Fairer Renfrewshire Update
Renfrewshire Council · 17 September 2025
Back to Leadership Board — 17 September 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 17 September 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Fairer Renfrewshire Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Council and its partners continue to work together to progress the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme, with a strong shared focus currently on the local response to the cost-of-living crisis. 1.2 This paper provides a summary of the issues as reported to the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub- Committee on 3 September 2025 at Section 4, as well as key programme updates at Section 5. 1.3 The paper further provides details of current priority areas being developed as part of the Fairer Renfrewshire programme at Section 6, and provides specific updates relating to: • The development of a Renfrewshire wide digital device recycling project as part of Fairer Renfrewshire’s digital inclusion priorities. • Details of the arrangements for the launch of the 2025/26 Winter Connections Programme. • Development of the Council’s Equality Outcomes through engagement and consultation activity, and the development of the Fairer Renfrewshire Advancing Equality of Opportunity workstream to support this. • The development of a Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan over the Autumn/Winter 2025 period, detailing the priorities and activities to be undertaken over the next 18-24 month period. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that elected members:
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• Note the content of the report and the work being undertaken to progress the Fairer Renfrewshire programme; • Approve the award of £10,000 to Pachedu to pilot a Renfrewshire wide device recycling project as detailed in section 6; • Note the update provided on the Summer of Fun programme, including the allocation of grant funding as detailed in Appendix 1; • Approve the guidance for the Winter Connections 2025/26 programme within Appendix 2. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Fairer Renfrewshire Programme was developed in order to bring together targeted programmes of work being progressed by the Council and its partners to tackle poverty and inequality in Renfrewshire. As the cost of living crisis has developed, the programme has continued to evolve in response, with activities being progressed across the 4 core themes: • Improving financial security • Advancing equality of opportunity • Building community capacity and resilience • Listening to lived experience 3.2 Regular updates on the programme are provided to the Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee and subsequently to the Leadership Board. 4. Update from the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee 4.1 At its meeting on 3 September 2025, the sub-committee considered: • The most recent programme update including information on recent statistics and research in relation to the cost-of-living crisis, including the dashboard developed locally. • Progress updates in relation to family advice provision, the Summer of Fun programme, Community Development in Gallowhill and the recent work around Fair Food Renfrewshire/Good Food Nation • Presentation updates on the development of the Advancing Equality of Opportunity workstream, and the Alcohol and Drugs Programme. • A paper detailing the self-evaluation of the Fairer Renfrewshire lived experience panel. 4.2 Officers gather information from a variety of sources at both a local and national level to inform discussion at the sub-committee. Key statistics and information discussed at its most recent meeting are provided in table 1 below.
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Table 1 Key National Statistics • The rate of inflation is standing at 3.8% in July and has been above the target rate of 2% set by the UK Government for the Bank of England since October 2024, when it reached 2.3%. • The inflation rate for food has increased to 4.9%, the highest recorded since February 2024 and remains higher than overall inflation. • The Bank of England interest rate was reduced to 4.00% in August 2025. It had decreased from the previous rate of 4.25%. • The Energy Price Cap, originally introduced by Ofgem in January 2019 to set limits on the underlying rates energy suppliers, is currently set at £ 1720 from 1 July, but will increase from 1 October. Gas and electricity prices will rise by 2%, meaning a household using a typical amount of energy will pay £1,755 a year. This is an increase of £35 a year on the current cap and for a typical household, bills will rise by about £2.93 a month Cost of living research (national) The latest insights into the cost of living from the Office of National Statistics for the period 4th to 29th June 2025 found: • Around 3 in 5 adults (59%) reported that their cost of living had increased compared with a month ago. • Around one in four (24%) adults reported that they had found it very or fairly difficult to get by financially in the past month. • Around one in four (24%) adults said they had borrowed more money or used more credit in the last month when compared with a year ago. This has remained stable over the past three years. • Just over one in three (37%) adults reported that they believed they would be unable to save any money in the next 12 months. This has remained stable in the past year. • Around one in three (34%) adults who paid energy bills reported that they found these bills very or somewhat difficult. • Lone parent households were more likely to report taking multiple actions because of cost-of-living increases than households with more than one adult and at least one dependent child including: o Spending less on food shopping and essentials (52%, compared with 39%) o Using less fuel in their home (40%, compared with 28%) o Using credit more than usual (38%, compared with 19%) o Using support from charities including Foodbanks (9%, compared with 2%)
