Issue - meetings

Opportunity for verbal updates from Area Community Planning Group Partners

Meeting: 26/04/2022 - Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group (Item 5)

Opportunity for verbal updates from Area Community Planning Group Partners

:

Minutes:

Niall Colthart, Islay Community Council

 

Niall Colthart highlighted that one of the main issues on Islay was transport links, with ferry availability causing serious concern. He noted that the Islay Communities Ferry Group was working with Caledonian MacBrayne in relation to this.

 

Niall also advised that the availability of workers, and particularly key workers, was causing concern. He noted that this was being affected by the lack of affordable accommodation on the island. He advised that Islay Airport had put in place two accommodation pods to house their staff, and were now making these available for health and social care workers during May to allow agency staff to be housed on the island.

 

Tracy Robertson, Fyne Homes

 

Tracy advised that she was a part of the steering group for the Home Argyll Partnership. She noted that she was able to assist with any queries for Registered Social Landlords in the area, and could take these forward for a response or signpost people appropriately.

 

Heather Thomas-Smith, Argyll and the Isles Tourism Co-operative (AITC)

 

Heather Thomas-Smith provided information in relation to AITC’s recent annual summit, which had marked their 10 year anniversary. She also provided details of the new Above and Below partnership, and the recent AITC Roadshow event.

 

Heather noted that the main message from recent events had been that businesses were struggling with staffing, and this was affecting the services that they could provide. She also highlighted the impact of the increasing cost of fuel. She advised that work was ongoing to bring people together to collaborate on potential solutions to these issues, and invited anyone who may wish to be involved in this to get in touch with her.

:


Meeting: 21/04/2022 - Helensburgh and Lomond Community Planning Group (Item 4)

Opportunity for verbal updates from Area Community Planning Group Partners

:

Minutes:

Gill Simpson, Helensburgh Community Hub

 

Gill Simpson confirmed that she would provide an update from Helensburgh Community Hub for circulation to the Group following the meeting.

 

Jayne Burnett, Visiting Friends

 

Jayne Burnett advised that Visiting Friends continued to offer a one-to-one befriending service, and had also provided opportunities for people to attend joint events. She provided examples of a recent joint event with Grey Matters Active Aging, and an upcoming ‘Bake Off’ style event with Jean’s Bothy.

 

Jayne advised that many people were keen to attend joint events, but were still more comfortable attending smaller events. She provided information around the ongoing work to encourage members to address the barriers to people being comfortable in public spaces following the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions, and noted that the organisation had been helping people with transport and general support. 

 

Jayne advised that Visiting Friends were happy to get referrals for new members, and were continually looking for volunteers. She noted that Visiting Friends had 35 matches at the moment.

 

Rhona Grant asked about the age range of people for Visiting Friends services, and Jayne confirmed that all adults were welcome, although the largest proportion of the client base were elderly people. Jayne agreed to provide details of Visiting Friend’s website and leaflets to Rhona to be shared through the Live Argyll Community Learning Service network. The Chair advised that any electronic copies of leaflets could also be shared via the Group’s Basecamp site.

 

Alasdair MacCuish, Helensburgh Gaelic Group

 

Alasdair advised that the work of the group was continuing, with the next session starting on 26 April.

 

Duncan MacLachlan, Arrochar and Tarbet Community Development Trust/Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs

 

Duncan MacLachlan advised that the Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs had been successful in securing alternative funding for the Two Lochs project, to ensure the provision of temporary toilet facilities and wardens. He advised that this funding was not at the same level as it had been previously, but would still ensure that some provision could be put in place. He thanked Argyll and Bute Council; Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park; Luss Estates Company; the Hannah Stirling Loch Lomond Fund; and the local Just Giving Business Support Scheme for their support. He advised that the Friends would also be applying to NatureScot’s Green Recovery Fund to support an additional interface for visitors.

 

Duncan confirmed that the layby litter scheme on Loch Lomondside would be continuing, and it was hoped that this would be as successful as it had been in the previous year. Sarah Davies advised that they were following a similar model in Helensburgh, and this was a good example of partnership working. Duncan confirmed that the layby litter scheme had been a collective operation, with lots of good examples of partnership working.

 

Duncan also confirmed that the Windows on the Loch project would continue when wardens and volunteers were available.

