Fairer Renfrewshire Update - Final
Renfrewshire Council · 30 November 2022
Back to Leadership Board — 30 November 2022 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: 30 November 2022 ___________________________________________________________________ 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 As outlined in the paper to Leadership Board on 14 September 2022, the Council has allocated £4.4m of funding since 2021 to take forward local actions which tackle financial insecurity, low income and poverty. At the Leadership Board on that date, elected members approved a further tranche of funding of £440,000 to take forward a range of additional actions in light of the deepening cost of living crisis. These actions have now been implemented but there remains a need for all partners to continue to work together to share information and to be able to respond flexibly as required. 1.3 In recognition of the need to continue to strengthen partnership working, the Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee made a call for evidence in late September, and invited a range of community and third sector organisations to come together to discuss the current crisis and to explore opportunities to support local people experiencing financial insecurity and poverty. 1.4 This paper provides an overview of the session held, and an update on all key activities that have been progressed as part of the local response since the last report to Leadership Board on 14 September 2022, including the launch of the Winter Connections programme in November 2022.
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1.5 The Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme is an important element of the wider Fairer Renfrewshire programme, and previous updates to board have highlighted the work that is being progressed, with particular recent focus being on the launch of the Recovery Change Fund. Section 5 of the paper provides an update on the Fund, and sets out recommendations to award funding to a further 3 organisations. It is also proposed that the application period for the Recovery Change Fund should be extended to end of February 2023. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that elected members: • Note the content of the report; • Note the funding awarded to 15 organisations through the Winter Connection Funding, through delegated authority provided to the Director of Communities and Housing as outlined at Appendix 1; • Approve the allocation of an additional £30,000 to the Winter Connections programme; to top-up the Winter Connections small grants fund for community organisations by an additional £20,000 as well as awarding a grant of £10,000 to OneRen to provide a programme of Winter Connections activities across Renfrewshire’s libraries; • Approve the allocation of £29,659.54 from the Recovery Change Fund to support the initiatives detailed in Section 5 of this report; and • Agrees that the Recovery Change Fund remains open for new applications until end February 2023. ___________________________________________________________________ 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 a new 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, and has an immediate focus on the local response to the deepening cost of living crisis. 3.2 The Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee was formed in August 2022 and has regular oversight of issues relating to poverty and inequality in Renfrewshire, with a Fairer Renfrewshire Officer Group also now having been established.
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3.3 This paper provides an overview of the activities that have been progressed through the Programme since the last update to board, and seeks to provide an update on national and local policy developments which continue to impact the local response. Current context 3.4 The cost of living crisis and the impact on local people and communities continues to deepen, with the Bank of England now predicting that the economic issues facing the UK could lead to a recession over at least a two year period. Inflation and cost pressures have continued to grow, particularly in relation to energy, fuel and food goods. 3.5 The cost of energy has risen due to a rise in the energy price cap on 1st October 2022, and an Energy Price Guarantee has been introduced to reduce the impact of this on households until April 2023. 3.6 Inflation is currently 11.1% (October rate), exceeding the Bank of England predictions for October 2022. Interest rates have risen in response to rising inflation, and the current Bank Rate is now 3%, having risen 0.75 % on 3 November 2022. 3.7 Volatility in financial markets has caused the UK mortgage market to tighten, with lenders withdrawing some mortgage products and mortgage rates rising. 3.8 A range of policy developments have been announced in recognition of the ongoing crisis. These include: • In September 2022 the Scottish Government announced that from 14 November 2022, Scottish Child Payment will increase again to £25 per week, per child and the benefit will be extended to children aged between 6 and 16. This means that December’s bridging payment will be the last. The Scottish Government, however has doubled this final payment, so those who are entitled will receive £260. • In response the cost-of-living crisis and concern regarding the high rent increases in many parts of Scotland, emergency legislation to freeze rents and ban evictions temporarily has been passed in the Scottish Parliament. The Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022 gives tenants increased protection from rent increases and evictions for six months.
