participatory budgeting 2018

Participatory Budgeting 2018 • www.pkc.gov.uk

Participatory Budgeting2018

Participatory Budgeting (PB) gives communities direct control, or greater influence over how public money is spent in their community. This follows the spirit of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act which calls for greater community participation in public decision-making.

In 2017/18 over £220,000 of funding was distributed across Perth and Kinross through local PB. This process involved pots of funding being made available through Local Action Partnerships, with community groups invited to bid into their local pot. Bids were publicised online and in print, with residents then being encouraged to vote online, in local ballot boxes, or at community events, for the bids which they wanted to see supported.

200 valid bids were put out to the public vote, with over 7,000 individuals casting almost 25,000 votes in total. Final votes were cast, and decisions announced at 9 large community events across Perth and Kinross. In total, 151 projects received funding, covering a variety of local community issues and ideas.

12 months after the funding was awarded, successful bidders were asked to provide information on how the money was used. This report gives a little taste of those projects which were successful, and the impact their project has had.

For more information, please go to:

www.pkc.gov.uk/article/18762/Participatory-Budgeting-Perth-Kinross-Decides-

https://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/18762/Participatory-Budgeting-Perth-Kinross-Decides-


The Chatty Crafters were awarded £970 for several initiatives. The group purchased a number of supplies which included woodworking tools, stained glass items, soap-making, candle-making and other materials for some future projects. The group has grown in numbers and confidence and now offers a support network for those involved.

The group allows people who struggle socially to come together, have fun and make new connections. One of the participants felt that they had virtually no art or craft skills, but in time developed into being able to lead a session successfully. One of the participants admitted that even while struggling with a severe depressive episode they still managed to attend Chatty Crafters because they felt welcomed and it was a safe space.

The group is learning new skills in a variety of arts and crafts and attend other groups in the area to promote working together. This has helped build links that were there loosely, but they have been forged even stronger than before.

North Perth

Chatty Crafters Letham Community Hub


The Brig In Bloom - Let’s Go Organic project was awarded £1,278 of funding towards organic gardening sessions for all Primary 1 pupils and Pre-school nursery children in the Bridge of Earn area. The aim of the project is to learn the basics of organic gardening and growing food to eat.

Each school and nursery received tools and gardening equipment to learn to grow food and to be able to continue this process each year. The Jade Garden Restaurant in Perth helped the Primary 1 pupils to learn how to prepare vegetables, cook them and make a lovely meal out of their efforts. Baking sessions included cakes made from courgettes, carrots and beetroot and the results were shared with parents and grandparents at a local Harvest Cake Celebration. The nursery children made soup with the vegetables that they grew and shared their soup with their families.

The project has had an impact on the health of the children involved. The learning process has shown the children the benefits of eating organic food and the positive impact on the environment from not using chemicals. The children connected with nature, spent time out in the fresh air and gained new skills that they could take back to use in their own family gardens.

Almond & Earn

Brig in Bloom - Let’s Go Organic


The Blairgowrie and Rattray Access Network (BRAN) project was awarded £3,000 towards maintaining the core footpath network in the area and parts of the Cateran Trail. In total, BRAN are active along 50 miles of footpaths.

The group has assisted local groups like Blair In Bloom and helps undertake regular litter-picking work around the town. They organise fundraising activities such as running a second-hand charity shop and the annual BRAN Fun Run. The Cuttle Burn Project involved the fitting of a hand rail and wire netting, as well as new steps, which has enabled and encouraged many more local people and visitors to walk this famous local path. The funding has also covered the cost of purchasing a high-quality industrial rotary mower to help with the grass cutting to keep the area tidy.

BRAN relies entirely on volunteers and has already over 50 supporters, of whom about half are active on regular work parties. The interest generated by the projects helps to maintain a steady flow of new volunteers which many other organisations struggle to achieve. The volunteers cover a wide range of abilities, which allows them all to participate and to make a difference to the local paths. This, in turn, encourages many more locals and visitors alike to enjoy walking the paths and the stunning countryside that they cross.

Blairgowrie and The Glens

Blairgowrie and Rattray Access Network


The Burrelton Community Café was awarded £842.53 towards the setting up of a community café in order to help create a community spirit among all age groups within the area.

Weekly lunches have taken place on Tuesdays serving soup, rolls, cake, tea and coffee. The biggest number of weekly participants were 55 adults and 10 children during half-term week. Normally there are around 31 adults and 5 children attending. All ages attend from babes in arms to people in their 80’s, all socialising together and helping to engender a community spirit in the village. Those who live on their own come along and so the café helps to combat social isolation. The group are also involved with the charity FareShare and receive supplies from them on a weekly basis. Through this scheme the group can make a variety of foods which are given to any local families who have been identified as being in need.

