Sainsbury's Denny

1st Step Development Ventures have teamed up with the Central Scotland Regional Equality Council (CSREC) to launch the exciting new “Falkirk Food Revolution” project from the Howgate Centre in Falkirk. We are a community pantry, open to anyone and everyone, whose aim is to help reduce food waste and to feed the local community in Falkirk. We offer good quality excess food donated by supermarkets and businesses. Food is available for free or for a small donation. 1st Step has many other community projects on the go in Falkirk/West Lothian: Weekly recovery meetings, Community Cafe (operates as a social enterprise), Community garden (offers courses in growing/healthy eating), and 1st Step Bikes (where people can learn how to refurb bikes). Our main purpose is to provide safe, supportive environments for people affected by addictions/poor mental health. We provide many opportunities for people to volunteer with us to help them gain confidence, build diverse supportive relationships, develop skills, learn and build better relationships with the wider community (really important to preventing relapse) and start to rebuild their lives.

We are a Community Trust, becoming a charity (SCIO) in January 2023. Our purpose is to make the village of Plean more attractive, friendlier and fairer place to live, work and visit.

Every year, we provide care and support to over 1,400 local people with a life-limiting illness or condition, at a time when both they and their family need it most. Our philosophy is about living life to the fullest until you die and we ensure people have every opportunity to achieve their goals right up until the last moment. Strathcarron is an independent hospice and all of our care is provided free of charge. Our services include a 24-bed inpatient ward, Hospice@Home, Community Nurse Specialists and Lymphoedema unit, and we need to raise £19,452 every day to keep these running.