A Word From The VASA Chair
What has VASA done in 2025?
The simple answer is, it has supported the Third Sector through uncertain times
As you read through this year’s Annual Report, you will begin to understand the range and depth of work undertaken by the organisation that, as Chair of their Board, I am proud to be involved with.
VASA works on the basis of something like ‘when you don’t have enough to do what you need to do, you share your resources and achieve more than you thought possible’.
Read the report and you will see that 240 voluntary organisations have been supported through events, information sessions, networking, programme development and one-to one meetings. Around 350 have also been supported to promote their volunteering opportunities. With VASA’s help these organisations have been enabled to showcase their work to the Public Sector and South Ayrshire public alike They’ve been provided with updated information, training and retraining
Through maximising partnership working, funding has been distributed to promising projects, work placements have been found in Third sector organisations seeking to expand and develop, and through Connect, the public can find an information hub which serves as a doorway to local services and volunteering opportunities.
I could tell you more, but I’ll let VASA speak for itself. It’s the Third Sector Interface that nurtures and represents your South Ayrshire Community.
And it’s still ‘Making Help Happen’ for you.
Best Wishes for the year to come!
LindaMuir
Linda M Muir Chair of VASA Board
Representation
VASA Forums (representation)
VASA continues to facilitate a selection of themed forums that mirror Community Planning (CPP) Strategic Delivery Partnerships (SDP) The VASA forums have a direct link into its relevant SDP, giving a voice to the Third Sector and offering a channel for information, consultation and contribution between the sector and CPP.
VASA Forums:
2026 will see a greater focus on the forums. These will return to bi-monthly with a look to increasing engagement by, and for, the sector.
External VASA Representation
VASA builds its knowledge and intelligence of the sector by attending many external partner meetings and forums. These inform us of what’s relevant within our local authority area around strategy, planning, employability, health, transport, climate and much more…
Below are examples of some of the meetings and partnerships attended:
Adult Protection Committee
Child Protection Committee
Community Justice Ayrshire Partnership
Leadership Group
Community First Delivery Group
Community Planning, Participation and Engagement Group
Strategic Planning Action Group
Age Friendly Communities Scotland
Ageing Well Oversight Group
CLD Partnership
CP Child Poverty
Children’s Services Planning
Partnership
Financial Inclusion and Growth
SDP
Population Health SDP
Sustainability SDP
Community Safety Partnership
Community Planning Partnership
Integrated Joint Board
Local Employability Partnership
LPP’s (Six localities)
Capacity Building Support
Capacity Building Support from VASA is one of the core functions that is offered to all voluntary sector organisations across South Ayrshire from small local volunteer led groups to large national or regional charities who deliver in South Ayrshire.
This year has seen support delivered, directly and indirectly, to approx. 240 organisations through a variety of events, information sessions, networking opportunities, programmes developed or bespoke oneto-one meetings.
Charity or voluntary group set up
Legal status options
Governance support
Trustee support
Funding
Information sessions
Networking opportunities
Training
Events
Signposting
Employability
Social enterprise
Mediation and so much more...
Capacity within the sector has also grown through the administration of the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund and VASA’s Representation Model – these are shown in their relevant sections of this Annual Report.
Employability Capacity for Charities in South Ayrshire
VASA continues to support charities in South Ayrshire through offering an opportunity to develop and increase their workforce. After the success of the partnership working in 2024, with South Ayrshire Councils Employability Service, VASA were successful in securing a second budget from the Local Employability Partnership (LEP) to administer a fund that paid for additional ‘matched’ unemployed clients to work within a charity for 26 weeks. After identifying potential charities who wished to take on staff for 26 weeks for which they are promptly reimbursed for wages, SAC Employability Service were responsible for matching their clients to these positions. Now 7 months into the new budget for 2025, 25 unemployed people have been placed within 18 charities across South Ayrshire A total of 42 have been placed in the last 19 months, with approx. 75% securing permanent employment, within the sector, once their 26 weeks were complete. Many are still progressing through their 26 week placement.
