Fairer Renfrewshire Update
Renfrewshire Council · 20 September 2023
Back to Leadership Board — 20 September 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Some pages contain no extractable text. They may be blank, graphics or scanned pages. OCR has not been applied.
Page 1
___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 20 September 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ 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 key headline issues relating to the cost-of-living crisis locally, as reported to the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee on 6 September 2023. 1.3 Specific updates are provided in relation to: • The launch of enhanced schools advice and family advice models • The summer holiday activity and food programme • The launch of the next phase of the Winter Connections Programme • Applications received in relation to the relaunched Community Food Fund in August 2023 and development of the Fair Food Partnership • The Alcohol and Drugs Change programme element of Fairer Renfrewshire. 1.4 Officers continue to work with partners to progress the Fairer Renfrewshire programme. Priority actions over the next quarter include: • Progressing a ‘deep dive’ data exercise around child poverty as a Community Planning Partnership, focussing on the six priority family groups. • Developing the Fair Food Renfrewshire partnership, using the Sustainable Food Places toolkit and hosting a meeting of the recently established steering group. • Continuing the evaluation of projects within Tackling Poverty Programme and exploring future options with services around required priorities going forward. • Launch of this year’s Winter Connections programme.
Page 2
• Development of the poverty and participation test of change, working alongside the newly established lived experience panel to develop recommendations and the shape of future work. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that elected members: • Note the content of the report and the work being undertaken to progress the Fairer Renfrewshire programme; • Approve the award of £25,000 of funding from the Community Food Fund in line with the officer panel recommendations and information detailed in Appendix 1 • Note the update provided on the summer holiday activity and food programme, and to homologate the allocation of additional grant funding as detailed in Appendix 2; and • Approve the guidance for the Winter Connections 2023/24 programme and associated implementation arrangements as detailed in section 7 and Appendix 3. • Agree the allocation of £164,745 from the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme budget to extend the delivery of projects within the Programme, as detailed in Section 8. • Agree £10,000 of funding from the Recovery Change Fund budget to be redirected to supplement the Winter Connections Programme, as detailed in Section 8. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 As elected members will be aware through previous updates to the Leadership Board, the Council is in the process of developing and delivering the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme. This brings together all previous programmes that have been developed to tackle the inequalities that exist across Renfrewshire’s communities, including those relating to poverty, alcohol and drugs and COVID recovery, with an immediate focus on the local response to the deepening cost-of-living crisis. 3.2 The Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee continues to meet to provide oversight of all related activities being undertaken, with the latest meeting being held on 6 September 2023. A Fairer Renfrewshire Officer Group has also been established which currently meets monthly and is chaired by the Head of Policy and Partnerships. 3.3 At its meeting on 6 September 2023, the sub-committee considered: • The most recent programme update including information on recent statistics and research in relation to the cost of living crisis. • Updates in relation to launch of new dedicated schools advice provision which is being piloted in Renfrewshire, the Community Food Fund and Fair Food Renfrewshire Partnership and the Fairer Renfrewshire lived experience panel. • Initial information on the summer holiday activity and food programme.
Page 3
3.4 In terms of key statistics highlighted at the meeting of the sub-committee it is worth noting: • The rate of inflation is falling, but remains high at 6.8% (July 23), from 7.9% in June 23. • The inflation rate for food has reduced, however remains high at 14.9% for the year to July 23, down from 17.3% in the year to June 23. • To help slow price rises, on 3 August 2023 the Bank of England increased interest rates to 5.25%, the highest in 15 years and the 14th rise in a row. This has adversely affected mortgage holders and private renters as well as businesses. • The Bank of England estimates that around half of mortgages held by owners who live in their properties (4 million) will be exposed to higher rates in 2023 (this includes those on variable rate mortgages as well as those whose fixed rates expire) • Ofgem announced on 25 August 2023 that the Energy Price Cap, originally introduced by Ofgem in January 2019 to set limits on the underlying rates energy suppliers, will be reduced to £1923 from 1 October 2023. This announcement brings down the typical dual fuel bill to less than £2,000 for the first time since April 2022, however in the winter of 2021, households typically paid £1,277 a year so prices are still much higher. 4. Programme Updates 4.1 Since the last update to Leadership Board in June 2023, a range of activities have continued to be progressed by officers and partners. A summary is provided in the sections below. Advice services 4.2 Further to previous updates, the new Schools Advice Service, called the ‘School Support Service’ is now in place across all Renfrewshire secondary schools. This service, provided by Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau (RCAB), embeds advice workers across all secondary schools in Renfrewshire including Additional Support Needs settings. Referrals can be received by pupils over 16, the parent/carer of any pupils, school staff on behalf of families or schools staff themselves. 4.3 To promote the service, leaflets were provided to all our ‘Summer of Fun’ locations, including all libraries. RCAB have also produced social media posts and the service is detailed on their website. The Council’s Ren10 service has been updated to show information about the School Support Service too. Further Council promotion of the service will commence now the new academic year has begun. 4.4 The first appointments were booked prior to schools returning from their summer break, and the initial rota for bookings will be monitored closely to ensure best use of resource, and changes made if necessary. 4.5 Complementary to this, work is underway to launch the family advice service within Advice Works. As a starting point for this work, as part of the process for applying for Free School meals or School Clothing Grants, applicants were given some information about the Advice Works service and asked three questions: • Would you like an advice worker to check you are getting all the benefits that you are entitled to? • Do you find it difficult to pay your debts?
