A local football club is keeping cosy on pitch thanks to a funding boost from North Ayrshire Council’s Participatory Budgeting Fund (PB).
Approved in the last round of Participatory Budgeting (PB) funding – a type of community empowerment funding where funds are allocated to groups via a public vote – Largs Colts 2013s were the recipients of almost £1,000 in the November 2024 funding cycle.
David Riley, Coach and Secretary with Largs Colts 2013s said:
“We are delighted to have been successful with our recent PB application, as voted for by residents in the North Coast. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time out to vote for us.
“We had first heard about participatory budgeting from the Council’s Facebook page and we decided to give it a go.
“It was brilliant to have been one of the lucky groups as during the winter months on the west coast it can be very cold, wet and windy making it challenging for our young players who practice football all year round.
“We were very grateful to receive the full £999 funding we requested which enabled us to buy fleece lined and waterproof jackets for all of the players which have went down a treat at training and games meaning less time shivering and more time playing football.
“The players are all delighted, and it has helped to build team spirit as the matching jackets give them a more professional look.
“An added bonus for us coaches is that we were able to personalise these for each player which has meant less time spent trying to reunite lost jackets with the correct owners at the end of a session!
“We would like to extend a huge thanks to the North Coast Locality team, their help and communication was excellent and the whole process was simple and smooth throughout.”
Over 190 community groups and projects have been successful in receiving their share of North Ayrshire’s £171,377 PB funding since November 2024.
These groups were part of either locality PB or youth PB – with community projects covering the themes of health and wellbeing, building community spirit, cost of living, green projects and youth voice and rights.
