Get In The Game
2025-02-05 • No comments • • Central and North Perth
We plan to run recreational sport and fitness sessions, mainly football based however we will take feedback from participants and engage with our partner clubs about other sports that may be of interest, to address the needs of people who may be suffering from or at risk of social isolation, poor mental health and young people not in education and training. We will deliver 3 sessions per week throughout the year aimed at these target groups but open to all who feel they would benefit from such a session. These sessions will be delivered in the morning, afternoon and evening spaced out throughout the week to allow options for participants and ensure the best reach. We will advertise this project through our social media channels, local press, partner agencies and in hard copy in local facilities. This is a new project for us which we will be reviewing to better understand the demand, impact on participants daily lives, effectiveness and desirability of the sessions. We hope that this will lead to a future expanded community projects package including this and other projects for the benefit of people in our community who would benefit from enhanced physical activity coupled with additional life support covering areas such as financial, skills and confidence, employability and mental health. In addition part of this funding will be used to invest in our exisiting volunteers ongoing development to allow them to better support our participants and potential new volunteers drawn from our attendees. This funding will allow them to be upskilled in coaching qualifications, first aid training as well as in additional areas particular to their ongoing development goals.
Strathearn Art For Experience (SAFE) Art Group
2025-02-04 • No comments • • South Crieff
Our group Safe Art is dedicated to providing a safe space for adults with mental health difficulties to come along for tea and coffee, to socialise with members in similar situations, and help them out of the isolation that poverty and the current cost of living crisis is causing. Though our Arts Facilitator, we provide many different art and craft projects, some of which are chosen by our group members. Currently we have around eleven regular members who come along to the group each week and a few members who prefer to come every other week. Our group members can join in with group projects, work on individual projects, for example colouring books, knitting, drawing and painting in various media. The group members don't have to be artistic and can also choose to come along purely for the social aspect of being in the group.
Social Isolation is a highlighted issue and is a current challenge for our group members. We are based at the Crieff Community Hospital where it is easy and accessible for everyone who wants to attend. Our group members recognise this venue as a comfortable and safe environment where the group will share their own experiences and challenges, while also recognising the need for confidentiality. Our numbers are steadily increasing with use of posters and word of mouth.
For our group members, the cost of living crisis has created not just a burden on personal budgets, and finances, but also an emotional and mental stress which has had a negative impact on mental health and wellbeing. Our group provides some peer support using the medium of art and crafts as a common interest. Arts and Crafts provide something for us to focus on for a few hours a week. By having a positive outlet some members of the group have now found employment and some have moved onto further education.
This project is for the materials and a facilitator to complete a new group project over 2025. The project will be a mixed media wall hanging of the Eppie Callum Oak Tree which can be found along Lady Mary's Walk in Crieff. This magnificent Oak Tree got its name from the lady who ran the Oakbank Inn, a favourite amongst drovers and it's alleged that the massive tree started its life in a teapot! It is well known for sheltering the notorious outlaw Rob Roy MacGregor from his enemies and aided Bonnie Prince Charlie, who allegedly hid inside its trunk.
We are looking for £2,000 for this project and this cost includes, fees for the art facilitator, a day trip to Stirling Castle where there are many tapestries and wall hangings to gain inspiration from as well as a tapestry studio which shows how the tapestries were made. We would need to pay for transport that would accommodate our disabled members, so that they don't miss out. We are also looking to cover the entry costs to the Castle itself.
For our tapestry, funding is required for a good strong backing to accommodate the size and weight. Materials and threads we will aim to source as sustainably and as cheaply as we can from places such as Remake, Cancer Research, Child after Child and Charity shops, this way we also support local shops in Crieff.
In recent years we took part in PKC's 22 Women project, Raise the Roof, as part of the Scottish Government Year of Stories in 2022. We chose Katie McNiven for our women and we researched all her stories and worked with MoKa to create a clay piece of art which told her story. We hope to make our wall hanging just as impressive and share this magnificent Oak tree and its story with All of Crieff.
SUFC -Helping overweight men with poor mental health & reducing social isolation
2025-02-07 • 4 comments • • South Crieff
Strathearn United Football Club request funding to allow those people living on low incomes with low self-esteem and social issues to enjoy our activities and improve their health and quality of life. The key to the club is making friends, improving health and building confidence.