Page 4
• Do you think you would find some advice on money management helpful? Where an applicant ticked ‘yes’ to any of these questions, an advice worker would get in touch. 4.6 As a result of this exercise, 1,099 clients have been referred to Advice Works by mid- August, of which 435 have had no previous contact with Advice Works and are brand new to the service. Advice Works are progressing the referrals and have contacted 393 of these, with 140 now engaged with the service. 4.7 The family advice service will work alongside early years and primary school settings, complementary to the advice service for secondary schools, and will focus on families of younger children to maximise household income through income advice, but also seeks to increase take-up of wider supports provided by the Council for families, for example, free school meals, school clothing grants or employability supports for parents. A key initial focus for the team will be Free School Meal uptake, as well as reaching out to support families with School Meal Debt. Fair Food Renfrewshire 4.8 Following on from the Fair Food Renfrewshire meeting held in May 2023, a Vision and Charter were developed for the initiative and an initial draft of these documents circulated to attendees and those who had shown an interest in being part of Fair Food Renfrewshire for comment. A draft Terms of Reference was discussed and agreed by the Steering Group at its first meeting on 1st September 2023. 4.9 The Steering Group, chaired by Renfrewshire’s Food Champion, Laura McIntyre (Head of Policy and Partnerships) is made up of members from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire HSCP, Engage Renfrewshire, NHSGGC and Renfrewshire Foodbank, as well as local business Barnhill Farm, with engagement ongoing to obtain further input from food businesses. 4.10 Nourish Scotland continues to support this work in Renfrewshire, which is based on the Sustainable Food Places Toolkit. Lived Experience Panel 4.11 The Fairer Renfrewshire panel, continues to meet with officers across Council services to ensure the voice of those with lived experience of poverty informs Council’s policy and practice. 4.12 Over the summer period, drafting of a Working Agreement, setting down how the Panel, the Council, and STAR Project which supports the Panel should work together, commenced and is in the final stages of agreement. A work plan is also being developed to ensure priority topics for the Panel and for the Council are discussed. 4.13 The Panel also met with officers from Housing to discuss issues such as allocations and repairs, housing being one of the Panel’s initial priorities. A further meeting also took place with officers from the Council’s employability service, Invest in Renfrewshire at the request of Invest, who want to understand better how they can reach and support those who are not
Page 5
working or in low paid jobs, especially within their priority groups which include parents, those with disabilities and health conditions and young people. 5. Community Food Fund 5.1 The Community Food Fund aims to support organisations based in Renfrewshire that are developing or running projects to provide food to our local community. As agreed at Leadership Board on 14 June 2023, additional funding of £10,000 from Fairer Renfrewshire funding was allocated to top up the remaining £15,000 available within the Community Food Fund. It was subsequently agreed that the Fund would reopen following the summer recess. 5.2 Grant guidance was updated during the summer period and applications opened in August, with funding of £4,000 available per application. The fund closed on 28 August 2023, and all applications received were considered by an officer panel comprising of representatives from the Council. Engage and the HSCP. 5.3 The panel has recommended that 11 applications are approved, totalling £25,000. Subject to the approval of the Leadership Board, officers will make arrangements to award the grant funding as soon as possible to all successful applicants. Full details of the applications received and resultant recommendations are attached at Appendix 1. 6. Summer holiday activity and food programme 6.1 Further to updates to the Leadership Board in March and June 2023, work was undertaken to deliver a summer holiday programme in Renfrewshire. Core funding of £100,000 was initially allocated to support this programme through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, with a focus on providing support over the holiday period to low income families. £20,000 of funding was also allocated from the Future Paisley programme to enhance cultural experiences over the summer period for low income households. The Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel played a key role in directing how this funding could be utilised. 6.2 At Leadership Board in March 2023, delegated authority was granted to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to develop and implement the summer programme in consultation with the Council Leader. Further to this, at the Leadership Board on 14 June 2023 it was agreed that £25,000 of the £100,000 funding available, would be allocated to support a small grants fund pilot to operate for Summer 2023. Members of the board also agreed that delegated authority should be provided to the to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to award grants in line with application guidance, in order to ensure that this funding could be distributed as quickly as possible to enable summer activity provision. 6.3 Further to this, in late June 2023, officers were formally advised that £4m of funding would be made available by the Scottish Government to enhance summer holiday and food provision nationally. Renfrewshire was allocated £120,655 for this purpose.
