Projects completed in 2024 | Blackhill Windfarm Community Fund

Gavinton, Fogo & Polwarth Community Council

Year Completed:

2024

Funds Received - £862.69

Unpaid Work Project – Community Improvements

This project aimed to refurbish and repair a number of local amenities in our local area. Using funding from the Blackhill Community Windfarm to pay for the cost of materials the SBC unpaid work team carried out upgrades to 2 local bus shelters, railings, benches, cutting back shrubbery and renewal of the information signs at Hunters Bridge at Fogo.

This work is now complete and will benefit residents in Gavinton, Fogo & Polwarth, enhancing the local environment and ensuring that local amenities are well maintained and pleasant to use.

Works included - a new information board at the Hunters bridge at Fogo – the previous board had become rotten and fallen. Visitors can now view information on the area and local wildlife.

Wooden bus shelter on the Main Duns Road was cleared of ivy and shrubbery and the wood painted with a protective coating. The roof was found to be rotten and required to be replaced.

Wooden School Transport bus shelter on the Fogo Road, Gavinton. The shelter was cleared of vegetation and the wood was sanded and treated with a protective coat of paint. This is now a much cleaner and more pleasant shelter for the children of Gavinton.

Refurbished railings on the footpath to Langton Burn. Railings were sanded and treated or replaced where necessary.

Replacement bench on Gavinton Village Green- provided at no extra cost by the unpaid work scheme. The previous bench was found to be beyond repair.

Wooden benches on Main Street, Fogo Road and at the Graveyard in Gavinton were sanded and treated.

We thank the Blackhill Community Windfarm Fund for kindly supporting this project and our community.

Kind Regards

Amanda Stewart

Chair- Gavinton, Fogo & Polwarth Community Council

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Borders Youth Theatre

Year Completed:

2024

Funds Received - £3,500.00

The project allowed older residents from the Westruther community to share their memories and experiences with Primary 4 to 7 pupils from the primary school. In turn, the young people learned drama skills which they used to develop and perform an original piece of theatre for the older group, parents and others from the community.

In the past, younger and older members of families tended to live close to one another and share experiences. More recently, as it has become easier to move around and work patterns have changed, young and old often find themselves in different communities, making less contact with one another. This can lead to uncertainties and suspicions, even fears, building up. The aim of these Intergenerational Projects is to bring together young and older members of communities to meet and talk, share experiences and break down these uncertainties and suspicions.

Over the Summer 2024 term, pupils from Primaries 4 to 7 at Westruther Primary School worked on this project. They were led in this by two leaders from Borders Youth Theatre who have considerable experience running these projects. The pupils met several times with a number of the older residents from the surrounding area. They asked them to share their memories of life as a child - school, home, entertainment, games and food. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. From these, the young people shared this information with one another and chose the information which they found most interesting. With the help of the leaders from Borders Youth Theatre, they young people then tried to re-create some of these memories as drama sketches. The result was an original piece of theatre which was performed to the older group and to peers, parents and the community at large in the local village hall. This was good fun and enjoyed by all.

Although the performance is the end product which everyone can see, it is not the main aim of the project. More important are the links which are made between older and younger generations, the sharing of information and experiences and the breaking down of some of the barriers and misconceptions which sometimes exist. We hope that some of these links might continue in the future. The young people have learned to gather then select and share information, to work with others to develop ways to portray this information and, finally, to work as a whole group to prepare something they can perform to a wider audience.

It is hoped the young people have also learned something of what their life might have been like 60 or more years ago and that older people have led interesting lives and are still interesting people. (A full summary of pupil feedback is included.) We are grateful to all the older residents who took part. They are obviously essential to the project. We know from feedback that the older folk have enjoyed meeting the young people. They realise that their own experiences are interesting and valuable and that, although life now is very different to that of 60 years ago, young people are much the same. We are particularly grateful to the staff at the school who all made us most welcome.

This project would not have been possible without the financial support of Blackhill Windfarm Community Fund. We are particularly grateful to them for supporting a project which is slightly outside their focus area.

Thank you

Interest Links Borders

Year Completed:

2024

Funds Received - £2,000.00

We were founded by carers in 1990, and our befriending projects improve the quality of life of socially excluded children (aged 8+), young people and adults with learning disabilities, overcoming social barriers and lack of opportunity and giving respite to family carers.

Currently 245 members (of the 300 total) are being supported by 200 peer-age volunteers, including around 70 of school-age. Under supervision of staff they nurture friendships, provide opportunities and improve wellbeing, confidence & social skills. Our support is longterm and sustained throughout transitions. It is also excellent preparation for employment and independent living and provides regular respite for around 290 family carers.