 

:


Meeting: 19/04/2022 - Bute and Cowal Community Planning Group (Item 6)

Opportunity for verbal updates from Area Community Planning Group Partners

:

Minutes:

Reeni Kennedy-Boyle, Fyne Futures

 

Reeni Kennedy-Boyle provided an update on their work as lead member of the Employability Partnership in redesigning how it operated. She advised that she hoped to strengthen partnership working with Live Argyll’s Community Learning Service, to ensure that all partners were effectively working together to ensure the best use of resources.

 

Reeni also provided information in relation to work with Inspiralba on a successful employability pilot project for school leavers and those up to 24 years of age. She noted that, following the success of this pilot project, funding had been extended and it was hoped that the project could be replicated for those over 25 years of age who were classed as long-term unemployed.

 

Reeni advised of ongoing work around the No One Left Behind initiative, supporting people back to work through wage-based learning opportunities. She also outlined information regarding the successful Incredible Edible project; work with Live Argyll’s Community Learning Service to support the adult learning cohort; and the employment of a full time volunteer co-ordinator.

:


Meeting: 10/02/2022 - Helensburgh and Lomond Community Planning Group (Item 5)

Opportunity for verbal updates from Area Community Planning Group Partners

:

Minutes:

John Lewis, Males Tales & Females Tales

 

John Lewis advised that a Wellbeing and Community Day would be held at the Drumfork Centre on 14th May and invited any groups that would like to promote their services at the event to contact him at malestales@yahoo.co.uk . He agreed to provide further information to the Group in relation to the event in due course.

 

Shona Barton, Committee Manager, Argyll and Bute Council

 

Shona Barton highlighted that there may be some vacancies for election staff in the Helensburgh & Lomond area for the Local Government Election on 5th May 2022, and anyone who was interested in putting themselves forward for these roles could contact electionstaffing@argyll-bute.gov.uk .

 

David Moore (Chair), Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

 

The Chair noted that it was clear from the partner updates which had been provided that there was a lot of great work being carried out by partners, and suggested that it may be beneficial to collate a directory of these services to be shared with the Group. John Lewis noted that he was also working on the launch of a Helensburgh and Lomond Health and Wellbeing directory, in conjunction with other partners. Fiona Baker advised that Destination Helensburgh kept a list of all local organisations and they would be happy to promote any new directories which were available.

 

Shona Barton agreed to collate a directory, in discussion with the Chair, Vice-Chair and partners, which provided details of the local groups and events which had been highlighted.

 

The Chair advised that anyone who may be looking for volunteers, or to publicise events in the area, could upload details to the Group’s Basecamp site or forward information to Iona Campbell or Shona Barton for onward dissemination to the Group.

 

Angela Anderson, Plastic Free Helensburgh and Time for Change Argyll and Bute

 

Angela Anderson advised that a written update on the activities of Plastic Free Helensburgh and Time for Change Argyll and Bute would be circulated to the Group following the meeting. She highlighted work which was being undertaken alongside Helensburgh Community Council to investigate the issue of litter and also noted that regular beach cleans were scheduled. It was noted that the next beach clean was scheduled for 13th April 2022, and Angela suggested that this may be a good diversionary tactic for youths following earlier discussions. Angela advised that volunteers for beach clean events were always welcome, and encouraged any groups who may be wish to take part to get in touch.

 

Angela also highlighted work which was planned in advance of the Local Government election in May to encourage voter turnout and provide a platform for prospective Councillors to give their views on the climate emergency.

 

Jayne Burnett, Visiting Friends

 

Jayne Burnett advised that Visiting Friends were continuing to provide befriending services to the community, and were always looking for volunteers. She noted that there had been a large increase in the number of referrals to the service, particularly those with complex mental health issues, and the level of service which could be provided was dependent on the number of volunteers the organisation had.

 

Jayne advised that she would be happy to attend a future meeting to discuss the work of Visiting Friends in more detail, and noted that she would also be interested in attending the Wellbeing and Community Day mentioned by John Lewis.

 

Kirsty Moyes, Community Development Team Lead, Argyll and Bute Council

 

Kirsty Moyes highlighted a support session taking place on 24th February 2022 which was aimed at community organisations and would provide information around how best to support people in engaging with the upcoming Census. She confirmed that key population groups who may have difficulties taking part in the Census were being targeted for support, in conjunction with other agencies.

 

Kirsty advised that she would provide further information in relation to this to be circulated to the Group following the meeting.

 

Fiona Baker, Rhu and Shandon Community Council

 

Fiona Baker advised that the Community Council were particularly focused on matters around road safety, forestry and the Empowering our Educators consultation.

