Our project promoted integration, social connectedness and activity opportunities that supported the development of 50 young people to become integrated with mainstream sport and social activities by bringing together teams that Trust Rugby International have to date in the West and East of Scotland.

We offered carers an opportunity to have a short break from caring, by offering a Volunteer Befriender once a week to spend time with the person they are caring for.

Carers had some quality time to themselves, or could use this time to access hospice based activities and support.

We provided grants directly to carers who live in East Renfrewshire

We provided grants directly to carers who support those affected by mental illness living in Scotland.

We provided a six day creative dance residency for 20 adults with learning disabilities in June 2017 in Belfast.

Indepen-dance is a Glasgow based inclusive dance development company, providing dance for disabled people via an annual core programme of weekly creative movement classes, quarterly training courses and performances opportunities.

SupERkids provided two weekly drama, dance and movement clubs for young people with multiple support needs living in East Renfrewshire aged 5 to 18 years, who due to their support needs cannot access mainstream clubs.

This year we also ran a Harry Potter Film Club for older teenagers. Our mission is for young people with additional support needs to have fun and raise their confidence and for carers to obtain some free time respite from their caring responsibilities.

We worked with St Roch’s After School Club to provide a wide variety of fun & stimulating activities and opportunities for our deaf young people, from all over the West of Scotland and beyond.

They met and mixed with an age appropriate peer group while their carers enjoyed a break from their caring roles. This helped alleviate the isolation and loneliness they experience in a hearing world, builds confidence & self esteem, fosters life long friendships and helps our young people to see their deafness in a more positive light.

West Scotland Deaf Children’s Society provides social and emotional support to deaf children, young people and their families. For many of our families the clubs provide the only social activity and meaningful peer interaction that the children and young people have, and the only break their carers are able to actually relax and benefit from.

We provided one hour fully personalised sessions in our state-of-the-art multi-sensory room for young people with disabilities and their carers. This was followed by tea/coffee and cake after the session. Carers had the choice to stay or how they wanted to spend their time.

We provided grants directly to carers who care for an adult who has Down’s Syndrome and who lives with them.

Buddy Connexions aimed to train and match 35 volunteer buddies with 35 children and young people living in East Renfrewshire. The scheme aimed to provide flexible support on a 1-2-1 basis at home or in the community. We provided monthly sessions for young people with their buddy at our Connexions hub in East Renfrewshire.

Befriending networks ‘mapping the gaps’ reported only 8% of reported individuals with learning disabilities being supported by volunteers and none in East Renfrewshire