Our service model has developed through co-production with families and members and is unique for its variety and the numbers it supports. It currently includes 50 traditional 1:1 links and 305 member places in 38 befriending groups. Groups meet in community venues, schools and on Zoom, and activities are similar to mainstream youth and social groups, including arts & crafts, drama, film, gardening, music, cookery, keep fit, games, outdoor adventures and overnight trips.

Our service is delivered through four local projects (Berwickshire, Central Borders, Roxburgh and Tweeddale) each with its own staff and local committee of stakeholders. They work with schools, Borders College, Social Work and care providers to reach as many members as possible. Volunteers are PVG checked, trained (including adult and child protection) & supported by staff.

The need for the service

Our members have a lifelong condition that affects their development and means they need help to understand information, learn skills and live independently. Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome & Autism are often involved, with high accompanying levels of epilepsy & sensory impairment.

They are socially excluded throughout their lives: Most are taught in additional needs units and lack opportunities for friendships and activities that are crucial to wellbeing and achieving their full potential: Only around 1% of people with learning disabilities have a partner in adult life and 5% a job. They are at risk if they go into the community on their own and there are almost no mainstream community activities they can access.

Family carers have a role which is difficult to sustain, isolating, reduces their opportunities, affects their wellbeing and makes them twice as likely to live in poverty.

The need for community involvement, friendships and activities that are fun and enable personal growth is consistently expressed by the members, families and care professionals we work with and is well-recognised in academic studies & government strategies.

Berwickshire Activities 2023-24

In the 12 months to the end of June 2024 the branch supported 64 members with learning disabilities, up from 60 the previous year.

We now have 82 member places in 10 befriending groups (compared with 66 places in 9 groups a year ago). 1:1 links were up slightly from 14 to 15 and 14 members had both a 1:1 link and a group, or were in more than one group.
70 family carers enjoyed short break respite (60 last year).
Branch Co-ordinators Kate Borthwick (Youth) Angela Laidlaw (Adults) deliver the service, along with sessional workers, tutors and 40 volunteers.

Two new fortnightly groups were started: a New Age Kurling club in Kelso with 13 members (many of whom we already support) and a general social group in Eyemouth with 6 new members aged 20-38.

See a breakdown of Berwickshire groups and 1:1 links.

Highlights of the year included:

Summer Trips for the youth groups in July 2023
Our Friendship Day in October 2023
In November 2023 Interest Link won the Community Youth Provision category in the Inspire Awards, recognising the impact and outstanding contributions of young people.
Here Our Voice, a Joint Drama production with Borders Youth Theatre in Jan-March 2024.
Almost 200 people took part in our second Charmian Challenge fun run in April 2024. Held in memory of former director Charmian Ledsham, it was covered on ITV news.
In May 2024 we ran an overnight trip to Haggerston Castle (see video & photoreport). This was a joint trip between branches, ensuring new friends were made.

A massive vote of thanks goes to all our amazing volunteers and our funders over the last year: our work would not be possible without their fantastic support.

Berwickshire Outcomes at a Glance

June 2024 Berwickshire Survey

We surveyed supported members, family carers, volunteers, tutors and care professionals in June 2024, using accessible questionnaires deployed face-to-face, online and by telephone and post.

Response rates	Members	Family carers	Volunteers
	46%	48%	42%

Main Outcomes:
Impact on Members	More Friends	More opportunities	Greater Happiness	Improved Confidence	Increased Self-esteem	Better Social Skills
Reported by Themselves	97%	100%	100%	94%	100%	100%
Reported by Carers	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%
Reported by Volunteers	94%		100%	100%	100%	100%

Impact on Family Carers	More Opportunities Outside Caring	Eased or More Sustainable Caring Role	Greater Wellbeing
Reported by Themselves	95%	100%	100%
Reported by Social Care Professionals	85%	95%	95%

Impact on Volunteers	Increased LD Awareness	More confidence with people with Learning Disabilities
Reported by Themselves	93%	93%

Other responses:	Members	Family carers	Volunteers	Social Care Professionals
Service still needed	100%	100%		100%
Feel valued & supported by Interest Link	100%		100%
Volunteering has met hopes and expectations			100%
Safe & Professional Service					100%

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Keeping Duns Bloomin Marvelous

Year Completed:

2024

Funds Received - £2,988.71

Keeping Duns Bloomin Marvelous was started in 2015 and has contiued to go from strength to strength. In 2019 they purchased Billy Bowser (water tank on back of Polaris vehicle) which is used to keep everything alive and they would not be able to survive without it. There are now 23 beds in Duns that are filled with sustainable planting, which does not need watering. However, there are many planters throughout the town and a veg patch which need watering on a regular basis and all new beds also need watered in.

Billy Bowser is a fully electric vehicle which is serviced by Reivers Garage, free of charge. In 2022 the batteries started to go faulty and in 2023 a new set of 8 batteries where needed.

Thank you to BWCF for 100% of funding for the new batteries.