ALDI LIVINGSTON - HOUSTOUN PK

We are a Church of Scotland parish, providing spiritual help and practical help to people in our area. We run a Preloved clothes shop and cafe weekly, providing nutritious soups, bread, tea & coffee, biscuits, cakes as well as a small amount of essentials foods etc to people in need, in a warm space. We have been able to run Christmas Day dinners in our hall for the past few years now. We can provide all this with generous donations from individuals, small local businesses and local supermarkets. We also run a youth group after school on Fridays which includes promoting independence with cooking.

The project explicitly aims to support young people aged 10-25 years from West Lothian who find themselves disadvantaged and in need of support. Our approach is a holistic and responsive service to young people and the communities they live in. The mission statement of the charity is as follows: "Your choice, your chance, your future, offering young people the chance to advance." Young people may be at risk of, or involved in crime, experiencing difficulties within the education system, unemployed, have problems with substance use, experience emotional or relationship difficulties. Or they simply wish to engage in constructive action and new opportunities to improve their personal circumstances and communities. The Youth Action Project engages with those young people who are isolated from mainstream youth services, through its detached youth work, early intervention, groupwork programmes, youth committees and other services. It also provides West Lothian Council and other interested bodies with the issues and concerns of young people who might not otherwise be heard. We have experienced many changes during the history of the organisation, adapting to the needs of young people in our society today. Recently we have seen a downward trend in mental health issues for young people, often triggered by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). Our organisation is fundraising in many different ways to purchase resources, training materials and costs for accreditation, to develop volunteer opportunities and to ensure that we can continue to deliver our vital services for some of our most disadvantaged young people in West Lothian. Examples of our services include: • Detached streetwork, which engaged 3435 young people last year, providing support advice, and information on many topics affecting young people. • Music project – Informal and tuition sessions for many young people who do not get the opportunity to study music at school and whose families cannot afford private tuition. • Befriending service – trained volunteers support young people who are often some of the most vulnerable in West Lothian. • Youth work drop-in facilities – locally based youth drop-ins where young people can meet and socialise safely and develop new skills from the opportunities offered. • Tooled Up – landscape and garden training for young people who are involved in our intensive groupwork and practical skills programmes. The outcomes we aim to achieve with our participants include the following: • Reduced involvement in crime • Increased involvement in positive activities • Take up of new opportunities, education, training & employment. • Improved attendance at school • Reduced risk taking behaviour • Increased involvement with other youth service providers • Increased number of those involved in volunteering • Improved level of mental health and wellbeing • Increased levels of self confidence We help many young people to find worthwhile paths for their lives

Charlies Old Codgers Foundation obtained charity status in 2017 and our main aim was to help elderly individuals in Scotland have a more enriched and posiiive outlook, thus reducing mental health issues and encouraging a more positive attitude to everyday life to overcome loneliness and isolation Our aims where to visit care homes, hospices and hospital residents with their pets to give them comfort and a chat when at their lowest. We engage in many activities: Charlies Time to Talk:: Morning/afternoon get togethers to discuss anything of interest to all participants Charlies Hear to Listen: musical or tv/radio shows of old, bringing back memories and stimulating the brain Charlies Tasty Bites: Remembering old recipes that conjure up memories from yester-year Charlies Seated Strictly: Dance moves whilst sitting, great fun and lots of exercise During lockdown things were unusually difficult for us keeping in touch so we also began (and will carry on) visiting, shopping and 24/7 phone line chatting with individuals who couldn't leave home or residential care. Thus creating a local community care scheme for all. Although we operate from the Scottish borders farmhouse, we cover the whole of Scotland. we identify those in need through word of mouth from gp surgeries, hospices, care homes and individuals. We are currently the only charity of this kind operating in Scotland. There is no charge for our services, we work strictly on donations Due to safety for elderly individual;s, we have no photographic evidence or names we provide. The food is (when on or past it's sell by date - which is only a day at most) brought back to the charity and given to the animals. As previously mentioned the food is mainly salad or fruit items. Sometimes there are flowers left over (Mothers Day for instance) and these are taken to the care homes and hospices.