There are plans to roll this programme out further into 2026 which would see the service and opportunity being available for a third year
“Amazed at my journey to date and now always look forward not backwards to our next chapter.”
WB - Vics In The Community
“I have had such a positive experience and really enjoyed my journey on the programme. Would definitely highly recommend to other people who were in my situation.”
“Being out of work was tough, but the support and encouragement I received through the Evolve Placement made all the difference. The one-to-one guidance helped me get back on track, and now I’ve not only found a job I enjoy, but I’ve also been able to take my family on our first holiday abroad, fix my car, and keep caring for my Gran. It’s completely changed things for us.”
VASA also worked alongside Ayrshire College to look for opportunities within the voluntary sector for health and social care students to take up 10-week placement positions This will be rolled out again early 2026 with a new cohort of students.
Third Sector Showcase
After the success of last years Third Sector Showcase Event, VASA facilitated 2 more Showcases, one delivered in Girvan and the other back in Ayr Town Hall as last year.
The Girvan Showcase was delivered in partnership with the Girvan Development Group and took place at The Wave Hub. With 27 stallholders ‘showcasing’ in Girvan and 54 organisations ‘showcasing’ in Ayr Town Hall, practitioners and public were informed about the vast amount of work delivered by the voluntary sector in South Ayrshire as they browsed the stalls. There was an amazing buzz around the room and loads of great chatter as information was shared, connections were made and lots of networking was done.
Funding
In partnership with South Ayrshire Councils
External Funding Officer, we facilitated 6 funding surgeries with The National Lottery Community Fund across 3 areas of South Ayrshire: Ayr, Troon and Girvan both in February and then again in September 2025. 54 local voluntary organisations and charities each had a half hour slot with the Lotteries Funding Officer to chat over their own individual projects and get advice and guidance around potential Lottery funding that they may be able to apply for.
Chief Officer/Senior Managers Breakfast Network
2025 saw this network grow in both numbers and also in rich intelligence shared by Chief Officers and Senior Managers of charities across South Ayrshire Meeting for ‘breakfast’ the first Tuesday of every month in the VASA offices, senior staff can discuss relevant topics that are unique to managers running a charity The main topic of discussion this year has been around the challenges being faced by charities through increased costs while funding is being cut or becoming more competitive. National Insurance increases and contracts that are not comparable with these increases has hit the care sector worse than most.
Information Sessions
A variety of information sessions have been delivered throughout the year – on a mix of topics.
The National Lottery Community Fund Children in Need The Giving Machine
Outcome Setting & Evaluation - (run 4 times over the year)
EVOLVE Paid Placements Info Sessions
Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund for Adults Info Sessions
Training:
Throughout 2025, VASA offered a variety of training opportunities to the sector, both directly and indirectly through sharing opportunities offered by partners
Continued Intelligence and Support of the Voluntary Sector
There is an unease within the sector as we move into a potential landscape of change. All organisations are finding it increasingly difficult to make current financial resources stretch as far as before, whether that is through self-generated income, funding, contracts or donations. Charities in particular are also starting to navigate the many changes that are being implemented through regulation of the various aspects of the new Charities Act 2023
Another ‘unknown’ going into 2026 is the question around the political landscape and how changes to government may affect the sector Prudence within the sector has led many to play out certain scenarios in advance but without a crystal ball, we will just need to wait and see and react accordingly. Whatever the future landscapes look like for the sector, one thing we can be confident of is that the Third Sector will rise to any challenges, be adaptable and responsive as they have been in the past One area of change that is causing quite a ‘buzz’ just now is the introduction, and fast development of AI.
This has been a very topical area of discussion at both local and national level. Overall, the sector have been embracing this technology but also being very mindful of its constraints, especially around bias and inequalities. This technology can support us in our roles within the sector, working with us to perhaps plug some of the gaps and constraints, particularly around time resource VASA build their intelligence of the sector throughout the year by being present at many local, pan-Ayrshire and National meetings and events both feeding in and extracting information that will showcase our sector and also benefit it.