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3.9 The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) published its annual ‘Poverty in Scotland’ report on 3rd October 2022. Focusing on the cost-of-living crisis, the report is based on JRF’s own research which is believed to be the biggest poll so far of people in Scotland’s experiences of the current cost-of-living crisis. 3.10 The report highlights that: • nearly two-in-three people (65%) have cut back on an essential, while one- in-four (26%) have cut back on three or more essentials like reducing spending on food, cutting down meal size and not replacing clothing that is outgrown or worn. • Three in-four households have also cut back on the basics, such as numbers of showers and baths taken, reduced spending on transport and used electrical appliances less often. This research was conducted over the summer months, when weather is milder. Even then the research found that more than two-in-five (44%) households have heated their homes less than they needed to or less often, to reduce cost. • The report also highlights that many families, including one-in-five low- income cannot heat their home and have skipped or reduced the size of meals. Three-in-twenty households that had skipped meals or reduced the size of meals had also accessed a food bank. 3.11 The cost-of-living crisis is having an adverse impact on people’s mental health. JRF reported that almost three-in-twenty (14%) adults who had cut back or reduced spending have accessed NHS mental health services. This increases significantly for the priority families who have cut back or reduced costs, with more than one-in-five (22%) single-parent households and the same rate for large families and around one-in-four (24%) of families where someone is disabled. 3.12 A full update was considered by the Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee at its meeting on 26 October 2022. ___________________________________________________________________ 4. Update on local response to cost of living crisis 4.1 In the last update provided to the Leadership Board on 14 September, elected members were provided with an overview of the key activities that had been progressed with partners over the past 2 years in particular in relation to financial insecurity and poverty. The report highlighted that a range of local activities and supports were being delivered through the longer term Tackling Poverty programme, through our local Social Renewal Plan in relation to the pandemic, and more recently in response to the cost of living crisis.
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It was noted at that time that over £4.4m had been allocated to date, with key areas of activity highlighted in the table below. 4.2 At its meeting on 14 September, the Leadership Board approved a number of additional actions that partners would be progressing in response to the deepening cost of living crisis. These have been actioned as follows: • £100,000 funding was allocated to Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau to progress an advice pilot in schools. A grant funding agreement has been put into place to deliver this pilot and it is anticipated that this will commence in the New Year. • £300,000 was allocated to provide a £50 Winter School Clothing Payment to children in eligible households, which was paid on 4 November 2022 to 5744 children. • £50,000 was allocated to provide grant funding for local organisations participating in the Winter Connections programme. The programme will encourage people to connect and participate in activities in warm and welcoming spaces across communities in Renfrewshire. The fund was launched in October, with initial awards made in early November. Further information on the programme is set out in section 4.16. • The Financial Insecurity Payment has now been uprated from £100 to £150 per instance, and work is continuing with partners to refer individuals to the scheme to benefit from the payment as well as money advice and wider support. 4.3 A Fairer Renfrewshire Officer Group has been formed, and work is ongoing to share information on the impact that front line services are identifying, including through schools, advice and to identify additional responses as these are required.
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Regular information on the cost of living crisis and local activities is also being reviewed on a regular basis by the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee. Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee 4.4 Council agreed on 19 May 2022 to form a Fairer Renfrewshire Sub- Committee to facilitate more scrutiny and oversight of issues relating to poverty and inequality in Renfrewshire. The sub-committee has now met twice and has been reviewing a range of information provided by officers and partners on the scale and impact of the cost of living crisis, and the local response that is being progressed. 4.5 The sub-committee held a “Call for Evidence” session on 12 October 2022, the purpose of which was to engage with local community and third sector organisations- on the impact of the cost of living crisis and to identify further actions that partners can take forward in response to support local people. 4.6 There were a number of overarching messages from the session, including: • This crisis is happening now in our communities, often we talk about the winter we are facing as a future challenge, but many households are already at crisis point and demand for services and supports is rising. • The cost-of-living crisis is affecting different people, including people who haven’t needed to access support before. We also know that some groups of people are affected differently or face distinct challenges, for example, people with no recourse to public funds. • We need to help the helpers – staff and volunteers working on the front-line to support people are facing increasing demands and challenges (often on top of their own personal situation). People need to be OK to look after other people. • Many organisations and people worked hard to support people through the Covid pandemic, and are now facing another crisis immediately after without space to recover. • There are a lot of unknowns and it can be difficult to find hope, and to give reassurance and hope to people in our communities. • There are good foundations for partnership working in Renfrewshire, and people valued the opportunity to come together and work together on these issues. 4.7 Following on from this initial session, a follow up meeting is being scheduled in order to explore further practical steps to take forward in partnership, and to share emerging trends and experiences as we go through the Winter period.