 

Fiona Baker, Friends of Hermitage Park

 

Fiona advised that the sad decision to dissolve the charity had been made at the Friends of Hermitage Park AGM in December, following a breakdown in partnership working. She advised that she would be happy to take part in discussions with anyone who was interested in progressing the work of the group.

 

Alasdair MacCuish, Helensburgh Gaelic Group

 

Alasdair MacCuish provided information around an online Argyll Gathering event being held on the 12th of March, which would consist of a morning panel and an afternoon workshop.

 

The Chair advised that an online Gaelic language consultation was being undertaken by SFRS, and he confirmed that details of this would be circulated to the Group following the meeting.

 

Sephton MacQuire suggested that it may be beneficial to provide phonetic spellings for Gaelic, and Alasdair advised that this could be difficult with the Gaelic language pronunciation but he would take this into consideration. Alasdair advised that the Helensburgh Gaelic Group meet regularly on a Tuesday afternoon in the Parish Church and he would encourage anyone interested to come along.

 

Sophia McArdle, Royal Navy Family and People Support

 

Sophia McArdle highlighted the youth group which was available from 3:30pm in the Cabin, noting that she would provide further information around this to the Group following the meeting and efforts were also being made to promote this within schools.

 

Sophia also noted that the Base Warrant Officer, Robert (Bobby) Rennie, for HM Naval Base Clyde, hoped to join the Group at the next meeting.

:


Meeting: 02/02/2022 - Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group (Item 4)

Opportunity for verbal updates from Area Community Planning Group Partners

:

Minutes:

Ian Brodie, East Kintyre Community Council

 

Ian Brodie advised that East Kintyre Community Council were involved in discussions around a number of projects, including battery storage development at Carradale Sub Station; West Torrisdale Wind Farm; the Scottish and Southern Energy Network (SSEN) Inveraray to Crossaig pylon project; and plans for a new SSEN power cable from Carradale to Arran.

 

Lucy Sumsion, National Farmers Union Scotland

 

Lucy Sumsion provided further information in relation to the new Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2021 legislation which had been put in place to protect livestock from attack and strengthen penalties for those who did not comply. Lucy noted that a launch event to provide local education on this was being planned, with further events expected to take place across the local area in due course. Councillor Armour asked if it would be possible for him to be invited to the launch event, and Lucy confirmed that she would enquire about this.

 

Lucy also provided information in relation to an online rural crime event which had taken place, with a particular emphasis on the east side of Kintyre which had seen an increase in crimes such as quad bike thefts in recent times. She advised that a Police Scotland representative had attended the event to discuss prevention techniques to assist in avoiding future incidents. Lucy noted that it was hoped that a similar on-farm event would also be arranged in due course.

:


Meeting: 18/11/2021 - Helensburgh and Lomond Community Planning Group (Item 4)

Opportunity for verbal updates from Area Community Planning Group Partners

:

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Kirsty Moyes, Community Development Officer, Argyll and Bute Council

 

Kirsty Moyes confirmed that the Community Development Team continued to provide capacity support, and were hoping to relaunch the Supporting Communities Fund at the beginning of 2022. She confirmed that further information in relation to the Supporting Communities Fund would be provided in due course.

 

Duncan MacLachlan advised that he would encourage any local groups to enquire about this funding, and noted that Kirsty had been very helpful during the application process.

 

Dr Faye Tudor, Argyll College UHI

 

Dr Tudor advised that the new academic year had started, and all centres had re-opened. She noted that some students had returned to learning centres, and this was being monitored in line with government guidance. It was confirmed that, where there was a requirement to do so, students were being prioritised for physical attendance at centres according to their individual learning needs. 

 

Dr Tudor provided information around the steps being taken to address digital poverty, including the provision of laptops and internet dongles for students. She also outlined the ways that Argyll College UHI were supporting students by promoting Health and Wellbeing Services, as well as arranging one-to-one sessions to identify any support required.

 

Dr Tudor highlighted that applications were open for the next academic year, and confirmed that an open day event was being held online on 24th November 2021. She encouraged anyone who was interested in this to check the Argyll College UHI website for further details.

 

Paula Darbyshire, Argyll and Bute TSI

 

Paula Darbyshire advised that she had recently started as a Service Adviser with Argyll and Bute TSI. She outlined information around a new Health and Wellbeing Fund being distributed, noting that consultation around this would be ongoing until 23rd November 2021 and all relevant information was available on the website.

 

Paula confirmed that Young Person’s Guarantee referrals were still being taken, and advised that there were good mentors on board with the project and lots of good opportunities to learn valuable skills.