Page 6
6.4 In order to maximise the available funding within the time period available, officers worked with partners to significantly extend planned provision across Renfrewshire. As part of this process and following engagement with the Council Leader/Depute Leader, the funding which was allocated to support the small grants fund pilot was specifically topped up from £25,000 to £55,000 to enable expansion of the programme at pace. Members of the Board are asked to note and homologate that decision. 6.5 An evaluation of the summer programme is currently being undertaken, in order to ensure any learning for potential future programmes is captured and understood. Initial data in terms of attendance has been exceptionally positive across many of the different aspects of the programme. • The Community Learning and Development (CLAD) team worked with other partner agencies including Street Stuff with a range of fun and interactive activities with arts & crafts, clay making and painting, drumming, multi-sport and fun games in Ferguslie, Foxbar, Gallowhill, Renfrew, Linwood and Johnstone. The children benefited from a fun day on the last week of the camps with a party including face painting and fun games. There were almost 4,500 recorded attendances with children and young people having a great time and benefiting from a healthy meal. • Street Stuff continued to deliver their core programme of activities in the evenings Monday - Saturday for young people aged 8 – 16 throughout the summer holidays which also included the provision of healthy food funded from Fairer Renfrewshire. Activities included multi-sports and the games buses with ps4 games, Dj decks and having the ability to mix with friends and listen to music and play fun and interactive games. • Sessions were delivered to young people from Mary Russell school 1 day per week during July by the Youth Services Team, with activities delivered such Print Screen Painting, General Arts and Crafts and Sports Activities • The Adult and Family Learning team delivered a weekly programme of fun, games and lunch in Moorpark Leaning Centre, Southend Action Centre, West Johnstone Shared Campus and the Tannahill Centre throughout July. 47 families were involved in the activities with 49 adults and 93 children participating. • Funding was allocated to One Ren to extend their existing summer provision across the library service. The additional funding was able to support the provision of giant games, Lego and marble run sessions in libraries, storytelling sessions, mini-zoo’s and the provision of drinks and snacks for selected activities 6.6 As highlighted in section 6.4, in £55,000 was allocated to the Summer of Fun small grants fund for community organisations to deliver activities over the summer holidays which could reach communities that might be underserved by mainstream activities, particularly low- income families. 6.7 Grants of up to £5,000 were available to cover costs such as venues, activity costs, sessional staff or volunteer expenses, food, or items to reduce costs for families such as transport. Applications were considered for single events or programmes of activities, designed for whole families or for children and young people of a range of ages.