We will be the only club in Perthshire to be in the Scottish Warriors League, who are supporting many males overcome anxiety, mental health issues, social isolation and prevent suicides.
Our volunteer coaches are qualified in football, mental health, exercise and nutrition. We also have a welfare officer as well as a club chaplain who is available for confidential chats when needed.
We seek funding of £2,930 to cover the cost of allowing up to 15 people who wish to attend but are unable to due to financial hardship. We request funding to cover the session fees, sports kit and transport costs.
However, the best way to understand what a difference our club can make is to watch the video from a similar Warrior club to ours, Denny Warriors. Watch Gary from Denny talk to former England international Ashley Cole about how football saved his life.
Your vote just might save someone's life!
AYP Revamp, Repair, Replace and Re-Wear!
2025-02-06 • No comments • • Coupar Angus, Meigle & Alyth
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.
CAYAG Adventure Seekers
2025-02-06 • 1 comment • • Coupar Angus, Meigle & Alyth
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.
Wonderland Event - Coupar Angus
2025-01-21 • No comments • • Coupar Angus, Meigle & Alyth
Overview: Wonderland is a community-based initiative devised by Adventure Circus SCIO in 2024. Wonderland’s aim is to bringing free outdoor circus performances and workshops to local parks in Perthshire. The project focuses on engaging children and families, particularly those from low-income areas, offering them the opportunity to experience live circus entertainment and actively participate in circus skills training within their own community (Coupar Angus), out of doors during the summer holidays.
Our goals:
- Access to the Arts during cost of living crisis: we want to provide children and families in low-income / semi-rural areas with the chance to see a professional circus performance, something that may otherwise be financially out of reach.
- Skill Development: we love to share what we do, and so our performances always include an element of participation to encourage children to engage in circus skills. For example our performers will help members of the public to try juggling, hula hooping, and aerial arts, promoting physical activity, creativity and self-confidence.
- Community Building: Our visits are intended to offer a community activity that brings local people together for a fun, inclusive and interactive experience. As an outdoor spectacle, there is no limit to the number of people who can attend. In 2024 we performed Wonderland in Coupar Angus to approximately 250 people of all ages.
- Wellbeing Focus: It is our long term aim that our Wonderland events provoke audience members to consider taking part in circus skills, either through our education programme, or through self practise. Circus arts have a well known reputation for improving mental/emotional wellbeing due to a long history of inclusivity, and the skills offer an opportunity for self-expression, resilience and crucially for young people, play.
Key Activities:
- Outdoor Circus Show: Our professional circus performers will put on an engaging outdoor show that is family-friendly and accessible to all ages. The show is based on Alice in Wonderland and so the story concept is recognisable to many people because of it’s well known characters and timeless themes such as curiosity, exploration, personal growth, absurdity and nonsense!
- Taster Sessions: After the performance, children and adults will be invited to try their hand at various circus skills like juggling, hula hooping and aerial hoop workshops led by the circus performers. Participants will be encouraged to experiment and learn.
- Community Involvement: Alongside our performers, local volunteers from Adventure Circus, including our young leaders, will assist with workshop delivery and gain valuable community experience. We will spend time getting to know local people and can encourage them to join us, continue to practise independently.
Target Audience:
- Children aged 3-14, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds who may not experience many special activities / experiences due to the cost of living crisis and limitations of the family budget
- Families and community members who may not typically access large-scale entertainment or arts events because they cannot afford to attend or because they do not have the means to travel out with their area due to limitations of public transport / cost.
Benefits:
- For Children: Encourages physical activity and boosts confidence and resilience through fun, engaging experiences.
- For Families: Provides a free, inclusive arts/circus experience that brings joy for all the family and introduces new ways to engage in physical activity.
- For all: floor skills such as juggling and hula hooping are extremely low cost and are accessible beyond our Wonderland experiences through our community classes, or through self exploration at home using resources such as youtube/TikTok/Instagram
- For the Community: Strengthens local connections Adventure Circus has within different areas throughout Perth & Kinross and helps to create lasting memories by bringing a positive, uplifting event to the community.