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Fair Food Renfrewshire 4.8 At its meeting on 28 April 2022, Council agreed a motion to prioritise its focus on food justice and to develop a local food partnership network and strategy. In June 2022, Leadership Board agreed that Council would work with local groups and organisations to examine issues around food insecurity and food provision more broadly with a view to developing a local action strategy and action plan by September 2022. It was also agreed that the Head of Policy and Commissioning would act as an officer champion in relation to food and would ensure local plans were aligned national policy developments, including the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act which was passed by the Scottish Parliament in June 2022, however has not yet been fully implemented. 4.9 As the cost of living crisis has deepened it has been necessary to work at pace to identify and respond to issues being experienced across communities and work to develop the longer term partnership and strategy was slightly delayed as a result. An initial stakeholder event was held on 24 October 2022, involving a range of key local partners and services, all of whom have a role in terms of supporting sustainable food in Renfrewshire. Partners discussed some of the immediate challenges being experienced in relation to food insecurity as well as the opportunities that could be progressed collectively over the longer term through the development of a new network and strategy. This work will continue over the Winter period. 4.10 In the short term, officers have continued to engage with community and third sector partners in relation to food insecurity, particularly in light of the cost of living crisis. A number of specific issues have been identified in terms of meeting demand and of obtaining adequate food supply, and partners are working collectively to share information and learning. At the last meeting of the Leadership Board on 14 September, £44,970 of funding was allocated from the Community Food Fund, to support local organisations to address the immediate challenges faced. Fuel / energy 4.11 Fuel costs have continued to be the most pressing issue for many clients seeking advice. Most clients contacting Advice Works, whether for a benefit check, a Foodbank voucher or any other reason mention energy costs as being an issue and for both Advice Works and Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau clients are coming forward to try to get other benefits, such as Adult Disability Payment to bolster their income against energy cost increases. 4.12 To support clients with emergency fuel costs, the Fuel Insecurity Pilot has continued, with fuel vouchers and debt reduction support provided by
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Renfrewshire Foodbank and Linstone Housing Association, backed up by energy advice from Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau. To the end of October, almost £31,000 in financial supports have been issued to those struggling with energy costs. 4.13 In addition, we have worked to ensure messaging around support with fuel costs has got to residents and our staff, with internal communications and social media posts around Government Supports, prepayment meter vouchers, energy saving tips and other issues being published. Advice and information 4.14 November 7- 11 was “Talk Money Week” 2022, which every year encourages people to open up about their finances and seek advice and support on how to manage issues being experienced. It has never been more important to encourage people to seek support at the earliest opportunity, and for frontline staff to be alert to the supports that are available from Council services and partner organisations. 4.15 During this week a number of events were held: • Advice Works and Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau (RCAB) came together to offer appointments for benefits checks, with promotion around these focussing on pension credit and Scottish Child Payment. • A staff health and wellbeing event for Council, OneRen and Renfrewshire HSCP staff took place in the Lagoon on 9 November. This included representation from organisations offering support around finances, including RCAB, Renfrewshire Affordable Credit Alliance and the Council’s Energy Management Unit. • An Affordable Credit Event took place, open to practitioners working with residents who may have money worries. Speakers included Money and Pension Service, Scotcash and Social Security Scotland. Winter Connections 4.16 At Leadership Board on 14 September 2022, elected members agreed that officers should develop a Winter Connections Programme which would provide a network of local places and spaces where people can connect to others in their community this winter. In some local authority areas, plans have been developed to open warm banks – places where people can come to sit and keep warm during the winter period if they are having difficulty heating their homes. In Renfrewshire we are seeking with partners to do much more, and to reduce the stigma of accessing this support.
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4.17 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 activities are always free, open to all, in every neighbourhood and can guarantee a warm welcome. 4.18 The programme launched in mid November and is based on the following principles: 4.19 £50,000 of grant funding was allocated by the Leadership Board in September 2022, to support local groups and organisations to participate in the programme and to contribute some of the costs of delivery where this was required. The funding criteria suggests bids of up to £2,000 will be considered for each application. 4.20 Recognising the need to allocate funding at pace, Leadership Board agreed for delegated authority to be provided to the Director of Communities and Housing to make awards, with detail to be provided to the Leadership Board on all awards made. An assessment panel involving officers from the Council, Renfrewshire HSCP and Engage Renfrewshire was convened to consider applications received. An initial tranche of 15 applications were recommended for award totalling £29,049, with a summary of all approved applications provided in Appendix 1. 2 applications did not meet the criteria for the funding and were not recommended for award. A further 7 applications within the initial batch of applications were put on hold for further clarification or development. The officer panel was reconvened in November to consider these applications, alongside an additional 9 applications. Applications for the fund now exceed the £50,000 initially allocated.