Page 7
6.8 All projects had to agree to the following principles : • Activities must be free, with no hidden or additional costs • Healthy snacks should be provided, or lunch if full day activities • Activities should be inclusive, welcoming, respectful and safe • Compliant with requirements around safeguarding, child protection and food hygiene as appropriate • Able or willing to provide connections to other services and supports 6.9 Smaller awards of up to £500 were also available for organisations with existing activities over the summer to provide healthy snacks or food, however no organisation applied for this. 6.10 Overall 17 projects were funded through Summer of Fun, to a total of £53841.60. The fund was very oversubscribed, and it was not possible to approve all applications received. A wide range of activities for children and young people of all ages have been provided through the funding, all of which provided food/drinks. These included: • Toddler play sessions • Costs of trips to allow families to make memories together • STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) sessions • Summer Playschemes for low-income, working parents offering free childcare • Free outdoor activities in local parks • Drama • Sports activities 6.11 In addition Future Paisley funded 3 projects which were arts based. Outspoken Arts, RIG Arts and Brick Lane were funded to provide activities, whilst a range of providers were also commissioned using this funding to enhance the activities available through the summer holiday camps, ensuring that as many children as possible were able to enjoy and benefit from cultural experiences and activities. 6.12 Information on the applications reviewed through the Summer of Fun grants programme, including all relevant recommendations, is provided within Appendix 2 to this report. 6.13 A full evaluation of the summer programme will be submitted to the Communities and Housing Board in October 2023. Elected members are also asked to note that an October holiday programme will be delivered utilising previously allocated Tackling Poverty funding. 7 Winter Connections 7.1 Recognising the success of the Winter Connections programme for 2022/23, at Leadership Board of 14 June, £75,000 of Fairer Renfrewshire funding was allocated to support the delivery of a Winter Connections programme for 23/24. It was further agreed that authority be delegated to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to award grants in line with the guidance which would be developed for the Winter Connections programme. Elected members are asked to note the proposal outlined in Section 8, that £10,000 of previous allocated funding through the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme be reallocated to top up Winter Connections funding, ensuring that the Winter Connections programme also supports work to challenge stigma and support recovery in Renfrewshire.
Page 8
7.2 Taking account of the evaluation of last year’s programme, it is intended to commence the process earlier this year to allow organisations more time to plan and set up their activities. Guidance has been drafted as detailed at Appendix 3, and if approved by Leadership Board, it is intended that the funding will go live for applications from 22 September, with awards being made from October 2023. 7.3 A panel consisting of officers from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire HSCP and Engage Renfrewshire will scrutinise applications and make recommendations to the Head of Policy and Partnerships on funding awards. As with last year’s programme, the panel will be looking to support activities across all parts of Renfrewshire. 7.4 Where possible, organisations involved should offer warm drinks, snacks or food along with activities and supporting the Winter Connections programme. 8. Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme 8.1 Regular updates on the implementation of the programme have been provided to Leadership Board, since its establishment in response to the Alcohol and Drugs Commission report and recommendations. 8.2 A change programme is currently being delivered through the £2m funding allocated by Council in 2020, with £1.66m currently allocated. Work has been ongoing to review spend across existing projects, and to progress evaluation of all initiatives over the next 6 month period. The Programme Board have identified the requirement to support short term funding extensions across three areas of the programme, in order to allow them to better understand the longer-term impact of their interventions, develop funding exit strategies and continue to support the ongoing governance arrangements for the programme. These are highlighted in the table below and it is recommended that a further £164,745 of funding is allocated as follows: Project Original Allocation Budget Remaining Proposed additional Funding Current Position FIRST Crisis – Alcohol and Drugs £160,000 £23,847 £26,643 The project is due to cease in October 2023. The additional funding will allow the project to continue with in-hours and out of hours service for individuals experiencing a crisis in their mental health in relation to their drug and alcohol use until 18 April 2024. This will also provide additional time for the service to further embed their learning with the existing RAMH staff. MyLA - My Life Ahead £200,000 £0 £100,000 The project is due to cease October 2023. It is proposed that by extending this housing-led holistic wraparound support service by a further year it will allow a more accurate assessment of the impact it is having on the individuals it supports in sustaining settled housing. Programme Governance / Lead Officer £100,000 £0 £38,102 It is proposed to extend the project initially until 31 March 2024. This will ensure that the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme continue to be fully supported and that all funded projects and initiatives are delivered.