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The JRF Poverty 2025 Report also found households have tried to cut back on a range of costs or tried to increase their incomes in a way to make stretched budgets go further: • 3.3 million low-income families (56%) have reduced their use of appliances to bring down bills • 3.4 million low-income families (59%) have heated their homes less than they needed to, to reduce costs • 2.1 million low-income families (35%) sold their belongings to generate extra income • 1 million low-income families (19%) stopped or reduced pension contributions from their salary to try to meet their costs. Employment and Income According to the ONS, the Claimant Count in July 2025, which is taken from JobcentrePlus administration systems, for those claiming unemployment-related benefits in Renfrewshire is 3360 people – 2030 men and 1330 women aged between 16 and 64. This is a slight reduction from 3,375 last reported. The Renfrewshire unemployment rate of 2.8 % is less than the Scotland rate (3.1%) Over the long term, average weekly earnings for both total and regular pay show a steady increase. Average weekly earnings were estimated at £722 for total earnings and £671 for regular earnings in March 2025. Food costs / insecurity The latest figures show that food and drink inflation jumped to 4.5% in June 25, the highest recorded since February 2024, driven by the rising price of cakes, meat, milk, eggs and cheddar cheese. Renfrewshire Foodbank issued 1,342 vouchers in Quarter 1 of 2025/26, a decrease of 4.1% in comparison with the 1,400 vouchers issued during the same quarter last year. The vouchers covered 1,775 adults and 854 children this year, which was a decrease in the total number receiving assistance compared to the same quarter last year (1,838 adults and 866 children). The number of vouchers this quarter is also slightly less than last quarter when 1,357 vouchers were issued covering 1,792 adults and 917 children. The rising costs of essentials remains the most commonly cited factor in the reason for voucher issue in Renfrewshire, at 541 times. Housing In Renfrewshire, private rental prices have continued to rise to an average of £807 across all property sizes in June 2025, an increase of £5 per month on the last reported figure of £802 in March 2025 and an annual increase of 7.9% from £748 in June 2024.
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5. Fairer Renfrewshire Programme Update 5.1 Since the last update to Leadership Board in June 2025, a range of activities have continued to be progressed by officers and partners. A summary is provided in the sections below. Summer of Fun 5.2 At Leadership Board on 23 April 25, it was agreed that the £100,000 allocated to Summer of Fun in March’s budget be split, with 50% of the funding to be directed to deliver holiday camp provision, and the remaining 50% being allocated to support the delivery of a small grants programme which would allow third and community sector partners to deliver local, targeted provision to low-income families across Renfrewshire. 5.3 The grants funding programme opened at the end of April and was quickly over-subscribed. Applications were reviewed by a partnership panel, including members from Engage Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire HSCP along with Council officers. Delegated authority had been provided to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to consider and award grant funding of up to £3,000 per application in consultation with the Council Leader with the full £50,000 being allocated. 5.4 In total 20 organisations received funding for activities, which included summer clubs for families/children, trips for low-income families who would otherwise be unable to afford them, art and music activities and sports and fitness activities. Details of the awards made under the programme are set out at Appendix 1. 5.5 Summer holiday camps were held across 6 locations in Renfrewshire. These were targeted to parents who are in receipt of school clothing grant, with social work staff also able to refer children. 5.6 There had been issues with non-attendance in past camps, so prior to the camps being advertised, the Community Learning and Development team worked with the Fairer Renfrewshire Panel on messaging to parents to encourage attendance and design around late attendance and rewards for those attending all camps they had booked. 5.7 The Summer of Fun programme will be evaluated and a report brought to a subsequent Board. School Support and Family Advice Service 5.8 Between the 1st of April 2025 and the 30th of June 2025, the School Support Service assisted 52 clients. These clients made a combined 86 individual contacts. The most popular advice area was in relation to benefits, with 65% of clients having benefits related issues. The clients included 26 who were lone parents and 22 disclosed a health condition.
