Social Benefits Wishlist

• Art Hub provides free art challenges and supplies for young people each week in Castlehill, Bellsmyre & Alexandria as well as pop up locations.
• Discoverers and Explorers are free arts based youth clubs in Castlehill and Bellsmyre.
• Intergenerational Dance Company is a group of people aged 10-83 who meet online to dance and create together.
• Dance Classes for National Autistic Society, Alzheimer Scotland, Neighbourhood Networks and more.

Our Wish List request is vague as we require support on all of the above projects and would be happy to arrange sponsorship of any/all of them with a supplier. You can find out more about any of our projects here: www.clifftopprojects.co.uk

Since the beginning of May last year we have been supporting Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels as a distribution centre for the food bank. Our Sanctuary floor has had a great many crates of food stored on it and tins of food etc dropped on it so it is showing a bit of wear and tear and a few dents as it is a hard wood floor. Over 100 adults a week are receiving food parcels made up in our Sanctuary, a lot of floor space is being used.

We would love our Sanctuary floor to be re-sealed and varnished to restore its beauty. Also the area if the front vestibule area the special non slip matting flooring is looking very bad and worn. It has been open to the elements every week as the doors are wide open on Wednesdays and now Fridays for food distribution. The door matting is also special as it look like a non slip type of grid which is fitted. Also looking for someone who holds a certificate to erect platform scaffolding so that we can wash the light shades in the Sanctuary and replace light bulbs that are out. We have our own platform scaffolding

I have found this area of the form the most difficult to fill in as I have only one option to choose - either cash, materials or labour. The work our Sanctuary floor is needing is specialist work and I wish a contractor out there would be available to provide labour and materials. We would be so very grateful for any work that could be done.

Provision of labour, money or materials to support local community projects.

We are first & foremost needing support with: weeding grass cutting, painting of raised beds & Pergolas/shelters...

We are also needing our water containers (1,000 litres) cleaned out because of algae build up.

We are off grid so have no means of potable drinking water or electricity - for info.

We do have a compost loo on site and use rain water/sanitiser for sanitising hands.

There are pathways around the garden so it is safe & even on them. Other pathways areas can be bumpy & uneven. There are works in progress & this area is cordoned off.

Wish list for both Nairn Street and Shaft Street Tenants Bi-Monthly Meetings: Re new carpets in our Common rooms.

• Re-new kitchen utensils used in weekly lunch club.
• Replace uniforms for lunch club cook and volunteer.
• Up grade garden area to make it safe and comfortable for sheltered tenants to have outdoor morning teas/coffee events weekly.
• Purchase 6 electric wheelchair storage huts.
• Funds to facilitate chair exercise classes for a year.
• Funds to facilitate basic IT classes for sheltered tenants.
• Funds to facilitate 6 social events in our common rooms.
• Funds to pay for the hire of a bus to take sheltered tenants on a summer/winter Christmas shopping day trip.

Donations of money / materials / labour to support local community projects

Clydebank FC U20s Development Team operates separately under the badge of Clydebank FC and play at train at Holm Park, Yoker.

We are self funded but take no money from our players other than any fundraising they volunteer to take part in.

On match nights at home we are lucky to accept donations at the gate from our fans and have a few sponsors on board that have helped with team kit and balls etc for the club.

The team currently sit top of the Scottish Lowland Development League and need 3 wins to take the title.

Money still remains extremely tight as we need to continually keep on top of equipment and have to pay lease fees for training and match let's.

Any funding that is available would greatly benefit the club and players of Clydebank FC.

We wish for donations of food items, baby items, school uniform items and (at Christmas) donations of new toys for our projects - all donations are distributed to local people affected by poverty. We would also welcome monetary donations which would allow us to purchase items requested which we do not have in stock.

We rent an industrial unit in Clydebank business park and are liable for all costs and maintenance in the property. We have a shutter that is letting in water and flooding the gymnasts break out area - we have tried to fix it by replacing a seal along the bottom but we can't seem to stop the water coming in when it rains. We would love for someone to be able to source the leak and fix the problem. All of our gymnasts would benefit as we have just done up their break out area and bought new tables and chairs but can't lay the new floor until we stop the water coming in. We were kindly donated a new floor to put down but it will get ruined if we can't stop the water. We have over 400 gymnasts attend our club between the ages of 3 and 18 all from the local area and surrounding towns.

Building a fence along the Eastern edge, and between properties of one half of King Street, Whitecrook. This has been an ongoing request for at least 15 years which the council are unable to fulfil in a way the community is happy with. This has been an ongoing campaign and we are looking for local companies to help us with materials and labour.