Outcomes:
With your help, we will be helping to increase access to the arts for children in underserved areas, we will encourage/enhance physical and mental wellbeing through creative circus play and we will help to strengthen community cohesion and pride in local parks as venues for cultural and recreational activities.
By bringing the magic of the circus directly to the community, Wonderland creates a free, accessible opportunity for children to see, learn, and play, and best of all, it is all set up right in their own parkland!
Video: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17929916303875766/
Royal Voluntary Service - Mini Bus support scheme
2025-01-23 • No comments • • Central and North Perth
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.
Logos, Eat, Repeat
2025-02-07 • 1 comment • • South Crieff
"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.
Wonderland Event - Crieff
2025-01-21 • No comments • • South Crieff
Overview: Wonderland is a community-based initiative devised by Adventure Circus SCIO in 2024. Wonderland’s aim is to bringing free outdoor circus performances and workshops to local parks in the school summer holidays. The project focuses on engaging children and families, particularly those from low-income areas, offering them the opportunity to experience live circus entertainment and actively participate in circus skills training within their own community (Crieff), out of doors during the summer.
Our goals:
- Access to the Arts during cost of living crisis: we want to provide children and families in low-income / semi-rural areas with the chance to see a professional circus performance, something that may otherwise be financially out of reach.
- Skill Development: we love to share what we do, and so our performances always include an element of participation to encourage children to engage in circus skills. For example our performers will help members of the public to try juggling, hula hooping, and aerial arts, promoting physical activity, creativity and self-confidence.
- Community Building: Our visits are intended to offer a community activity that brings local people together for a fun, inclusive and interactive experience. As an outdoor spectacle, there is no limit to the number of people who can attend. In 2024 we performed Wonderland in Crieff to approximately 250 people of all ages.
- Wellbeing Focus: It is our long term aim that our Wonderland events provoke audience members to consider taking part in circus skills, either through our education programme, or through self practise. Circus arts have a well known reputation for improving mental/emotional wellbeing due to a long history of inclusivity, and the skills offer an opportunity for self-expression, resilience and crucially for young people, play.
Key Activities:
- Outdoor Circus Show: Our professional circus performers will put on an engaging outdoor show that is family-friendly and accessible to all ages. The show is based on Alice in Wonderland and so the story concept is recognisable to many people because of it’s well known characters and timeless themes such as curiosity, exploration, personal growth, absurdity and nonsense!
- Taster Sessions: After the performance, children and adults will be invited to try their hand at various circus skills like juggling, hula hooping and aerial hoop workshops led by the circus performers. Participants will be encouraged to experiment and learn.
- Community Involvement: Alongside our performers, local volunteers from Adventure Circus, including our young leaders, will assist with workshop delivery and gain valuable community experience. We will spend time getting to know local people and can encourage them to join us, continue to practise independently.
Target Audience:
- Children aged 3-14, particularly those from lower-income backgrounds who may not experience many special activities / experiences due to the cost of living crisis and limitations of the family budget
- Families and community members who may not typically access large-scale entertainment or arts events because they cannot afford to attend or because they do not have the means to travel out with their area due to limitations of public transport / cost.
Benefits:
- For Children: Encourages physical activity and boosts confidence and resilience through fun, engaging experiences.
- For Families: Provides a free, inclusive arts/circus experience that brings joy for all the family and introduces new ways to engage in physical activity.
- For all: floor skills such as juggling and hula hooping are extremely low cost and are accessible beyond our Wonderland experiences through our community classes, or through self exploration at home using resources such as youtube/TikTok/Instagram
- For the Community: Strengthens local connections Adventure Circus has within different areas throughout Perth & Kinross and helps to create lasting memories by bringing a positive, uplifting event to the community.
Outcomes:
With your help, we will be helping to increase access to the arts for children in underserved areas, we will encourage/enhance physical and mental wellbeing through creative circus play and we will help to strengthen community cohesion and pride in local parks as venues for cultural and recreational activities.
By bringing the magic of the circus directly to the community, Wonderland creates a free, accessible opportunity for children to see, learn, and play, and best of all, it is all set up right in their own parkland!
Video: https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17929916303875766/
Preventing Crisis Together in Rattray
2025-02-07 • No comments • • Rattray
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 Rattray 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.