so that we could deliver a high quality holiday camp catering to girls of differing levels of netball ability.   

We have witnessed first hand the positive impact that being involved in this team sport, can allow our girls to thrive, be successful and boost their confidence. We hope that our application will be successful to allow us to include more girls who will benefit from our club.

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

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.