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5.9 The School Support Service, during this period, recorded financial gains for 13 clients totalling £58,329. These client financial gains primarily came from successful applications for Universal Credit, Adult Disability Payment, Child Benefit and the Young Carer’s Grant. 5.10 A review of the School Support Service is planned for the start of the new school year to look at what schools are being booked by families seeking advice and what can be done to boost numbers overall, but especially within schools with lower uptake. 5.11 For quarter 1 of 25/26, Advice Works received 110 referrals for their Family Advice Service and completed 119 cases. Most of these clients have received a benefit check, with some Universal Credit, Adult Disability Payment and Council Tax Reduction applications. The majority of these referrals came from Health Visitor teams, with a number too from Social Work and also through self-referral. 60 of these families were from the child poverty priority groups. 5.12 Client Financial Gain for the year to date for Family Advice is £39,732 however even in cases where a client speaks to an adviser and there is no financial gain made, the client benefits from the reassurance of a benefit check and meeting with Advice Works opens discussion on all financial matters that may be worrying the client, such as debts and budgeting. 5.13 Further promotion of the Family Advice Service is part of the Free School Meal/School Clothing Grant application process, with families who start an application, but find they do not meet the eligibility criteria, encouraged to seek advice. For those who do meet the eligibility criteria and apply, an option is given to request further Advice Works assistance which, when selected, generates an email that includes an appointment referral form and additional signposting information which may be relevant. 5.14 Since June, almost one in four applications (839 emails sent/3392 applications received as of 7 August) has resulted in appointment referrals and signposting emails being sent offering further money and debt advice. 5.15 Officers have also been working with Advice Works and RCAB to develop a pathway to advice for families with children of all ages, with the intention of distributing and promoting this to Education staff and Whole Family Wellbeing teams as well as 3rd sector organisations working with parents and children. Community Development in Gallowhill 5.16 At Leadership Board on 4 December 2024, £50,000 of Fairer Renfrewshire funding was allocated in grant funding to Active Communities to support the continuation of community development activity in Gallowhill following the publication of the earlier Community Needs Assessment which took place in the area. This is intended to provide capacity to support the development and implementation of actions emerging from the community needs assessment and continue to improve and expand community led activity and infrastructure in the area.
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5.17 The Community Development Officer (CDO) for Gallowhill started in post on 22 April 2025. They will work between Gallowhill and Active Communities office in Johnstone, and have 3 priorities: • Join up services and support available locally, informed by the community needs assessment • Increase uptake of services and support for low-income families, focussed on targeting priority families • Providing dedicated community development support to improve and expand community led activity and infrastructure in the area. 5.18 The CDO has been engaging with community members, carrying out a weekly Team Up To Clean Up activity in the area working alongside local people. They also support the weekly community sessions which take place in Gallowhill Community Centre each Friday which provide an opportunity for the community to come together over lunch, and have developed and run the summer family activity each week over the school holidays as part of Summer of Fun. 5.19 The CDO has also met with others who are working in the area, such as Circle Recovery Café and OneRen who run family activities in the Centre and other Council services and is looking at how they can work together for maximum effect. 5.20 Wider work will also be undertaken to develop a place-based approach based on the learning from the CNA, with a group comprising Council and HSCP officers and Active Communities steering this work. The first meeting of this group took place in July. Fair Food Renfrewshire/Good Food Nation 5.21 The Fair Food Renfrewshire Steering Group, which met initially in September 2023, has continued to meet on a quarterly basis. The next Fair Food Renfrewshire steering group meeting will take place on 10 September, where a new plan will be presented for approval, as well as an update provided on the Food Support Forum and the Good Food Nation work. 5.22 The second work plan will cover the work in 2025 onwards including exploring opportunities to apply for external funding and collaborating with Council services to include food growing and reducing food waste within the next phase of the plan for Net Zero. 5.23 The previously mentioned Food Support Forum brings together those organisations within Renfrewshire who provide community and emergency food. The most recent meeting of the group took place on 1 May. The meeting was attended by several organisations who run pantries and food larders as well as by Renfrewshire Foodbank. Previous meetings had identified gaps and issues with regards to community and emergency food support, with the latest meeting focusing on discussing possible solutions. Topics discussed included how the group can work together to enhance food distribution, increase funding options and increase food growing within the community.