Volunteering
Back To Basics
After more than 15 years, VASA went back to its origins by advertising volunteering opportunities in the window of Connect South Ayrshire Hub, Sandgate, Ayr. This lets local people see what volunteering is about and a small sample of some of the 1400+ volunteering opportunities available. A drop in facilityheld at the hub once a week on a Wednesday morning offering an opportunity to have an informal chat about whatever volunteering activity sparks your interest Using the traditional window display model has increased volunteering interest by 15% in the first year.
310 individuals aged 25+ were supported to prepare for volunteering and find suitable opportunities based on their interests, skills and availability
65 new volunteering roles identified during 2025
The Volunteering quarterly newsletter has also seen an increase in demand for each publication. As well as advertising many volunteering opportunities, each one has case studies from current volunteers themselves which offers an insight in to what volunteering has meant to them. More than 1000 copies are distributed across South Ayrshire.
Over 365 Volunteering Involving Organisations supported to promote their volunteering opportunities
The VASA Volunteering Team participated in 40 external events to actively promote and raise awareness of volunteering.
Leading By Example
Employer Supported Volunteering:
In August 2025, the VASA Volunteering Team organised, with colleagues and friends, and participated in our first Employer Supported Volunteering project with Hansel Village in Symington. Employee Supported Volunteering (ESV) allows employees to support community organisations and charities by volunteering their skills and talents during working hours. Over two days the team met people who lived and worked at Hansel while cutting, chopping, scraping and tidying to make a positive difference in several garden areas of the Hansel Estate. We look forward to further promoting ESV and organising similar events over 2026.
Support Given to Volunteer Involving Organisations:
Online and printed promotion of Volunteer Roles
Breakfast meeting Opportunities to network & share best practice
Support with Saltire Awards Information about quality standards/accreditation Monthly Volunteer Managers
New for 2025 - 2030
Developing new and existing Volunteer Roles
Recognising volunteers via SAVA awards
Information about current volunteering policies Information about recruitment and marketing
The VASA Volunteering Team, VIO’s and Members from the Community Planning Board have produced a new South Ayrshire Volunteering Strategy and action plan This was signed off on the 4 December 2025 and we look forward to working with partners on the actions in the next year. th
To celebrate National Volunteers Week 2025, VASA hosted the annual South Ayrshire Volunteer Awards at Ayr Town Hall on Thursday 5 June to say “thank you” to our local heroes who step up to support people in communities. The event is supported by South Ayrshire Council with local key partners presenting some of the many awards. th This was the biggest year to date with over 500 local people receiving an award nominated by 38 local and national Third Sector organisation.
200 volunteers and their guests attended the awards ceremony. They enjoyed refreshments, a light buffet and entertainment from musical duo Dynamix. The below
Young Volunteers
The Saltire Awards is a Scottish Government initiative which recognises and rewards young people aged 11-25 (previously from age 12), in Scotland for their contribution and dedication to volunteering. It celebrates their volunteering achievements with nationally recognised certificates signed by Scottish Government Ministers. VASA supports the young people in South Ayrshire to find and participate in voluntary roles and get rewarded for their efforts through The Saltire Awards
The Saltire Ambassadors group was started in 2023, this year we have gained 5 more Ambassadors, taking us to a total of 14 young people in 7 of the secondary schools and higher education institutions in South Ayrshire which is 2 more schools than last year.
A monthly Saltire Ambassador meeting is held in VASA’s Ayr office, which focuses on a particular skill or quality to help Ambassadors become more confident, e.g., mental health, inclusion and public speaking. Along with this we go over local updates on what has been happening at each school surrounding v he coming months.
Since January 2025
T Ayr Town Hall
This year it took place on April 17th where more than 70 young people were presented with Saltire Awards for between 25 and 500 hours of volunteering. Within this, 5 young people were awarded with ‘The Summit Award’ for their outstanding contribution to their volunteer organisation(s).