People look forward to attending the café. They have an opportunity to contribute to the community they live in and this gives a sense of purpose. They have somewhere to go so that they don’t feel isolated and they have people to talk to who may well be in the same position as themselves. The café is able to cover its running costs and donates to charities nominated by the customers.

Strathmore

Burrelton Community Café


The Kinross & District Men’s Shed Photography Project was awarded £2,000 to encourage men to learn and develop a new skill and to gain confidence and form friendships instead of sitting at home alone.

The funding was used to purchase a laptop, software, camera, printer and binder. A Photography Group with 18 members was established and produced a 2019 Calendar, of which over 200 were sold across the community. Some members took the photographs, some were involved in the computer editing and some in the physical production of the calendar. Everyone involved was delighted with the finished item and a 2020 Calendar is being arranged.

When the funding was received the Men’s Shed had thirty-five members. This has grown to around 100, highlighting the success of the Photography Group in particular. There were several individuals who had never taken a photograph before and are now keen to participate. The project and funding allowed the men to develop their confidence, resulting in several men purchasing their own cameras and going outdoors taking pictures and forming friendships, with some members now travelling together to take pictures further afield. This has brought significant benefits to the quality of life of members and the wider community.

Kinross-shire

Kinross & District Men’s Shed Photography Project


The Errol Parish Church Revive Community Café was awarded £915 towards equipping the café to look more attractive, inviting and cheerful as well as improving health and safety.

The increased publicity for the café helped to make the village more aware of what the project was trying to achieve. A Men’s Breakfast Club was started in October 2018 and meets on the second Saturday of each month. Numbers have increased to 30 people, with an average of 20 people weekly. The café is open 46 weeks of the year with breaks for Summer and Christmas. The café also hosted the January Get Together Community Lunch in partnership with the Eastern Perthshire Local Action Partnership, which was designed to offer a free, fun family activity in the period after Christmas, when families can sometimes struggle.

The café staff have developed a greater knowledge and understanding of the problems of their regulars. Staff are now not just there to serve but to spend time speaking to people and listening carefully to their problems. The Get Together Lunch provided a positive response from the community and ended up with 10 new volunteers offering their help. For some members of the community it was the first time they had been out to lunch for years. The café gives the community a place to chat, share problems and just relax.

Carse of Gowrie

Errol Revive Community Café


Highland

Pitlochry Pavilion User Groups (PUGs)

The Pitlochry Pavilion User Group (PUGs) were awarded £1,250 towards improving the facilities and equipment available in the local sports pavilion, thereby allowing young people to access new sporting opportunities in Highland Perthshire.

Equipment was bought and installed which has allowed the group to offer youth football two nights per week and up to four matches at the weekend throughout the football season (August -March). The participants were all under 12 years of age and from across Highland Perthshire. The group were able to host the annual Youth Football Festivals in June 2018 and 2019, which attracted teams from across Scotland. This year there were 650 players and an attendance in excess of 2,200 people. The event is now a fixture in the Highland Perthshire calendar and has attracted applications already for 2020. Heartland FM supported the promotion of the event prior to the day and then broadcasted live from the park for the entire afternoon, producing videos and audio interviews which were shared across social media and are now available to download via podcast and YouTube channels. Many of the local traders reported an increase in trade for the weekend of the Youth Football Festivals event and many of the competitors stay for at least one night.

The funding has enabled young people to access sporting facilities that may

otherwise have not been available to them. There has been increased usage of the Recreation Ground, stopping car travel to facilities

outside Highland Perthshire. It has helped to create a sense of ownership

for young people and the large football festival, coupled with an increase in weekly

usage has helped showcase the park to a wider community, encouraging others to use the space.

The Recreation Park has been nominated for an award in the Fields in Trust Best Park in UK event.


The Crieff Juniors Walking Football Club was awarded £2,735 to help provide a weekly opportunity to try Walking Football. Despite the concept of “walking” it provided a very good cardio workout and certainly has provided the opportunity for the inactive to become more active.

Since receiving the funding, weekly sessions of Walking Football have taken place at Strathearn Community Campus. The average attendance is around 12 players each week, with 25 different individuals coming along to try the game. A friendly match against the local Round Table was organised, which attracted press coverage in the Strathearn Herald and strip sponsorship from a local hotel. The Crieff Juniors Walking Football Facebook page now has 55 people following it, with a number of photographs and videos of games being shared.

The group has provided the opportunity for participants to increase their physical activity and to form new friendships. In addition to the weekly sessions a Christmas meal was organised with most of the group attending. A small committee was formed, and a bingo tea and a quiz night organised to highlight the group within the local community. Without the funding there is no way this group could have been set up and be able to continue and

flourish as it has and provide so many the opportunities to participate.

Strathearn and StrathallanCrieff Juniors Walking Football Club

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