Page 9
Project Original Allocation Budget Remaining Proposed additional Funding Current Position TOTAL £460,000 £23,847 £164,745 Recovery Change Fund 8.3 As agreed by the Leadership Board in April 2023, a review of the Recovery Change Fund (£150,000 allocated December 2020) was undertaken over the summer by the Alcohol and Drugs Programme Board. The review included looking at the delivery of the Fund; the local and national funding landscape related to alcohol and drugs and how this has developed over the years since the original allocation of funding; and feedback from groups that received funded. 8.4 The Alcohol and Drugs Programme Board considered recommendations on the future of the funding stream, given the relatively low response - £51,791 was allocated across six projects (previously seven, however a project had difficulty recruiting and didn’t progress). It is proposed that there is potential to link the remaining funding into current funding streams focused on community activities which support those in recovery. As a result, it is recommended that £10,000 of the balance of Recovery Change Funding is redirected into the Winter Connections Programme, with the remaining balance being returned to the programme funding. The Alcohol and Drugs Programme Board will continue explore other opportunities and seek approval from the Leadership Board in relation to further opportunities to support recovery in Renfrewshire. 9 Next steps 9.1 Officers continue to work with partners to progress the Fairer Renfrewshire programme. Priority actions over the next quarter include: • Progressing a ‘deep dive’ data exercise around child poverty as a Community Planning Partnership, focussing on the six priority family groups. • Developing the Fair Food Renfrewshire partnership, using the Sustainable Food Places toolkit and hosting a meeting of the recently established steering group. • Continuing the evaluation of projects within Tackling Poverty Programme and exploring future options with services around required priorities going forward. • Launch of this year’s Winter Connections programme. • Development of the poverty and participation test of change, working alongside the newly established lived experience panel to develop recommendations and the shape of future work. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – is paper provides an update on the allocation of funding through the Summer of Fun and Community Food Fund, previously agreed by Leadership Board. It also seeks approval to allocate £175k to support projects through the Alcohol and Drugs Change programme.
Page 10
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 ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships
Page 11
Appendix 1 – Community Food fund recommendations Community Food Fund Applications Applications recommended for an award Organisation Area Funding Requested Summary of Project Funding proposed for approval Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Johnstone £4,000 Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Funding will allow JCLC to deliver a new service for families they currently engage with. Young people will identify recipes and types of food that they would like to learn how to cook. This will educate young people about budgeting and basic cooking skills. The young people will receive copies of the recipes at the end of the project so they can continue to cook at home. Meals cooked during each session can be taken home and shared with their families. Funding would cover staffing costs and ingredients. They currently engage with 170-180 young people each week. £2,000 Renfrew YMCA Renfrew £2,600 Supporting Renfrew Renfrew YMCA have applied for funding to enable them to provide additional food provision within their sessions. They plan to run cooking classes which will form part of their youth club sessions. Young people will cook healthy, filling meals and learn how to do this on budget. They will be given the opportunity to sit down and eat the meal during the session. The young people will also be provided with a recipe card to take home. £2,400 REEM (Renfrewshire Effort to Empower Minorities) Paisley £3,100 Cost of Living REEM seek funding to set up weekly cooking classes for BAME households. The project will encourage people to get involved with community gardens and will offer one-to- one support for marginalised individuals suffering poor mental health and/or domestic abuse (individuals will be signposted to external agencies for professional advice and support). REEM also intend to teach service users about budgeting and will purchase a bulk order of food to deliver to households and will link with community gardens to provide fresh fruit and vegetables. The project seeks to support 75 BAME households. Funding would allow the group to hire a chef to run the cooking classes, cover volunteer and travel expenses, purchase bulk food and hire a hall. £1,820
Page 12
