A PB (Participatory Budgeting) event was held on Saturday 10 March 2018 at Hanover Street School. The purpose of the event was to award funding to initiatives aiming to improve the communities of George Street, Castlehill and Pittodrie, and the City Centre.
Total funding of £25,000 was available from Aberdeen City Council’s Fairer Aberdeen Fund. 21 proposals were presented and then voted on by residents. Funding was awarded to 14 projects that were most popular. You can read more about the projects that were funded below:
Hanover Street Outdoor Adventures
Hanover Street Primary School
Funding awarded: £2,500
Funding is awarded to allow the school to develop their outdoor space and gain resources to create, use and maintain this. They would like to have a sensory, inviting area for children to play, explore, develop and learn outdoors. As an extension to the “Wee Green Spaces” project the nursery staff are developing, they would like all children in the school (not just nursery) to use it as a learning space.
Connecting Cultures
Hanover Street Primary School
Funding awarded: £1,000
Funding is awarded for the Pupil and Parent Council to organise a “connecting cultures” event. It will continue to build a stronger sense of multi-cultural community among the different nationalities/cultural backgrounds of the pupils and families who attend the school. The event will encourage people to socialise and to share their cultural habits by providing an afternoon with a variety of refreshments and national music. As well as pupils/families, those from the nearby sheltered housing and community centres will also be invited to attend.
Kids in the Kitchen
CFINE
Funding awarded: £2,460
Funding is awarded to enable CFINE to put on cooking classes/workshop for children between the ages of 10 and 16. These classes would be educational in nature including healthy eating messages, sugar smart workshops and costing out recipes for shopping budgets. The workshops would also have a fun element with participants being encouraged to put together their own menu. Courses will be held over 3 or 4 sessions lasting 2-3 hours. At the end of the course participants would be able to invite two people into taste their food and to see them receive a certificate for their work.
Awesome Tech in TX
Digital Maker CIC
Funding awarded: £1,980
Funding is awarded to allow Digital Maker CIC to run a 5 week club for up to 20 pupils aged 10-16 working in groups of 4, building, programming and experimenting with automated cars. The participants will gain the opportunity of using world class, cutting edge autonomous robotics and programming techniques.
Common room upgrade at Greig Court
Greig Court Tenants Association
Funding awarded: £357
Funding is awarded to enhance the facilities at the common room in Greig Court by purchasing chairs. The common room was decorated and carpeted a couple of years ago but lacks suitable seating to allow tenant group meetings to take place. Having the new seating will allow the common room to be used more by other residents and groups that want to meet and they could also hold children’s parties etc.
Youth activities at Froghall
Froghall Community Centre Association
Funding awarded: £500
Funding is awarded to purchase equipment to facilitate youth activities and exercise. The activities are aimed at school age children and youths, this will be of obvious benefit to the young people in the area and will encourage young people to have an alternative to hanging about the streets. They will be working closely with the active schools group who have offered to help in these activities.
Capoeira martial arts and dance
Froghall Community Centre Association
Funding awarded: £1,755
Funding is awarded to provide some interesting and exciting activities for youths and young adults in the area. They need to find activities which will capture participants' imagination and generate interest. The martial art, exercise and street dance set to music is very popular and a tutor has been identified who can provide these sessions. They are endeavouring to give local youths a place to go and will engage them in other activities.
Solidarity Fridges
Claire Delhumeau and Josh Willey
Funding awarded: £964
Solidarity Fridges aims to put in place public fridges. Deriving from a German concept of food sharing, they intend to provide several local shops, restaurants or cafes with fridges to be placed outside the selected outlets during opening hours only. Inside the fridges, businesses can put unsold, fresh and edible food. Individuals from the public are also able to contribute fresh, edible, uncooked and un-opened items, preferably dry food and vegetables. Anyone in need is then free to take food. Volunteers will oversee fundraising, provide the fridges, advertise them and support businesses.
Out & About
Four Pillars
Funding awarded: £2,500
This social group was set up to allow individuals a meeting point that does not solely revolve around alcohol. They recognise that a growing number of individuals were becoming isolated and withdrawn from others due to the lack of a meeting place. The current age of the group ranges from 20 to late 60s. By offering a safe space for the LGBT community to meet it has allowed once isolated members of the community to join in activities outside of their homes. The outings can be crucial for allowing individuals to open up, be honest with each other and get the support they need to move forward.
Grampian T Folk
Four Pillars
Funding awarded: £2,500
The Grampian T-Folk is a small group of transgender individuals who meet monthly to socialise, learn, share experiences, support and grow together. Funding will cover members’ travel expenses, specialist speakers and social outings to allow the group to grow and encourage the members from different types of backgrounds to come together and share their experiences, build confidence, friendships and knowledge.
Girls Club @ Cruyff Court
Active Girls Committee, Active Schools, Sport Aberdeen
Funding awarded: £1,608
Active Schools alongside their Active Girls Committee (S3-S5 secondary pupils) are planning to organise a Girls Club at Cruyff Court on Wednesdays between 5pm and 6pm. The Girls Club’s main focus is around increasing physical activity among girls and young women in the local area, but will have a strong focus on everyone being welcome, having fun, socialising with old and new friend, positive use of young female role models and an opportunity to try new sports/activities.
Improvements to ASLSC changing huts
Aberdeen Surf Life Saving Club
Funding awarded: £2,876
Funding is awarded to improve their current club hut. The improvements would involve making two changing rooms with a hot shower in each. These renovations would allow the start-up of a youth section. It would also make the club more accessible to new members, youth and adult, thus encouraging more people to access and enjoy the sea. The addition of more club members would allow the club to re-establish the provision of free beach lifeguard cover at weekends in the summer months.
Replace doors in changing huts
Aberdeen Surf Life Saving Club
Funding awarded: £2,200
Funding is awarded to replace the current wooden doors of the club hut at the beach. The current doors are not fit for purpose and because of the lack of secure sealing doors much of the equipment in the hut has deteriorated.
Farmers market and May Day fun day
Greater George Street Traders Association
Funding awarded: £1,800
Funding is awarded to provide a farmers market to George Street. These markets have already been popular in Thistle Street and Belmont Street. With funding to provide the costs to set up the market and the stall charges, the organisers are confident it will really enhance George Street and help contribute to the area's social well-being. Creating the May Day fun day element would allow them to engage with local retailers, residents and organisations. The market would not only attract extra footfall it would generate extra sales for local retailers and help to maintain a positive environment for local residents.