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5.24 The proposed National Good Food Nation Plan was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 27 June 2025. It sets out over-arching Outcomes; the range of targets and indicators used to gauge progress towards achieving them; and details of food-related policies and initiatives from across the Scottish Government. The Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee and Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee plan to undertake scrutiny of the proposed Plan in September 2025. The expectation is that subject to any further amendments, the Plan will be approved and finalised by the end of 2025. 5.25 Discussions are continuing around the commencement date for when the statutory duty begins which will require ‘relevant authorities’, that is local authorities and health boards, to publish their own Local Good Food Nation Plans. Relevant authorities are required by the Act to have regard to the national Plan when doing so and the same reporting and revision requirements that apply to the national Plan will also apply to relevant authority Good Food Nation Plans. 5.26 Relevant authorities will be required to hold consultations on their Plans prior to publication and whilst the national Plan can and must serve as a guide for relevant authorities, it is for the authorities themselves to determine the Outcomes, measures and policies that are best suited to achieving a Good Food Nation in their particular areas. Details of funding for local authorities and health boards to develop their plans is not expected until February 2026. We will continue to keep elected members updated as work on the Good Food Nation Plans progresses. Lived Experience Panel 5.27 Elected Members have been given a number of updates relating to work of the Fairer Renfrewshire Panel. Since the last Leadership Board meeting, the Panel has met with Transport to input into the Local Transport Strategy, with a further meeting arranged for late August. They also met with Community Learning and Development to discuss ways to boost attendance at summer holiday camps. 5.28 Invest in Renfrewshire also engaged the Panel to help design one of their programmes for parents. The idea for the programme had come from an early discussion between Invest and the Panel, and the Panel were happy to have their ideas and feedback recognised, including around the naming of the programme, grant levels and general design. 5.29 Looking forward, the Panel have met over the summer to make plans and also develop a code of conduct as well as recruit new members, as some members had moved on due to ill-health and clashes with employment. At the first post-summer session, the Panel will feed back to Officers around priorities and timescales. A further session organised by Invest for Employability Month, and including partners such as DWP and Skills Development Scotland will take place in September. 5.30 The Panel have also carried out a self-evaluation, looking at their impact over the last 2 years and plans and priorities going forward. This was presented to the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee on 3 September.
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5.31 The report recognises that the experience of the Panel has been a positive one, and that the Panel has contributed to Council plans and processes, and wider, for example, working with Renfrewshire HSCP on their most recent Health Survey. From a Council point of view varied Council services have welcomed the opportunity to engage with a Panel of Renfrewshire residents with a focus on ensuring the voice of lived experience is included in developments of and changes to services. 5.32 The report identifies priorities and areas of focus for the coming year, and Officers will continue to work with the Panel on these in the coming year. 6. Current Priorities Device Recycling Pilot 6.1 In June 2021, Leadership Board agreed to allocate £10,000 of funding to develop a device recycling project as part of the Council’s wider digital inclusion work. After working almost to initiation point of a pilot with a charity from North Ayrshire, the organisation involved pulled out, and work restarted on identifying a local charity which was interested in running the pilot. This paper now seeks approval to allocate the £10,000 to local 3rd sector organisation, Pachedu. 6.2 Through the RenCAN Network, Pachedu came forward and have been working with a sub- group of the Citizens Voice network to get to a point where a pilot can commence. The sub- group contains the Digital Strategy Delivery Manager and members from Fairer Renfrewshire, OneRen libraries, EH&I recycling teams and Net Zero. 6.3 In simplest terms the initial project has the following steps: • Step 1: donated digital devices can be dropped off at Renfrewshire Libraries • Step 2: Pachedu will collect and securely store donated digital devices • Step 3: Pachedu will refurbish the donated devices, wiping using relevant software etc • Step 4: Pachedu will redistribute the refurbished devices to those who need them via partner referral and using eligibility criteria (eg. low-income, lacking a device) 6.4 Funding will support staff and licence costs and well as secure storage for devices. 6.5 The implementation of the Pilot will be phased and a plan has been developed with identified deliverables as well as monitoring and evaluation processes. Dependent on the success of the Pilot, it is envisaged that the programme will be scaled up at the 10 – 12 month stage, with long term funding applications made to support the project from that point. Pachedu have a sustainability plan to support the longevity of the project post Pilot stage. 6.6 The new service will be Renfrewshire wide and promoted across Libraries and the 3rd sector using the Engage network as well as the DigiRen network more specifically. It will
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also be promoted through Council Comms and will be a useful addition to the small electrical device recycling which currently takes place within libraries. Winter Connections 6.7 Recognising the success of the Winter Connections programme since 2022/23, £75,000 of Fairer Renfrewshire funding was allocated as part of the Council’s budget to support the delivery of a Winter Connections programme for 25/26. Winter Connections provides a network of local places and spaces where people can connect to others in their community over the winter. 6.8 Originally established as a response to the cost of living crisis, the Winter Connections programme is now in its fourth year and has proven to be much valued within communities over the winter months. An evaluation of the 2024/25 programme was carried out and reported to Leadership Board in June 2025. 6.9 It was also agreed by Leadership Board in June 2025 that authority be delegated to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to approve award funding in consultation with the Council Leader and in line with the guidance, to enable timely awards. All awards will be reported back to Leadership Board. 6.10 Guidance has been drafted as detailed at Appendix 2, and if approved by Leadership Board, it is intended that the funding will go live for applications from September, with awards being made from October 2025. Advancing equality of opportunity workstream 6.11 Officers have been working with partners to develop meaningful programmes of work to reduce inequalities in Renfrewshire. Accurate equality and intersectional data and evidence allows decisions, policy, and practice to be responsive to equality groups’ needs and experiences. However, it is recognised that further work is required to develop a deeper understanding of inequalities locally, in order to support the implementation of informed, meaningful and impactful work. 6.12 In March 2025, Council agreed a number of draft Equality Outcomes, which require to be set as part of the Council’s Public Sector Equality Duty. It was also agreed that these outcomes would be subject to consultation throughout 2025, in order to inform the action plan to support the delivery of the outcomes. It was also agreed that progress on the delivery of the outcomes would be reported to Leadership Board as part of the Council’s commitment to a Fairer Renfrewshire. 6.13 This consultation will be undertaken between September - November, including both open consultation and face to face targeted sessions with existing equalities groups. Analysis of consultation results will be used to identify local knowledge gaps, allowing further, better targeted actions around the Outcomes.
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6.14 Renfrewshire has a number of agreed Equality Outcomes: • Outcome 1: New Scots feel welcomed, supported, and have equal opportunities to thrive in our communities. • Outcome 2: Disabled and older people experience improved access to public buildings, services, and transport, ensuring greater independence and participation in community life. • Outcome 3: Improved economic prospects for women, ethnic minority people and disabled people • Outcome 4: All residents can access information and services in an inclusive and accessible manner. • Outcome 5: Our workforce better reflects the diversity of our community, in terms of ethnicity and disability. • Outcome 6: People with lived experience of inequality and exclusion will be more involved in informing and co-designing policy and practice that affects them 6.15 In addition to the consultation, work is underway to develop a dedicated voice and influence programme as part of Fairer Renfrewshire which will work with equalities-led groups and organisations locally to amplify seldom heard voices within equalities communities, and to inform the Council’s delivery of its equality outcomes and wider policy and practice. The initial principles of this were presented at the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee earlier this month, and a developed proposal will be presented at the next Leadership Board. Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan 6.16 It is proposed that a wider Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan is developed which provides a more formal overview of the breadth of the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, as well as priorities and activities to be undertaken over the next 18-24 month period. 6.17 A short period of targeted engagement will be carried out with key stakeholders throughout Autumn 2025, including a development session with the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub- Committee and continued engagement with the Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel. It is anticipated that a draft Action Plan will be produced for consideration by Leadership Board in December 2025. Further Priorities 6.18 Additional priorities for the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme for September – December 2025 are as follows: • Commencement of work on the re-commissioning of external advice contract • Make £50 Winter Clothing Payment to families in receipt of School Clothing Grant • Agreement of a plan for the Fair Food Renfrewshire partnership to develop next steps