Local Energy Action Plan (LEAP) Lochwinnoch £4,000 Supporting Rural Renfrewshire LEAP run a Community Larder in Lochwinnoch which engages with over 1,300 individuals across the wider area. They also deliver food parcels on a weekly basis to vulnerable households. They have applied for funding to renew their joint FareShare membership via their partner organisation, Darkwood Crew who are based in Ferguslie Park. Funding is also being sought to cover travel costs to transport the food from the Tannahill Centre (central distribution centre for this FareShare membership) to Lochwinnoch. In addition to this, £1,500 has been requested to purchase non- perishable food to top-up the Community Larder. £3,000 Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Paisley £3,500 Cooking Kids and Me Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies have applied for funding to allow them to deliver cooking sessions for adults and their children. The sessions would teach families how to cook a healthy meal on a low budget. One 2-hour session will be delivered each week. Nine 3-week blocks will be delivered with 9 families attending each block. Therefore, the sessions would aim to reach 81 families. Sessions will be offered at varying times to increase accessibility. Funding has been requested to cover the cost of kitchenware, hall hire, bulk purchase of food, a chef and cookbooks. £3,000 KLAS Care C.I.C. Linwood £1,000 Help Me Grow KLAS Care have a small growing ground and they would like to educate families about zero waste by growing their own food such as tomatoes, potatoes and carrots. They will also access food that would be going to landfill. They currently work with children to produce recipes and would like to expand this to include a multi-cultural approach. Funding has been requested to host cooking courses in their own premises using their own produce. £850 Ferguslie Seniors Paisley £4,000 Ferguslie Seniors Lunch Club Ferguslie Seniors Lunch club operates three times per week- Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 11am-2pm. The project aims to tackle food insecurity, fuel poverty and isolation and loneliness amongst those aged 55 and over. The group currently has 35 members and has a £3 weekly member subscription which funds the meals, social activities and excursions. However, the group would like to make this charge optional to remove any financial barriers. The group utilises the kitchen in the Tannahill Centre to prepare meals and the community rooms to host the club. Funding has been requested to contribute towards the cost of the meals which are £5 per head. Officers will work with the club to ensure participants are offered referrals to wider advice services. £2,500
Page 13
Barnardo’s Threads Paisley £880 Family Nurture Group Barnardo’s will host a 10-week group for 8 families which will provide a safe, nurturing space for families to spend quality time together. Through effective role modelling and the provision of games and activities, they will promote positive relationships between children and their parents/carers. They will offer a hot and healthy meal at the end of each session. Families will also get to take home a grocery bag and ingredients each week to recreate the meal at home, further enhancing opportunities for families to eat together. £880 Active Communities Johnstone £4,000 Learn to Grow, Grow to Eat! Active Communities aim to increase their sustainability and long-term viability and decrease food insecurity by increasing access to healthy food. They will do this by: 1. Setting up, developing and managing a growing space within their premises. 2. Working in partnership with Community Networks to develop their shared polytunnel and maximising growing capability therein. 3. Further developing their community cooking skills classes and cooking and nutrition information workshops/recipes/leaflets with a focus on plant to plate and how to cook healthy food from fresh ingredients. 4. Increasing and championing an increase in growing and cooking confidence, and an increase in benefits of good nutrition and healthy eating within their communities. Funding has been requested to purchase food, garden equipment, compost, seeds, plants as well as cover transport, printing/packaging and training/volunteer costs. £2,800 Glenburn Resource Centre Paisley £4,000 Cooking Class / Vegetable Garden Glenburn Resource Centre would like to run a cooking class and manage a vegetable garden. This would teach families how to cook a low-cost nutritious meal from scratch whilst sticking to a budget. This would allow families the opportunity to adopt healthy eating habits by growing their own vegetables and would also provide a safe space for people which would improve mental wellbeing. Funding has been requested to cover rent as well as to purchase compost, vegetable seeds, garden equipment, cooking utensils and food for the cooking classes. £2,000 STAR Project Paisley £4,000 Pantry Plus Bulk Food Provision and Transport The STAR Project run Pantry Plus, a Pantry offering food at least 40% cheaper than the cheapest supermarket. Pantry Plus is open to members of the public 4 days a week and does not require a membership fee or referral. They seek funding to renew their joint FareShare license which they share with Active Communities and to cover fuel £3,750
Page 14
costs for collecting the food from FareShare. This will enable STAR Project to maintain food flow coming into Renfrewshire, ensuring citizens have access to healthy, filling foods. TOTAL £25,000.00 Applications recommended for no Award Our Place Our Families (Renfrew) Renfrew £3,500 Heat and Eat Our Place Our Families have requested funding to allow them to hire the community centre in Arkleston one day a week. The purpose of this is to tackle loneliness and social isolation by providing people with a safe and warm place to have a bowl of soup, drink and a biscuit. Funding has been applied to cover the cost of hiring the hall, ingredients, equipment, stationery, aprons and polo shirts, volunteer costs and PVGs. £0 Stronger Communities Glenburn Paisley £4,000 Food Poverty Stronger Communities Glenburn have applied for funding to allow them to purchase nutritious food for their store cupboard. This will allow families to have a stable and sufficient supply of nutritious food. £0 Erskine Arts Erskine £1,800 Soup Sessions Erskine Arts have requested funding