The Awards Ceremony was presented by The Saltire Ambassadors, who also helped plan and set up the ceremony. There was a musical performance by Rona Bryden, a 17-year-old artist plus guest speakers included Lochlan Murdoch, the young person who created his own voluntary organisation – Lochlan’s Legacy, and Mark Inglis, former Head of Children’s Health Care and Justice Service at South Ayrshire HSCP.
VASA As A Fund Administrator
VASA were delighted to find out that they would receive Year 5 & 6 (2 year funding) to be distributed through the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults.
£330,786.77 has been allocated to be distributed to organisations across South Ayrshire, in both years, who are delivering activities that support the community in mental health and well-being. With over £660k being invested into the sector in the next 2 years. This will mean VASA have administered approx. £2million of funding over six years. Year 5 & 6 funding is for projects that will be delivered between April 2026 - March 2028.
Applications are invited this year for 3 separate grants:
Chatty Space grant of up to £4K to deliver a regular social space for people within a community to come together
Small Grant of up to £10K
Large Grant of up to £32K for year 5 and £34k for year 6.
Decision panels made up of Steering Group members will decide on applications in January through inviting those successful in getting to stage 2, to come in and present their project ‘Dragons Den Style’
Year 4 funding, which was decided at the end of last year, has seen the successful applicants deliver their projects this year between April 2025 and March 2026. There is an abundance of great projects being delivered through this funding and such a wide variety of services and programmes, all benefitting communities to achieve better mental health and wellbeing
Below are the links to the last 4 years successful applicants:
Connect South Ayrshire
Connect South Ayrshire (CSA) was launched in November 2024 and had a smooth transition from the existing South Ayrshire Lifeline The FREE community information service continues to connect people with their community, public services and support organisations.
Connect South Ayrshire now offers multiple access points:
A free phone number, 0800 432 0510, that is available weekdays from 9am – 5pm and an answering machine service for out of hours.
Complimentary Facebook and Instagram pages that work along with the website, giving 24 hour access to support and information and reaching a different audience.
A user friendly website (www.connectsouthayrshire.org) currently holding +950 activities, +380 events, 7 live consultations and 24 themed support guides It also offers a subscription option The website is growing from strength to strength achieving on average 37,328 users per month.
Connect South Ayrshire no offers a walk in hub at 53 Sandgate, Ayr To allow face to face enquiries and support to be offered.
The collaboration between HSCP, VASA and SAC has given a wider scope to offer the public the right information at the right time, helping to work toward the collective long term goal of a proactive model of care in the community utilising early intervention and prevention.
The Connect South Ayrshire phone line, website and social media transitioned smoothly, from the established South Ayrshire Lifeline without any service disruption. Offering a friendly and personal service, whatever the enquiry, to help clients feel at ease when they are unsure and just need some support when seeking help.
The top 5 Connect South Ayrshire Services accessed by walk in enquiries are benefits advice, volunteering advice digital advice, activities assistance and social work advice.
Phone Case Study:
Email Case Study:
The top 5 Connect South Ayrshire services accessed by phone enquiries are digital advice, benefits advice, activity assistance, council services advice and blue badge advice.
Walk-In Case Study:
Mrs A had a phone enquiry about a company who could assist an elderly neighbour with tidying his house. Several options discussed and support guides for private care providers supplied. Mrs A was very grateful for the time and information that I provided Mrs A stated that if she required any further assistance she would not hesitate to call back in and was amazed at all the areas we could signpost to.
Enquiry from Australia. Pre-empting a visit to the area and wanting to trace ancestry Looking for help in finding family members who may have had a business in Prestwick in the 1920’s. Provided the lady with contact details for South Ayrshire Archives, Prestwick History Group and also a Facebook page for Remembering Prestwick which has lots of historical images.
Mr P was referred to us by the doctors surgery. He was suffering from low mood and just had a new diagnosis of epilepsy. He was looking for some support with coping and said he had been struggling with his mental health He was referred to the Community links drop in later that day as he was not keen on attending support groups and just felt like he needed to discuss things with someone Also out of work and looking to get back into it so referred to employability team.
Community outreach and engagement also continues with a team dedicated to running a monthly calendar of external awareness events to promote the services and support that Connect South Ayrshire can offer Current locations include South Ayrshire libraries, several medical practices and sheltered housing units. Recently new trials have started to include private businesses, prisons, supermarkets and local senior schools.
In the background the team work tirelessly to verify the information stored on the website. Running cycles of verification with organisations and groups to ensure activities, events and support guides offered are as accurate as possible.
Updates and additions to the website happen on a daily basis and in 2025, 2807 interactions have been recorded. Of these, 383 were updates of existing entries:
Digital Support
Now in its 5th year, 2025 has seen our Digital Support Officer continue to offer digital support answering all calls and queries around technology. The service is thriving with lots of happy clients interacting and engaging with their learning.
The digital helpline is a free service for anyone in South Ayrshire. It offers an opportunity to ask questions about devices, general digital queries or creating bespoke learning plans for clients. No question is too difficult, silly or complicated and clients are instantly put at ease in a comfortable and patient environment
Clients call the freephone number and are offered either a 1-2-1 appointment at a library or other public space, support over the phone, or meeting at one of the regular drop-ins that happen around South Ayrshire These drop-ins happen in Sheltered Housing Units, local libraries, community hubs and organised community groups. Drop-ins are proving more popular this year with people engaging well with peer support too. On average, each drop-in is attended by around 4 people.
Average amount of drop-in sessions offered per month 11
Average total attendance to drop-ins per month
Digital presentations have been delivered to larger organisations who have many members which has resulted in a high volume of referrals. In these instances, workshops were organised covering a range of topics such as Online Shopping, Using Devices Safely, Hearing Aids with Smart Phones and Digital Skills (which included topics such as QR Codes, files and accessibility features)
725 interactions in 12 months
The digital needs of the public are varied, and have included:
ACCESSABILITY
Case Studies
Gentleman made a 1-2-1 appointment after speaking to someone in a shop about digital help and explained that he has hearing aids and looking for help with getting them connected to his phone. The gentleman explained that he cannot hear the phone ringing no matter what he does and is often missing quite important phone calls as well as missing parts of conversations when in group settings and with his family and he is really starting to get frustrated with it. We went through the process of getting the Bemore app downloaded onto his phone through the app store. Having his aids connected to his phone now allows him to change and customise settings on his hearing aids through the app so that they function better in group settings, allowing him to hear and be part of conversations
PHONE
Our Food Pantries
VASA continues to operate two food pantries, one in Ayr and one in Girvan. Both pantries offer members independence and dignity in choosing from good quality, nutritious food items at an affordable cost to themselves.
Ayr Food Pantry
Our Ayr Food Pantry celebrated four years open on 6th December 2025. Membership is restricted to only those living in the KA8 area as well as either living in Annbank, Mossblown or Tarbolton. Where lots of new members have signed up during 2025, many have also given up their membership as they have moved out of food insecurity.
As of November 2025, the Ayr Pantry had:
535 Member households totalling 851 adults and 239 children
Made up of:
214 households with 1 adult and no children, where:
Girvan Food Pantry
VASA have now been operating the Girvan Food Pantry for 1 and a half years It operates on the same model that is used in the Ayr Pantry. It is open 2 days a week for 3 hours total. It has seen a significant increase in numbers over the last year.
As of November 2025, the Girvan Pantry had:
155 Member households totalling 245 adults and 74 children
Made up of:
39 households with 1 adult and no children, where:
Both pantries follow the same system that members utilise when they come to shop. For £4 they can choose 10 items which must come from a colour coded system where they choose: 2 meat products (red), 1 dairy (yellow), 2 carbohydrates (orange), 2 store cupboard and ready meals (pink), 2 fruit & veg (green) and 1 treat (blue).
Dairy Proteins
Carbs
Fruit/Veg Staples
Bonus Milk, Soya, Oat, Almond, Dry Milk, Yoghurt, Cheese, Eggs, Butter, Cream, Milk Drinks etc
Fresh/Frozen Fish, Meat, Soa and plant based protein, tinned fish and meat etc
Pasta, Rice, Couscous, Quinoa, Bulgur Wheat, Noodles, Packet Soup etc
Members can also access complimentary items every time they shop which usually includes breads and pastries, surplus fruit & veg, items that we have in abundance or items nearing their shelf life. Our food that services the pantries is mostly surplus items that we receive from Fareshare or from pickups from local supermarkets.
Fresh Fruit and Veg, Tinned and Shelf Staple, Fruit and Veg etc.
With every shop, we reckon each household saves approx £17 in their food shop and with around 250 shops done in our Ayr Pantry and 55 in our Girvan Pantry weekly, we can estimate a yearly saving of about
Ready Meals, Oils, Herbs, Spices, Stock, Condiments, Sauces, Sugar, Flour etc Snacks, Biscuits, Puddings, Sweets, Drinks, Crisps, Chocolate etc
“For all of your kindness throughout the year and all that you do for the community
Have a fantastic night out.” to local households from the most deprived areas in South Ayrshire
All this amazing work and savings could not be possible without the dedicated team of volunteers that support VASA to deliver this service. We have 18 volunteers in our Ayr Pantry and 6 volunteers in our Girvan Pantry as well as a staff team made up of 1 full time manager and 3 part-time staff as well as 3 sessional workers.
Telephone Befriending
The Telephone Befriending Service continues to support those who are socially isolated and normally extremely inactive, to receive a telephone call from a matched volunteer at least once a week This call is a friendly chat about things such as hobbies, days gone by, books, family, TV etc It is an uplifting and positive chat and the aim is to lift the spirits of the Befriendee.
This service is delivered by a full-time Co-ordinator overseeing 57 volunteers who call referred clients on a weekly basis. All volunteer recruitment and induction are also conducted by the Co-ordinator as well as continued support to both volunteers and Befriendees
After conducting an induction and PVG checks with potential volunteers, the Co-ordinator will have built up a good relationship with them and will have got to know them relatively well This also happens with potential clients who are referred to be befriended. Many conversations are had with clients before the Coordinator makes the ‘match’ between the Befriendee and the Befriender, ensuring they are compatible The Co-ordinator oversees communication throughout the length of the match, picking up any concerns the Befriender may have about the client. This may then lead the Co-ordinator to signpost to other services or report back to the original referrer
Occasionally the service receives a referral for someone who may be difficult to match or has slightly more complex needs and it may take a while for the ‘right’ volunteer to come along. In these instances, the Co-ordinator becomes the Befriendee, ensuring these clients are receiving a regular call while they wait for a suitable match.
14 matches ended due to ill health or the client passing away.
There are currently 7 clients on the waiting list and a further 4 volunteers being inducted.
Mrs C was in her mid-eighties and housebound, she was feeling lonely and isolated. Originally from the London, Mrs C was widowed and had few close contacts in the area
She was a friendly, chatty lady who had worked in the theatre and travelled all over the world. Mrs C had said she really liked young people and was fed up with old people always talking about their ailments and medication
Miss J attended a talk on volunteering at her place of study by VASA’s Youth Officer. She was encouraged to apply by a tutor and by many of her friends who knew her to be somebody who could talk…….and talk.
The quotes below are a snapshot of their relationship...
Mrs C –‘ such a sweet girl’
J‘she’s hilarious, lovely woman’
Miss J left school with no formal qualifications however it was clear right from the first meeting she was smart, wise beyond her years, a great communicator and had a great sense of humour. Despite them both having very strong regional accents and such a large age gap, they agreed to give the match ago Over the last 6 months the telephone befriending friendship has grown The phone calls can last up to an hour…significantly longer than is expected by the TBF service.
Miss J - ‘Aye we get on very well and can confidently say we are fond of each other We talk about all sorts of things We always have a good laugh talking about the old stories, we were singing Amy Winehouse the other day lol’
Miss
FootcAyr
FootcAyr is one of VASA’s Social Enterprises and prides itself on being a fully financially sustained social enterprise that does not require any funding to exist and employs 3 part-time staff through its trading and income generation from the clients it serves.