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__________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – is paper provides an update on the allocation of funding through the Summer of Fun programme, previously agreed by Leadership Board. The paper also asks for approval to allocate £10,000 from the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, as originally agreed as part of the funding to tackle digital exclusion in June 2021. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – This report provides a summary of current partnership activities being progressed through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, with a key focus on tackling the inequalities that exist in Renfrewshire. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality and Human Rights – The report provides an overview of the position around household income and expenditure, and is for noting. As such there are no impacts arising from the recommendation of this paper. It is however important to note that impacts on households explored within this paper are likely to be disproportionately felt by equality groups. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position – none 13. Climate Risk – none 14. Children’s Right - the articles within UNCRC underpin the work that is being progressed in Renfrewshire through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, particularly in relation to rights in relation to aspects such as life, survival and development, food, clothing and a safe home and supporting the best interests of the child and their families. Child poverty and family wellbeing are key local partnership priorities ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships
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Appendix 1 – Summer of Fun Approved Grant Applications Organisation Area Purpose Funding approved Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Paisley Funding to support food only for Summer Smiles which offered young people a range of activities they can self-select to engage in, including construction, crafts, messy play. In the mornings they had a wellbeing session with a qualified practitioner delivering holistic therapy, for example, sound baths, tapping therapy and positivity. Rainbow Buddies had originally applied for £3,000 but were awarded £1,914.30 for this project through Paisley North West & Central Local Partnership. £600 Paisley St George’s Paisley St George’s Summer Club running from both Causeyside Street Paisley and the Outreach Centre at Nethercraigs Drive, Glenburn for primary school aged children. The programme of activities encourages children to be active and creative, as well as enjoy new experiences, learn new skills and make new friends. Older young people were provided with volunteering and mentoring opportunities. £2,400 Renfrewshire Women’s Aid Paisley Safer Journeys ran from 30 June to 18 August and delivered a programme of summer activities for mothers and children who are experiencing domestic abuse. There were therapeutic play sessions, for example movie days, cake decorating, and other activities led by survivors of domestic abuse, designed to promote emotional well-being, reduce isolation, and support recovery from trauma. £2,640 Brick Lane Music Academy CIC Paisley Musical Summer of Fun at Brick Lane where the funding covered 20 free places on the 4-week programme. Activities included Arts & Crafts, Games, Musical Activities including singing and playing instruments and fun in the new community sensory garden. £2,940 Erskine Arts Erskine Summer Of Fun @ Erskine Arts delivered creative workshops and healthy snacks with lunch provided. They also supported care experienced children and ASN young people whom many struggle to take part in organised creative activities. They target those who have geographical barriers to engagement due to affordability and cannot travel out-with our local area to attend recreational activities. £2,700
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Just Dive In Paisley Just Splash & Calm, Inclusive Summer Swim Club with family splash sessions, sensory floats for children with additional support needs (ASN), story time swims for under-5s, mermaid and snorkelling tasters for older children and quiet swims with soft lighting and music for those with sensory sensitivities. £3,000 KLAS Care Linwood Summer Playtime ran for 6 weeks alongside KLAS Care’s own playschemes and was targeted at child poverty priority groups. Activities included trips, gardening and creating new hobbies and interests, sports activities with sports coaches. £3,000 Twist and Hit Cheerleaders Paisley Cheerleading, Tumbling and Multi-Sports - Summer Time! A range of cheerleading activities delivered to pre-schoolers, children and teenagers during the day and in the evening. They also provide classes for children with a disability. £3,000 STAR Project Paisley STAR Summer Programme provided a series of free day trips to families over the summer holidays, plus lunch and snacks as part of the STAR wider summer programme. The free trip spaces were offered to families experiencing poverty who would ordinarily struggle to access day trips. £1,581 Ralston Out of School Care Paisley Ralston Family Outings ran alongside the school’s summer playscheme. They took families on several outings across the summer to give children a chance to have new experiences. Children siblings, parents and grandparents were all invited to come along. Funding also paid for additional staffing support to single parent families and children with additional needs. £668 CREATE Paisley Paisley and Johnstone Go CREATE: summer holiday programme 2025 was a series of free creative, physical and educational summer activities for children, young people and families across Renfrewshire, specifically