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4.21 The programme will continue to evolve over time, and officers are currently working with partners to assess any gaps in provision across communities and to develop proposals to address these. Presentations given at all Local Partnerships through November provided an opportunity to share information about the programme, particularly any gaps in geographical coverage, and this has generated further interest and applications. Officers continue to consider the coverage of activities and support at weekends and over the Christmas and New Year period. 4.22 In response to the level of interest from community organisations, it is recommended that a further £20,000 is allocated to the Winter Connections fund to allow additional awards, and in particular to allow the programme to extend into January and February 2023. 4.23 In addition, it is recommended that £10,000 grant funding is awarded for OneRen to deliver a programme of Winter Connections activities across Renfrewshire’s library network. This would include a range of activities including craft sessions, board games, film shows and play sessions across all libraries, and would also allow for targeted activities in areas with fewer activities. 4.24 Officers have also been working with colleagues to extend existing provision of activities to be included within the Winter Connections programme. This includes an extended programme of Street Stuff activities over the festive period for young people with additional food provided, as well as a programme of free, creative activities as part of Future Paisley provided over a four week period in Paisley town centre. 4.25 A full schedule of events and activities is now being promoted by partners and through the Council’s regular communication channels. A Winter Connections identity has been developed, and digital and printed materials will be provided as part of a partner toolkit. This will also include helpful guidance and information for Winter Connections hosts on providing safe and inclusive environments, as well as consistent signposting information on key supports such as advice services.
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Valuing lived experience 4.26 Renfrewshire Council has a long-standing commitment to tackling poverty, with development of lived experience identified as a key action within our Local Child Poverty Action Reports. Supported by funding through agreed through the Social Renewal Programme, officers worked with the Poverty Alliance on the Get Heard programme – which sought to develop a deeper understanding of the pandemic on low income households. 4.27 Work is now being progressed to develop the next stage of this approach, and specifically to establish a local panel of people with lived experience of poverty to help us develop local practice and policy. The aim of this work is to develop a model of participation that will have a practical impact on local policy making and will result in meaningful engagement on the part of both people with lived experience and policy makers. There is a real opportunity for the panel to work closely alongside the Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee to develop the ongoing response to the cost of living crisis and poverty more widely. 4.28 We will be running a ‘test of change’ to develop this approach through 2022/23, working in partnership alongside expert national and local organisations – and most importantly, people with lived experience of poverty. Star Project and the Poverty Alliance have been commissioned to support this work specifically and have now commenced the development stage of the programme.
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4.29 It is anticipated that the test of change will run for six months, at which point we will evaluate the process to explore how these types of participation processes can inform our work on an ongoing basis and become an established part of how we work. ___________________________________________________________________ 5. Alcohol and Drugs Programme – Recovery Change Fund 5.1 As agreed by the Leadership Board on 14 September 2022, a second round of the Recovery Change Fund application process was launched, with applications being accepted over the month of October, closing on 28 October 2022. In total 3 applications were received, which were those deferred from the previous round of funding. 5.2 A formal evaluation process was undertaken by a multiagency Assessment Panel, including officers from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire HSCP, and Engage Renfrewshire, scoring each application using a scoring matrix with weightings against key criteria agreed by Leadership Board: • Impact: the extent to which activities will make a positive impact on the lives of those affected by alcohol and/or drugs, and how this can be evidenced. • Social connection: the extent to which the initiative provides opportunities to reduce social isolation and loneliness for individuals and families impacted by alcohol and drug use. • Sustainability: how you could sustain the level of support you would be offering beyond the funding period. • Innovation: how new and innovative the project is, particularly for applicants piloting new ideas. • Past experience/track record: the extent to which your organisation has past experience of providing support to individuals, families, and communities. • Partnership working: the extent to which projects work in partnership with others, including the wider recovery network. 5.3 The Panel recommends that all three projects detailed in the table below are awarded funding, with a total combined commitment of £29,659.54. Organisation Funding Requested Name and Purpose of Project Decision Renfrew YMCA £10,000.00 Our Mind Our Space - to provide mental health and wellbeing support to children and young people in Renfrew, working with schools, using varying psychological theories and practices to best support young people in a group and one to one setting. Recommend for award RAMH £9,659.54 Peer Recovery - To recruit a peer recovery worker to support individuals experiencing a crisis in their mental Recommend for award