New tracksuits, footballs and assistance to pay let fees and ongoing bills. The people who will benefit this the most will be the group of 24 boys who train and play week in week out with Dumbarton United 2009. The kids are all under 13 years old and for some this is their only means of social interaction outside of school. It is also for some the only fitness activity they have.

With access to the benefits the boys will reap the rewards of new kit and new training aids. At times of covid some parents in our group struggle with the financial aspect of football. This kind benefit will also assist in keeping the monthly cost to parents to a minimum.

The only Basketball Team in the West Dunbartonshire Area
Support to enhance the teams progression giving the current team access to competitive games with other teams not located in the West Dunbartonshire. Costs of travel to surrounding areas is prohibitive for most pupils families restricting the growth of the teams development and experiences. Participants skills would also be enhanced from sponsored places in summer camps operated by Basketball Scotland as well as the current volunteering staff benefiting from further training and certification. This would support participant to progress towards Glasgow Fever Basketball Team Development Pathways.

We are an emergency foodbank currently feeding over 200 families per week in West Dunbartonshire who are both working and unemployed but equally struggling financially.

As a local community garden group we have grown in numbers and are currently looking for funding for a pagoda or shaded area over our seating and outside meeting section. Our polytunnel is now too small for growing enough varieties of produce and limited to tomatoes and cucumbers so we are also hoping to receive funds to purchase a lager polytunnel in order to grow a larger variety of produce.

We are currently working with 25 participants who are aged 50 or over - they have all come from complex backgrounds and 90% of them live in the highest deprived areas of WDC. We are requesting a donation of money so that we have the ability to purchase gym memberships or pay-as-you-go passes for our participants so that we can start a keep fit club one afternoon a week. We are also hoping to look into booking a gym hall or badminton court one day a week so that we can encourage our participants to exercise, release happy endorphins, take part in team building activities, form a bond with their key worker in a more relaxed environment and ideally break down some barriers that our participants are facing. After getting to know the individuals that we support, we have come to the conclusion that there is a real need for this club.

We run social walks in the area and we have become aware that not everyone has waterproof jackets suitable for walking. To prevent people's own jacket being soaked (and possibly there only one) we want to be able to offer a loan of a breathable waterproof jacket whilst out with us. The type of thing we are interested in would be: a mix of breathable waterproof jackets with hoods (small & medium and possibly a large.) We can have up to 10 on our walks so we would like to build up to that.

An iPhone 8 (refurbished is fine) so that our volunteer has a mobile phone when out on social walks (we would cover the sim card).

We support local young people aged 12-26 who are affected by parental alcohol or drug use.
Many of our young people don't get much for their birthday or Christmas so we endeavor to get them all a gift personal to them, this is becoming harder as the number of the young people we support is growing.
Money to buy each young person a birthday and Christmas present personal to them.
An emergency fund to buy items like school uniform item, phone charger etc.
We are always looking for a room for 1-2-1 support work, small group work or a base for our two members of staff . If any local businesses have a room we could use, we would be very grateful.

Men's Shed Clydebank is about helping all men at different stages of their lives by making available opportunities to join with other men in creating meaningful, enjoyable mutually agreed activities and projects along with the companionship and support of each other… in a 'SHED' environment. We currently have 120 registered members, and work with a number of other local community groups including local schools and nurseries. Cash donations are a great help to allow us to support other community groups and individuals. Material donations are welcome too as they help us to offset the costs of the construction we undertake on behalf of the community.

Currently looking for the following donations - Balls, strips, kit, bibs, money for facility fees and other equipment. We are also looking for donations to help build a toilet block that will include disabled facilities. At the moment we don't have this for our disabled members which restricts their independence and dignity. Our club members will benefit from a toilet block that includes disabled facilities as well as supporters from visiting teams. We are also looking at starting a disability team and this will be a minimum requirement.

West Dunbartonshire Youth Alliance Summer Programme, known as “The Summer Sessions” has been operational since 2017. During this time, it has supported over 800 young people from across West Dunbartonshire to participate in a wide range of exciting and fun activities, and informal learning opportunities. The programme has two aims;
1. To provide young people with a wide range of creative and active opportunities to support personal and social development.
2. To provide young people with access to free meals throughout the summer holidays, to combat holiday hunger. At the Summer Sessions, highlight trips are broken into two categories. The Wee Trips and The Big Trip. In previous years, The Wee Trips have included visits to Trampoline parks, Roller Discos, Cinemas and Art Galleries, in and around Glasgow. While The Big Trip has often included visits to a theme park. These highlight trips are what young people remember about their summer. When members of our team bump into participants from years previous, on the street, the conversation often begins, ‘mind that time we went to…’ The benefits of such highlight trips are enormous. Opportunities to gain experience, develop learning and make memories are key on a young person’s journey towards adulthood. The programme operates throughout the full duration of the school summer holiday period. It is open to young people from the age of ten to eighteen years and recruits one hundred and eighty participants annually, sixty each from Alexandria, Clydebank and Dumbarton.

