A football charity hope to transform their derelict pavilion into a meeting hub to benefit the whole community.
Whitletts Vics In The Community, which operates in Ayr North, plan to refurbish their tired and paint-peeling pavilion to create modern changing facilities and a new community hub for pop up sessions, mental health groups, and support to address fuel poverty and the cost-of-living crisis.
Craig MacMorland, community development manager for Whitletts Vics In The Community, is one of 11 participants taking part in a gruelling ‘challenge 300’ fundraiser to help raise important funds for the pavilion project.
Each member has endured running, walking and cycling 100 miles within 60 days, with the dream team set to finish up at the end of August.
Craig, who coached soccer over in America for 13 years, said the fundraiser was “a graft”.
“It’s quite a hard task,” he said. “But my daughter is loving it because we’re walking to nursery instead of jumping in the car.
“The money is going towards the pavilion, which was the old changing rooms.
“The main focus is a community hub so we’ve got somewhere where we can do extra groups or if people need help they know they can go to that building and get information and help.
“Most folk just think it’s a football team but it’s so much more than that.”
Craig said alongside all their football teams — which range from five-year-olds playing in 2017s right through to under 60s and under 70s who play competitively — Whitletts Vics In The Community help struggling families pay for gas and electricity, food shops via their own pantry, meals and gifts at Christmas, as well as their free summer camps.
He said: “On Mondays we’ve got our Mindful Monday group. Folk will come down, have a coffee and just feel part of a group.
“On Wednesdays we have a 90 minute men's health group; half the time they’re in the gym, playing football or doing some physical activity, and then the other half is just sitting down and getting a bit of banter.
“We do six weeks of summer camp and it’s free lunches for everyone who turns up. We had 261 kids across the first week this year and settled at 200 the rest of the week.
“On top of that we give out food vouchers. We’ve got a wee shop where people go and instead of them just getting handed food, they go in and get to actually shop. That’s how it should be.
“Over Christmas we give out free Christmas meals and organise gifts for families who are less fortunate and who maybe struggle.
“Over the last couple of years we’ve built up a list of folk who we can reach out to and it’s so satisfying when someone says ‘we’re okay now’.
“We’re teaching them to fish rather than just handing them things, which is great. We try and provide everything for free the best that we can.”
Meanwhile, you can donate here
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