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Organisation Funding Requested Name and Purpose of Project Decision health in relation to their drug and/or alcohol use to work within the FIRST Crisis service. Youth Interventions £10,000.00 YI Love Me – to develop group spaces for young people and families affected by alcohol and drugs to create social connections and reduce stigmatisation Recommend for award 5.4 Progress on all projects funded through the Recovery Change Fund will be monitored, with regular updates provided to the Leadership Board. 5.5. It is proposed that the Recovery Change Fund remains open for new applications until end February 2023. An initial review of the funding will then be undertaken, in order to assess links with other national funding streams and to develop options for the funding going forward. ___________________________________________________________________ 6. Next steps 6.1 As highlighted throughout this paper, there will be an ongoing need for officers and partners to work very closely if the scale of the cost of living crisis deepens as expected. There may be a requirement to respond quickly and flexibly to emerging need over potentially an extended period of time – the crisis and its impacts are likely to last for a period of several years. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – Elected members are asked to note that £29,049 of funding has been allocated to local groups and organisations as part of the Winter Connections programme to date. It is recommended that £30,000 of additional funding is allocated to extend the Winter Connections programme, with £10,000 of this additional funding to be allocated to One Ren to deliver Winter Connections through the library network. £29,659 of funding is recommended for allocation from the Recovery Change Fund. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none
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7. Equality and Human Rights – A key element of the Fairer Renfrewshire programme is to tackle inequality and to ensure services and supports are targeted to support people experiencing financial insecurity and poverty. A core part of our approach is to engage with local groups and communities, and those with lived experience to identify opportunities to reduce these inequalities and barriers to accessing support. 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 Commissioning
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15 Applications recommended for Approval Organisation Area Funding Requested Purpose Funding proposed for approval Active Communities Johnstone £2,000 Winter Connections at Station 7 - Funding will support an afterschool social club for local families providing a warm, healthy meal for children with games and activities and an opportunity to learn about healthy food choices. Parents will be able to connect with other parents and to benefit from a range of advice on finances. Working with the Head Teacher at the local Primary will ensure that families most in need will benefit. Funding will contribute towards staff, food and energy costs. £2,000 Brick Lane Music Academy Central Paisley £2,000 Intergenerational Music Café – Brick Lane supports older people by providing a warm space to enjoy music making, singing and make friends with lunch. Funding will enable them to deliver an additional 20 weekly intergenerational music cafe sessions in Paisley and Johnstone and to expand the café to younger adults and parents with pre-school children giving younger people the opportunity to learn from and connect with an older generation and enhancing the wellbeing of all participants. £2,000 Erskine Arts Erskine £2,000 Piece n Music - Funding will support staff to establish a food and music club for adults to reduce social isolation, improve mental health, provide meaningful engagement and develop skills in songcraft and recording techniques. The club will enable people to explore, share and discuss music and memories evoked through record collections and develop musical understanding through sessions on instrumentation and mixing and mastering. £2,000 Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Central Paisley & Linwood £2,000 Winter Warmer – Home-Start provides volunteer led parent-to-parent support, working alongside families to improve family life and help children achieve their potential. They run 5 group sessions per week in Paisley and Linwood providing family members with peer support locally £2,000
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16 and regularly to develop their confidence and parenting skills. Funding would enable them to provide a hot meal from the café in the charity hub building to those attending the group sessions, extending the session for families attending and allowing them to mix with their peers for longer periods. Kickin’ On Linwood £1,900 Over 60’s Peer Support Drop In – Kickin’ On supports people who are struggling with mental health issues, addiction problems, social isolation and loneliness. Funding will enable them to establish a drop in for over 60's at their community mental health hub where they can participate in a range of free activities such as music and art, use the gym space and take part in yoga or other exercise classes. Participants will also be able to use the library, socialise and be signposted to relevant services in the community. £1,900 Langbank Village Centre Langbank £2,000 Langbank Village Centre – The Centre hosts different groups but there is a gap in activities for older residents during the day. Funding would help to restart activities post pandemic to connect people in an area of poor access to other amenities. Residents have been consulted about activities that they would like to attend, which will include an exercise class (which is costed and ready to start if fund is approved), a bridge club, first aid classes and a conversation café. £2,000 Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust Lochwinnoch £2,305 Lochwinnoch Warm Spaces Network - Lochwinnoch CDT is a non- profit organisation working on various projects to help the village be a great place to live. Funding would support local facilitators to run a Knit and Natter session at the local library over 15 weeks and a crafting session at the Workspace over 17 weeks. This will reduce social isolation and support local employment. £2,000 Our Place Our Families Renfrew £2,000 Eat Share Care Café – Funding will support Our Place Our Families with ingredients and equipment to run an information sharing café two days per week within Arkleston Community Centre. The cafe will be open to everyone and apart from sharing information on cost saving tips, how to minimise food wastage and reduce shopping bills and ways of sharing the cost of foods, also aims to reduce isolation and £2,000
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17 loneliness, encourage new friendships and give people a safe place to come and share. Paisley St George’s Outreach Centre Glenburn £1,875 Learning Together Glenburn – the centre will provide a range of activities focussed on digital IT skills, but also including low-cost cooking, sewing, knitting and art. A former UWS tutor will teach basic internet skills over 10 weeks to increase confidence in the use of laptops and digital devices. Activities will be open to everyone in Glenburn, encouraging people to make connections. Funding will contribute to laptops, tablets, broadband, tutor, cooking equipment and art materials. £1,875 RAMH Paisley & Renfrew £1,945 Winter Wellbeing Hubs & Soup Group – RAMH wishes to expand their “Wellbeing Hubs” in Paisley and Renfrew to an open group for adults aged 16 and over dealing with issues around mental health & wellbeing. The aim is to promote learning and increase self-esteem, confidence and resilience. Homemade soup will be provided by volunteers at a “Soup Group” base in the Restore shop where people can learn and share skills about soup making and complete food handling training. Volunteers will receive a starter pack for making soup at home. £1,945 Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Johnstone Castle £1,701 Johnstone Castle Toddlers – Funding would support additional free toddler, Bookbug and lunch sessions per week to expand the current programme, provide a safe secure setting for babies and toddlers along with their parents to feel welcome and ensuring that financial barriers do not impact on children being able to socialise. £1,701 Renfrewshire Remode Central Paisley £2,000 Open Mic and Make Projects – This is a youth-led programme with 16–24-year-olds interested in climate change and sustainable fashion. They will contribute to the content and design of a Zine learning about photography, artwork, journalism and poetry while managing a mini budget. The aim is to encourage young people to find their own voice and express their views in a published zine. A programme of informal events will be incorporated into the programme to engage the young people in the wider aims of Remode. £2,000
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18 Renfrew YMCA Renfrew £2,000 Coffee and Catch Up – This project’s aim is to reduce social isolation and increase digital inclusion by bringing people together in a social café to learn IT skills. Funding will enable staff and volunteers to support people with their digital needs, including job applications and benefits claims, as well as fun activities and provide opportunities for new friendships to form. £2,000 ROAR Johnstone £2,000 Jam Jar Picture House - The Picture House aims to improve wellbeing throughout the community by offering everyone the opportunity to come together to watch a film and connect with a hot drink. Funding will support the lease of the venue and staff time. During the film interval there will be an opportunity to signpost attendees to local support services. £2,000 STAR Project Shortroods Paisley £1,988 STAR’s Winter Connections – Funding will support additional activities two days per week providing attendees, games and crafts along with access to hot food. The project will provide device charging stations and Winter Warmer packs which include blankets, hot water bottles and large flasks for hot drinks/soup. The project’s Pantry Plus (a heavily subsidised food provision) will also open alongside the so that individuals who work during the day have the same access to low-cost foods as everyone else. £1,988 Applications which do not fit criteria – No awards recommended Friends of Knockhill Park Renfrew £1,000 Santa Lantern Parade – This is a fun family event involving a walk around the park with lanterns and lights, a visit from Santa and a film at the Cherrie Centre with refreshments. This is a one-off event and does not meet the criteria for the Fund. £0 St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation Paisley £2,000 Festive Friends – Funding would expand the Festive Friends programme at St Mirren Park to hold a second event on 30th December for 200 people who would otherwise be alone. The event is open to anyone in need and provides a meal, opportunities to socialise, take part in fun games and be entertained by local musicians. This is a one-off event and does not meet the criteria for the fund. £0