Each year we ask young people what they would like to do during the summer. Through this process of consultation the team then develop a programme of workshops and activities. Over the years, we have provided workshops on Circus Skills, Dance, Singing, DJ’ing, Karate, Samba Drumming, Film-Making, Drama and Musical Instrument tuition. In addition, we’ve hosted one off activities such as Bubble Football, Nerf-Wars and Inflatable Sumo Wrestling. Daily activities are at the heart of the programme and as such we offer a wide range of arts, sports and social activities. Young people benefit from these activities in many ways. They develop skills in team-work, problem solving, communication and all of the evaluations we collect from them suggests that it increases their confidence and feelings of wellbeing.

To ensure young people have the highest quality life experiences, it is vital that they are afforded opportunities that stretch beyond West Dunbartonshire. The transport element of the programme is a key driver to ensure this happens. Over the years, we have undertaken highlight trips to Alton Towers, Blackpool, and most recently to the inflatable water park at Loch Ard. These trips enable young people to develop new skills (Money management, time management, etc.) and develop personally and socially, through engagement in positive experiences.

To combat the issue of holiday hunger amongst young people in the area, this aspect of the programme ensures that each participant enjoys a nutritious meal every day, whilst they are engaged in activities. In addition, the distribution of a healthy cook at home meal/recipe pack affords a similar opportunity and enables them to develop their cooking skills, by engaging in family learning, whilst preparing food with parents or carers.

We are developing a Community Garden as there is not currently anywhere in our village that engages the residents to meet and come together to enjoy an outdoor project. We plan on building raised beds which we will grow a selection of root vegetables to distribute in our foodbank as we only have tins and packets of food to give to families and we would like to be able to offer fresh produce. We also plan on having a reflection seating area for people to rest and relax while our volunteers are on hand for a chat or to offer support/advice if required. Essential food parcels and toiletries will also be available free of charge together with dog treats and poo bags. Currently looking for:

• Insulation
• Plasterboard
• Kitchen units and worktop
• Desk and office chairs
• Folding tables and chairs for outdoor use
• Exterior paint including spray paints
• Internal paint and rollers/brushes
• Picnic benches or timber to make them
• Labour to lay slabs in community garden
• Community garden volunteers
• Security camera
• Groceries or vouchers for food for our foodbank
• Tumbler dryer for our community laundry
• Takeaway containers and cups for our community cafe

Working4U Thrive supported young people aged 16-24 through a personal development and employability programme. Recently thrive took part in a litter pick and would like to continue to do in their local areas to improve the area as well as increase their exercise by walking during the litter pick. Thrive is looking for funding to purchase or be supplied 12 litter picks and also litter bag hoops.

Working4U Thrive is a personal development programme helping the most vulnerable young people. Many of the young people come to Thrive without having eaten that day or only have had an energy drink. We are looking for a budget to buy cereal, UHT milk and other breakfast/snack items to ensure the young people have had food to allow them to fully participate in their training. Any donation of money or non-perishable food items would be gratefully received. Young people aged 16-24 who have multiple barriers to employment. This young people can come from low income / unemployed households. They will benefit from having a healthy breakfast/snack which will allow them to concentrate more in their training programme. It has been proven how important food is to create a healthy/productive learning environment. For some young people, this may be the only food they receive that day.

At Levengrove horticultural project we work and support clients of various ages living with learning disabilities, mental health issues, autism, adults with dementia and people with addiction issues. We offer beneficial activities such a gardening , refurbishment of memorial benches, cycle repairs and woodwork. We are looking for donations of monies for materials, i.e. wood, compost, gardening tools, boots, gloves, Hi-Viz vests and waterproofs. Employability support, i.e. work experience, mock interviews, employability workshops.

We are looking for surplus building materials suitable for community garden projects. Such as: Scaffolding battons, surplus wood or fencing, plastic 45 gallon barrels, IBC containers, large cable drums, slabs, bricks and anything else that may be suitable. Various schools, nurserys and community projects will benefit from these donations. We will store any materials in the yard and distribute when needed.

We are currently looking for a french drainage system for our nursery garden to support the drainage so as the children can access the area in all weathers. We are also looking for slabs to make a patio area. Bellsmyre ELCC offers 1140 hours to 120 children. We have recently been awarded so extra ground to develop our outdoor learning. This area has lots of water logged patches, there is a large marsh in the middle which affects what we can do with area. If drainage was in place it would mean that the children could access all areas in all weathers. Any support would be appreciated.