 

Paula also provided an update on a new Inveraray Hub; a new TSI strategy consultation coming out soon; and a new training needs analysis survey being developed. She noted that the Argyll and Bute TSI AGM would be held on 13th December 2021, and encouraged anyone who may be interested in any of the 3 vacant Trustee roles to get in touch.

 

Allan Comrie, Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT)

 

Allan Comrie advised that there had not been any significant update from the last meeting of the Group to report, confirming that a response had been submitted on proposed changes to the rail network and rail services from May 2022. He confirmed that SPT’s immediate focus was on providing public transport to vaccine centres, and this was ongoing.

 

Allan highlighted that the free bus travel scheme for young people under the age of 22 was scheduled to begin at the end of January 2022.

 

Allan also advised that SPT were in communication with Argyll and Bute Council around capital bids which would inform the Capital Programme for 2022-23.

 

Sarah Davies, Helensburgh Community Council

 

Sarah Davies confirmed that Helensburgh Community Council had returned to face-to-face meetings, although Zoom was still being used for Webinars. She also outlined information around work being undertaken in relation to bin surveys; work on the town centre; and the reinstatement of the Vision for Helensburgh project.

 

Sarah advised that regular beach cleans had now finished for the Winter, but would restart in February 2022.She also advised that a Remembrance Day event had been held in Hermitage Park, which was attended by approximately 500 people.

 

Sarah Davies, Fun First

 

Sarah Davies noted that a new manager had been appointed for Fun First and provided information around the recent activities of the group. She confirmed that more sessions had been implemented during the week, with at least one session taking place every day across various locations.

 

Sarah highlighted some new initiatives were being explored, which included the training of a new leader for sessions in Rosneath; parent yoga sessions; and Fun First Friends which was targeted at expectant parents and parents who were new to the area.

 

Sarah advised that fitness sessions had restarted in the last week, and an outdoor event had been held during Climate Week. She noted that the next big event scheduled was a Christmas party on 16th December 2021.

 

Sarah encouraged attendees to signpost anyone to Fun First that they felt may benefit from attending. Duncan advised that he commended the work of Fun First, and his family travelled from Arrochar to attend sessions. Sarah noted that Arrochar could be a potential future location for sessions, where resources allowed.

:


Meeting: 03/11/2021 - Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group (Item 5)

Opportunity for verbal updates from Area Community Planning Group Partners

:

Minutes:

Jen Broadhurst, Argyll and Bute Citizens Advice Bureau (A&B CAB)

 

Jen introduced herself as the manager of the A&B CAB, noting that this was her first time attending a meeting of the Group. Jen advised that the Lochgilphead office had now relocated to 18 Argyll Street and this had been well received. She provided an update on the current operations of A&B CAB, confirming that advice was available by telephone, e-mail, and virtual conferencing facilities, as well as face-to-face where there was an accessibility need for clients.

 

Jen highlighted a recruitment drive for more volunteer advisers, noting that a training programme was scheduled to start in January. She confirmed that there were also opportunities for volunteers in other areas such as administration and communications. Jen also provided information around the AGM scheduled to take place on 15th December 2021, and encouraged anyone interested in becoming a member of A&B CAB to get in touch.

 

Shona Barton suggested that it may be beneficial to share information around these opportunities with the Group via e-mail and Jen agreed to forward information around this following the meeting for circulation to the Group.

 

Margaret Wallace, Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface (A&B TSI)

 

Margaret Wallace advised that A&B TSI had been given responsibility for distributing a new Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund, and it was hoped that the Fund would be well received and applied for by local grassroots organisations. It was noted that A&B TSI were working with the Council’s Employability team to assist in delivering the Young Person’s Guarantee and offering placements, mentoring and training opportunities for those who required them. Margaret confirmed that the Inveraray Hub was nearing completion, and it was hoped that meetings and training could be held there in future. 

 

Ian Brodie, East Kintyre Community Council

 

Ian Brodie advised that East Kintyre were currently involved in consultations relating to a number of projects, including the Carradale-Arran power cable replacement project; the Narachan and West Torrisdale Windfarm applications;  the Auchnashavil Energy Storage Project; the Inveraray to Crossaig Reinforcement Project; and the expansion to Crossaig substation. Ian noted that while some of these projects were not directly within the East Kintyre Community Council area, they did affect the main lifeline road to the north and so any decisions did have an impact on local residents.

 

Ian confirmed that East Kintyre Community Council were also involved in a number of small projects around the village and general Community Council work.

: