One in six children aged 5-16 have a probable mental health disorder and since Covid, mental health issues in young people have increased by 58%. In 2025, children face many challenges such as bullying and complicated home lives which can result in depression, low self-esteem and difficulty making friends. They can be angry with the world and subsequently can be withdrawn or disruptive at school and home, because they struggle to cope with their emotions.

Our Flourish Project helps to improve mental and emotional well-being, self-esteem and resilience by supporting children to see their own potential, giving them ‘permission’ to dream and helping them to develop future aspirations with achievable goals.

Our project is not a ‘Quick Fix’. It supports them to face and cope with their everyday life challenges and long-term objectives. Over 8 weeks (8 x 1 hour sessions) our volunteer trainers help young people to see themselves in a more positive way by looking at:- how personal life beliefs are formed; the power of thought and how it effects behaviour; effects of social media; positive self-esteem and healthy self-talk and celebrating personal growth and development.

Since starting 3 years ago, we have worked with 580 children with very positive, long-term results. With your help, we aim to work with 400 more in North Aberdeen in 2025, aged between 10 and 14. Our Flourish Project really makes positive life changes in young lives and we want to make that difference to every young life that needs it.

JOG TORRY - keep on running! There is a proven link between fitness and both physical and mental health - which is why SAMH works in tandem with Jog Scotland to promote the couch to 5km programme in local communities. Our aim is to kickstart jogging in Torry with 2 blocks of coach-led sessions. The model is that from the 20 plus local participants, two will then go on to complete the Jog Scotland training so that they can then run the Torry group as volunteers. This will mean that Jog Torry will be self-sustaining. By having a community fitness celebration day this will encourage the wider community to get fit. It is envisaged that the fitness day will take place at St Fitticks Park and include a 5km round the park for the first couch to 5km course completers. The fitness day will also provide refreshments for the community and will host info stalls on various themes including community walking groups (paths for all), chair based aerobics, Sport Aberdeen’s offers and other fitness opportunities in the area. Local parents at Greyhope have already expressed an interest. Jog Scotland/SAMH are supporting this bid and will provide a letter of support. The Torry Health Matters group has identified this as one of its 4 core aims (adult fitness/mental health/diabetes prevention) and hence it is supportive of this bid. Sport Aberdeen is supporting the bid too.

We plan to set up the centre ar least one morning a week to offer soup and a roll in a warm and friendly safe space with no cost to entry.  All our volunteers will have been trained in the rquirements of food hygiene (L2) legislation and will have PVG accreditation.  We will be building up a pool of volunteers and team leaders to ensure that we have a sustainable rota built in for ensuring local continuity once the project starts.  We will also be looking to collaborate with Lochside Academy and other community partners in the management and delivery of this project to assist young people gain experience in the running a model of a social enterprise community cafe with an offfer of friendship and hot soup and a roll, acommpanied by a welcome cuppie.  We will endeavour to source quality produce from CFINE, supermarkets and other suppliers at no cost wherever possible, and where needed we will seek external funding to support our operational costs.  We have also set aside a reserve within our business planning for operational costs to ensure we can achieve our charitable purposes and meet an un-met local need in Torry.

The unification of Ukrainians into a musical U-Band.  The goal of our community is to organise and conduct performances for Ukrainians and all residents of Aberdeen.  We want to introduce the local population to Ukrainian clulture through song.  We want to share our culture and bring people together.

To cover the costs of providing Christmas lights on the lamposts of Provost Watt Drive in Kincorth and to purchase beverages/snacks for our residents in the community to attend an event at Christmas to celebrate the switch-on of the lights. Over the years the Kincorth & Leggart Community Council have purchased Christmas Lights and now own a total of 18 individual lights. We would like to purchase a further 3 lights. The cost of one light is £195 and each lamppost must have a 16-amp socket installed on the lamppost to support the light at a cost of £85. We commission Scotia Animation Ltd to look after the lights on our behalf. This covers storage, maintenance, repair and erection of the lights at Christmas. Scotia also help KLCC with the submission of documentation to ACC for approval to instal the lights. The annual Invoice from Scotia for their services is approximately £1,500 depending on repairs etc. We spent £132 on beverages/snacks for the Christmas event which was held on 2nd December 2024 to celebrate last year’s lights switch-on. This event really brings the community together.  Including isolated people from all backgrounds

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The Social Juice Biodiversity Hub is about supporting Torry folk , save wildlife in all its forms and reverse the decline in pollinators and birds especially. It also promotes local growing and the planting of community orchards and all the health benefits and training opportunities they bring. We have the capital to deliver the facilities needed at St Fitticks Edible Garden but this is a community owned and led project and your local voice needs heard. We want to have four gatherings, one focused on school kids, one for young people, two for the broader community to make sure what we build and deliver is what the community wants. These gatherings will use an “Open Space” approach so that all those that have a view or an idea can share and explore the issues that need addressed. You can find out more about Open Space by googling it. These gatherings also help recruit volunteers and collaborators, and give us a chance to involve our partner charities and community bodies like Mindstore, CFINE, the Foyer, SRUC Danestone and TDT.