in Paisley and Johnstone. The programme was aimed at teenagers, family and community groups, working in partnership with Renfrewshire Council’s Resettlement team, Pachedu, Finding Your Feet and Methodist Central Hall. £2,918 Stronger Communities Glenburn Paisley Summer Programme ran 5 days per week for 6 weeks from Glenburn Resource Centre providing drop-in activity and food designed to provide a safe, inclusive, and engaging space for children and young people during the summer holidays. The sessions offered a range of creative, physical, and social activities—such as arts and crafts, games, sports, and music—aimed at encouraging physical wellbeing, creativity, and social interaction. £3,000 The Art Department Paisley Summer Art Camp 2025 provided 3 weeks of free creative workshops in the visual arts for young people. The 2-hour classes were led by experienced professionals and offer painting (oils, acrylics, watercolour, pastels) drawing with inks, pens pencils, charcoal and other media, ceramic pottery, sewing and £3,000
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textiles, printmaking, collage, and other mixed media. On good weather days they set up an outdoor art class in Dunn Square and encouraged young artists to paint the townscape looking at architecture, nature, people and place with fresh eyes. Thorn Athletic Community Trust Johnstone Summer Fun Football Camps provided three weeks of free fun football camps for 60-80 children aged 5-12. Qualified and disclosed coaches provided co- ordinated and stimulating football-related activities to allow the participants to improve their physical, mental and social wellbeing. The camps ran from Monday to Friday 10am to 2pm and will include a healthy snack and lunch. £3,000 Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Johnstone Johnstone Castle Learning Centre provided additional sessions over the summer from 30 June to 15 August. These included in house activities including basic cooking, arts and crafts, pool, games, IT and gaming as well as trips to enable the young people to meet with their peers in a different environment during the summer months. There were separate sessions for primary and secondary age children 3 evenings per week. £3,000 Home Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Paisley Summer Connections was designed to help to maintain connection and routine over the summer for HSRI’s regular groups. It offered weekly Park Days, providing organised outdoor activities in local parks, along with a wet-weather contingency plan. These sessions were facilitated by Group Workers and supported by Group Volunteers. Each Park Day included outdoor crafts, play- based activities, and healthy snacks for both children and adults. A trip was also offered as part of the programme. £2,549 Active Communities Gallowhill, Paisley Gallowhill Summer Family Activity Fun Fridays and Fayre! offered a summer of activity for families centred around connection and fun at the Gallowhill Community Centre. Activities were led by qualified workers and will include arts and crafts, music and singing, cooking classes, local walks of interest, exercise and silent disco and outdoor activities. The activities culminated in a “Blackpool style fayre” at the close of the summer (last Friday of the holidays) with a hook a duck, coconut shy, traditional games (outdoor and indoor), popcorn and crafting stalls. £2,777.75 St Mirren FC Charitable Trust Paisley Fit and Fed provided access to positive activities and healthy food for children and young people in Paisley. Each day participants would have access to 5 hours of high-quality sports coaching as well as the opportunity to try out a range of other positive activities which will help to improve physical and mental health and well-being, confidence and communication skills. A healthy and nutritious breakfast was provided as well as a main meal, snacks and drinks. Fun games £3,000
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and sporting activity was delivered by community trust coaches with extra input from professional players from St Mirren FC. Moorpark Community Association Cherrie Children’s Daycare Renfrew Cherrie Centre Summer Fun provided free childcare for 27 families and delivered arts and crafts activities within the Cherrie Centre and provided healthy snacks and drinks to top up the packed lunch that parents provided. Their programme from 1st July to 1st August 2025 5 days per week from 8.30am to 5.30pm allowing parents to work. £3,000 OneRen Toy Library/Snacks for library activities Renfrewshire wide Funding has been provided to increase the number of smaller toys held in the Toy Library which can be transported on the Skoobmobile. This will allow toys to be taken out across Renfrewshire for families to play with as part of the summer programme and beyond. It also helps promote the Toy Library to families. Funding was also approved to provide snacks and drinks for children during library activities over the summer. £1,226.25 Total funding £50,000
