The Lennox and Argyll Battalion is a charitable unincorporated independent Organization and part of the overall Boys’ Brigade movement. Our hall on Smollett Street, Alexandria,  requires an upgrade to its kitchen. The kitchen was last upgraded about 30 years ago and now showing it’s age.Maintaining a clean and hygienic kitchen is essential for health and safety reasons. We will look to install a new double sink can help by separating food prep from dishwashing. You can use one side for washing raw produce and the other for washing dishes, reducing the risk of cross-contamination. Plus, having a designated sink for food prep can help keep our kitchen organised and efficient. We will also replace work tops and some kitchen carcasses. Our 30 old year cooker will be replaced by a  Electric Ceramic Cooker (Stainless Steel).

The project is part of a larger phased refurbishment project which started in 2018 with the replacement of an inefficient heating system with a heat pump system thanks to a Community Budgeting Phase 3 grant of £5000 and an interest free loan of £7300 from the Energy Saving Trust. The whole lighting system in the building was converted to  LED lighting at the same time.  In 2019 and 2023 the apprentice painters from the Clydebank campus of the West College painted most of the inside of the main hall and associated smaller rooms for free. In return the apprentices gained valuable experience and enhanced their skills .

Golden Friendships is a community-focused charity supporting youngsters, people with additional support needs, disabled people and the elderly. We bring everyone together at the Golden Friendships Community Hall in Dalmuir to reduce loneliness, reduce isolation and improve social inclusion and wellbeing. We operate out of the Golden Freindships Hall in Dalmuir, where we run a number of events and services. Our main aim is to look after the more vulnerable in our society through group activities, entertainment and social settings like lunch clubs. We regularly talk to our members to find out how they are and what they need. One of our focuses is tackling loneliness in the community. We are providing activities to try and help peoples mental health such as our weekly walking group, we have a plot in Dalmuir for gardening projects, we have regular bus outing and activity trips.

We wish to use the Community Grants to refurbish our stock room as it has not been touched since we bought the building. The floor is uneven and needs to be redone. All old wiring needs ripped out and secure shelving and storage space needs to be put in. The ceiling has to be replaced and new lighting required. It is a large space that runs off our café bar and is used regularly. 

As we only have one Toilet Block at the Vale of Leven Football Club which doesn't have disabled access, a new disabled toilet will help us include disabled members, their familiy and the wider community who cannot currently attend events due to the lack of proper toilet facilities.

This project will help maintain their dignity, and allows the Football Club to be more inclusive for our community. We are also aiming to reach out to local care homes to allow their residents to come to The Millburn (our grounds) on match days. We want them to be able to watch the game, enjoy a free pie and bovril and feel part of their local community. 

Alexandria Community Council is seeking to use the Communit Grant to commission two community notice boards to be erected in areas with regular footfall in Alexandria town centre. These would be handcrafted in durable wood. They would be designed to be accessible to wheelchair users with duplicate notices at 1000-1100mm and 150-1700mm. They would be place in locations which provide adequate turning space for wheelchairs. The design features of the notice board would hopefully become small focal areas in the town centre.

We will be engaging with a local wood crafting group in the design and construction of the notice boards.  Once constructed we will be communicating with community groups and inviting them to use the boards to promote their activities and events. We will have a QR code link to the Alexandria town website and Community Council Minutes and Agendas. The boards will be available for use by any group excluding political groups. We feel that these will be accessible and benefit local people and visitors to the area. It will provide information, which is often only available online at present, and often not readily available to many residents. It is hoped that this will help link more people with the groups and activities which are available.  

The Old Kilpatrick Community Council wants to engage the services of Community Links Scotland to support the preparation of a Community-led Local Place Plan.  The plan will be developed over the course of 6 months and will seek to identify the community’s aspirations and priorities as well as projects and developments which will form a community action plan.  The action plan will lead to real changes in the locations that the community identify as required and real investment in the area.

Through robust community engagement and activity, everyone in the Village will have an opportunity to contribute their ideas to the Place Plan.  The Community Council already has good relationships with community organisations such as scouts, the churches and the local schools and these relationships and others will be utilised to ensure the plan represents as many views as is possible.    

The Gavinburn Primary Parent Council aims to strengthen ties between the school, the pupils and Old Kilpatrick community. Following discussions with the schools management team, one of our identified priorities this year is to improve the school grounds and the opportunities within.

We intend to install a variety of new playground equipment and markings to reengage the children in playground activities. Some of the markings we have chosen would also be beneficial for outdoor learning opportunities, however our main priority with this project is increasing physical activity at break times and after school clubs. This equipment and markings would also be available for the community clubs who make use of the school through LETS. This will happen on the playground behind the school building and along either side. It is our ambition to provide each age range of children a new playground experience and to increase physical activity for all. This will also help us to resocialise the children in the wake of the pandemic. 

Our plan is to add educational and fun playground activities for all children to enjoy, at present our equipment is out dated and no longer engaging enough for our currents needs within the school.  The equipment purchased will also be suitable for and used to support children with additional needs within the school.

When it will happen will be dependent on both when funding comes through and the availability of the providers but we would seek to do this at the first available school holiday period in order to ensure the works can be carried out safely and an exciting launch to the children.