to allow them to deliver ‘Soup Sessions’. They will provide free nutritional soup, rolls and tea & coffee every Monday and Friday for 6 months. This will be a drop-in facility designed to meet the needs of those who are struggling with the cost of living and perhaps feeling socially isolated. Erskine Arts will offer a safe, warm environment where those that need it can access a healthy meal and support services whilst meeting new people. Funding is requested to cover food costs. £0 Streetcare Volunteers Renfrewshire £1,000 Renfrewshire Food Giveaway Streetcare Volunteers provide food parcels on Christmas Eve to households across Renfrewshire. They collect surplus food from supermarkets and run a food drive to collect donations. Families are identified via local schools and some community groups, however most families self-refer themselves via Facebook. It is anticipated that the project would reach 200 families. Funding is requested to purchase longer life food such as tins, pasta, cereal and biscuits as well as toilet and kitchen rolls and some modest Christmas themed items. £0
Page 15
Pachedu Paisley £4,000 Hardship Support Project Pachedu support around 30 BME target families in Renfrewshire by providing culturally appropriate food. These families encounter multiple barriers such as food poverty, unemployment, low income etc. Funding would allow Pachedu to purchase appropriate ethnic food valued at £120 per family for 30 families to help relieve current financial pressures. Food distribution will be via arranged delivery with service users. Funding has been requested to cover the cost of the food and administrative running costs. £0 Twist and Hit Cheerleaders Paisley £2,550 Food and Nourishment for All – Youth Club Healthy Living Funding will enable them to purchase additional snacks such as crisps, biscuits and juice, as well as small kitchen equipment such as an electric pizza oven to provide warm food in the winter months. Snacks will be provided at their free youth club which runs every Saturday, 7pm-9pm. £0
Page 16
Appendix 2 – Summer of Fun Grant Applications and Recommendations PART A - Applications approved under delegated authority Organisation Area Funding Requested Purpose Funding approved Friends of Knockhill Park Renfrew £3,600 Summer Activities 2023 £3,600 Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Johnstone Castle £3,050 Summer Smiles £3,050 Paisley YMCA Paisley £5,000 Summer of STEAM! - £5,000 Twist and Hit Cheerleaders Paisley £4,940 Free Summer Activities for All (cheering everyone on) £4,940 Mossvale Community Church Paisley £2,924 All Nations Summer Programme – £2,924 Thorn Athletic Community Trust Johnstone £5,000 Thorn Free Summer Football £5,000 Renfrew YMCA Renfrew £5,000 Renfrew YMCA Summer Sessions £2,852.60 Paisley North Church of Scotland Paisley £3,490 Ferguslie Park Holiday Club £2,740 Johnstone Out of School Care Johnstone £3,000 Johnstone Out of School Service £1,000 Home Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Paisley £5,000 Home-Start In Renfrewshire - Summer Holiday Activities £3,000 Renfrewshire Effort to Empower Minorities (REEM) Paisley £5,000 Be Happy Project £3,750 Ralston Out of School Care Paisley £2,285 Summer Drama Group £2,285 Paisley North Community Council Paisley £5,000 Family Fun Packs in the Park £2,700 KLAS Care CIC Linwood £4,914 The Summer of 23 £3,000 Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Johnstone £5,000 Johnstone Castle Chaos Club £3,000
Page 17
Stronger Communities Glenburn and Glenburn Resource Centre Paisley £5,000 Summer Club £3,000 Just Dive In Johnstone £2,000 Last Rays of Sun £2,000 Applications funded through Future Paisley funding Outspoken Arts Scotland Ltd Paisley £4,887.50 Summer Art Camp £4,887.50 RIG Arts Paisley £4,865 Summer Sessions at Seedhill Community art Space £4,865 Brick Lane Music Academy Central Paisley £3,130 Mini Music Makers Summer Fun Project £3,130 PART B – Applications not approved under delegated authority St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation Paisley £5,000 Summer Camps Youth Interventions Linwood £4,900 YI Summer Connections Scottish Afro Caribbean Arts Association Linwood £5,000 We Are Here Project Storm Gymnastics Paisley £3,749.27 Free Summer Gymnastics Scotia Trampoline Paisley £2,719.40 Summer Community Outreach Programme Paisley Barbell Powerlifting Club Paisley £2,000 Summer Gym Programme Glenburn Resource Centre Paisley £5,000 Summer Inclusion Glenvale Paisley £2000 Summer Football
Page 18
No embedded text on this page.
Page 19
Appendix 3 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, such as different cultures or age groups • Tablet or device classes for older people • Lunch clubs • Crafting or ‘making’ activities • Classes with a focus on physical activity • Classes which provide and show how to install simple energy efficiency measures • Projects providing social connection and supporting recovery for people affected by drugs and alcohol • Projects supporting people living with mental illness A guide to Winter Connections funding and how to apply
Page 20
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 2023. Training costs for food preparation and hygiene will not be covered within this fund. 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 • 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 How to apply Applications will be open from 22nd September 2023 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 Winter Connections Fund (arcgis.com) 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? 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.
Page 21
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.