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Appendix 2 WINTER CONNECTIONS PROGRAMME FUND Winter Connections is a network of local places and spaces where people can connect to others in their community this winter. We know that people are facing a difficult winter ahead, and Winter Connections will co-ordinate and promote a programme of events and activities across Renfrewshire that everyone can access. Winter Connections are always free, open to all, in every neighbourhood and can guarantee a warm welcome. We want to work with local groups and organisations who can host Winter Connections in their community. The Winter Connections Fund can provide small grants of up to £2,000 to organisations to help with the additional costs of making venues, activities and sessions open as part of the Winter Connections Programme. Who can apply? The fund is open to voluntary and community organisations that are constituted and have a bank account. The Fund is not open to applications to support individuals. What we will fund The Fund can cover a range of project costs, such as equipment, food, energy costs, costs to rent a space for the activity, cleaning, and staffing costs to cover increased activity. Examples of projects that can be funded include: • A new cooking project where ingredients are provided • Projects that bring people from different backgrounds together through a shared activity, such as different cultures or age groups • Tablet or device classes for older people • Projects providing social connection and supporting recovery for people affected by drugs and alcohol • Projects supporting people living with mental illness • Projects supporting people with a head injury • Lunch clubs with an activity • Crafting or ‘making’ activities • Classes with a focus on physical activity A guide to Winter Connections funding and how to apply
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• Classes which provide and show how to install simple energy efficiency measures We welcome applications from community venues as well as groups who run activities. We can help to connect venues with groups who can offer activities and vice-versa, if this would be helpful. Grant funding must be spent by the end of March 2026. What your application should cover Applications should describe the activity the organisation wants to host, how it meets the needs of the local community and how it meets the Winter Connections principles to make sure the programme is inclusive, safe, and stigma-free. Projects and activities should be: • Open, free and easy to access (although this can mean open to all within a particular age or targeted group) • Inclusive, welcoming, respectful, and safe • Able or willing to provide connections to other services and supports • Able to offer warm drinks/snacks/food along with activities, where possible We want Winter Connections activities to be available in every neighbourhood in Renfrewshire, as well as available at different times and for residents of all ages. This may affect the funding decisions that we make. While we recognise that many organisations will be closed over the Christmas period, we would welcome applications that will deliver activities during the festive period. What cannot be funded? Winter Connections will not fund: • One-off activities, like an open or fun day • Activities that are not free • Events to raise funds for other charities • Costs for activities that have already taken place • Projects where no activities are available/will take place How to apply Applications will be open from X September 2025 using an online application process. If you need a paper copy or any support to make an application, please get in touch. Awards will be made from the beginning of October, and the fund will remain open until the available funding has been used. We don’t know what the demand for this fund will be, so advise that you apply as early as possible. The online application form can be found here …https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/e92537d447ae431eabe62a33db0d5cad We will be in touch for a copy of your constitution, a recent bank statement and a copy of your accounts (or income/expenditure statement) if we don’t have a recent copy of these already on file. Please have these ready so applications can be processed promptly. How much funding is available from the Winter Connections Fund?
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Grants of up to a maximum of £2,000 are available, however as funding is limited, please do not apply for more than you will need for your project. If you are co-ordinating a number of events in partnership with a range of local groups (for example as a bigger community venue), we can use some discretion to make larger awards. Please get in touch to discuss this. How we will make decisions Applications will be reviewed by a panel of staff from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership and Engage Renfrewshire before a decision is made. We will assess and award applications on a ‘rolling’ basis until the funding has been spent. We will get in touch with you to let you know if your application has been successful as soon as possible, and we may also get in touch for further information about your project before making a decision. Conditions of grant If you are successful in your application, you must accept and comply with Renfrewshire Council’s standard grant terms and conditions. You will be asked to report back on the impact the project has had once the funds are spent. Projects which receive funding from Renfrewshire Council will be promoted as part of the Renfrewshire Winter Connections programme. You will also be asked to make clear your project is part of the programme when promoting your project. In addition to complying with the Council’s grant terms and conditions, organisations should consider the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First Guidance. The current guidance stipulates that from 01/07/2023 all organisation receiving Public Sector Grants should be paying staff at least the Real Living Wage and providing effective channels for employee voice. Contact us If you would like to discuss the priorities, application process or alternative funding opportunities please contact Andrena Faulkner at andrena.faulkner@renfrewshire.gov.uk.