North Ayrshire Green Health Partnership Blog November 2020

Hello everyone, David here. So, we are in November now! It amazes me how fast the year flies in. As usual I just wanted to update you all on some developments within the North Ayrshire Green Health Partnership.

As I was saying in the last blog, it is still not possible at the moment for our community groups who are not registered as charities to deliver their normal Green Health activities. However, there are still several charitable organisations that are able to run activities e.g. my colleague Adaica’s Kilwinning Library Green Gym, Scottish Wildlife Trust groups, Barrmill Conservation Group to name a few. If you want to know more about joining these activities, then get in touch. My contact details are below.

I wanted to remind everyone that our Green Health Development Fund 2020/2021 is closing on 9am November 23rd. This is open to non-profit, community group or organisation providing a service based in North Ayrshire, serving the people of North Ayrshire. There are pots of up to £1500, £5000 and £10,000 available for groups to apply for. The overall aim is for greater use of the outdoors to help improve physical activity, mental wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. If you want to know more about the fund then please go to www.nagreenhealth.org.uk where you can download all of the appropriate documents – criteria, application form and accompanying guidelines. Our Virtual Green Health Network on Wednesday the 7th October 6pm – 8pm is now available to watch on this link as well. This is a recording of our presentation of the Green Health Development Fund and a Q and A session.

Another thing to highlight is that The Conservation Volunteers Community Network is still FREE up until the end of the year 2020. If you apply now you still get a full year free from when you start and you are not tied into it for the following year! Why wouldn’t you want to try it out. Well use this link to find out about the benefits.

Your annual free membership entitles you to the following:

  • Discounted public liability and personal accident insurance.
  • Exclusive access to TCV’s Community Network website; created to provide our Community Network Members with the support they need in one, easy to access, place.
  • A range of discounts from TCV’s suppliers of tools, trees, seeds and equipment.
  • Funding Support – TCV can help groups find funding through Grantfinder or Chestnut Fund,
  • Discounted access to our online conservation handbooks – the definitive guides to managing the countryside and green spaces.
  • As well as some other great benefit.

Something to finish with is an ask for people of North Ayrshire to let me know some of your favourite Greenspaces and highlights of those places throughout the year. Whether its because the autumn colours of a woodland are beautiful; the wildlife in an area interests you or an animal in particular; an activity that you love to do to help boost your mental health. Let me know and we will add them to a new shiny project we are working on for the benefit of people in North Ayrshire.

If you want to know more about the Green Health Development Fund, TCV Community Network Membership or any of our wider GHP work get in contact with me on d.meechan@tcv.org.uk or 07773200525.