The service is an affordable toenail cutting service for anyone who is having difficulty cutting their own toenails. The service offers clients a choice of 2 clinics: a full-time clinic in Ayr and a clinic in Girvan that operates once a week
Now at capacity, the service supports approx 800 clients every 8 weeks The cost to have their toenails cut is £15 for a 2030min visit. We are now operating a waiting list and intend to explore ways, in 2026, to reduce this and expand the service.
The 2 footcAyr technicians have delivered this service for years now and see some clients returning around 7 times in a year They are very experienced in identifying when a client is having issues around such things as memory, weight, personal hygiene, sight etc. and both are very proactive in signposting these clients to relevant services or even just addressing any issues subtly through conversation.
“It is like walking on clouds now.”
“I’m less frightened of falling now.”
“I was so worried I cut myself trying to do it on my own.”
“I’ll be tapdancing out the door.”
Meet The Dream Team
Below is our strong, committed and skilled workforce who all come together to ensure that we deliver an absolutely excellent quality service. The 2025 team includes:
Chief Officer, Marie Oliver marie@vasa scot
Responsible for strategic and operational delivery. This includes financial transactions, budgeting, strategic representation with public sector partners, health and safety of staff and volunteers and ensuring the business maintains a respected profile and continues to deliver on our Core remit for all our stakeholders Marie is also leading on the Age Friendly Communities from the local community aspect Additional duties includes facilitating the Third Sector Welfare and Health & Wellbeing Forums.
Depute Chief Officer/Capacity Building Manager, Angela McWhinnie: angela@vasa scot
Manages staff and resources to ensure the delivery of capacity building activities as well as overseeing VASA services. The role also includes leading the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund administration as well as offering training and support on good governance, funding, organisation set-up, training and deputising for the Chief Officer Angela also facilitates the Sustainability Forum, the Employability & Social Enterprise Forum and the Food Forum
Office lead Support, Rae Gray: rae@vasa.scot
Promotion of VASA through various social media platforms. Also ensuring VASA complies with latest Health and Safety regulations, ensuring all staff team members’ personal records are kept up to date and in line with latest legislation, support to the CEO, Sage accounting and ensuring the general wellbeing of staff
Admin Support, Cheryl Gedling: cheryl@vasa scot
Support to both the Representation and Networking Strategic Lead and the Depute Chief Officer, covering clerical tasks including taking minutes, formatting agendas, recording daily takings, holiday allocation and other tasks as directed
Volunteering Involvement Organisation Officer, Audrey McNeish: audreym@vasa scot
Development and growth of volunteering within Volunteering Involving Organisations. This includes all aspects of volunteering management regardless of the size or structure of the organisation and offering best practice volunteering systems
Youth Officer – Saltire Awards, Megan Horne: megan@vasa.scot
Responsible for promoting the benefits of volunteering and the Saltire Awards to young people aged between the age of 12 and 25 and matching volunteers to opportunities Also responsible for leading a team of Saltire Ambassadors and managing Saltire Colleagues.
Adult Volunteer Placement Officer, Gillian Kay: gillian@vasa scot
Responsible for matching older volunteers (25+) to suitable quality volunteering opportunities. Also works with the rest of the Volunteering Team on the yearly South Ayrshire Volunteer Awards.
Network Development Officer, Mark Stratton: mark@vasa scot
Growth and development of the Third Sector Forums and building relationships are key to this role as well as playing an active role as part of the Connect South Ayrshire Team.
Connect South Ayrshire Manager, Jayne Richardson: jayne@vasa.scot
Responsible for the development and promotion of the new Connect self-management tool as well as overseeing the growth, promotion and development of the Ayr North and Ayr South Connect physical hub In addition, Jayne facilitates the Third Sector Children’s Forum and is the representative for VASA at strategic children services meeting and child protection.
Connect South Ayrshire Hub Lead, Moira Henry: moira@vasa scot
Moira is the Team Lead in the Connect South Ayrshire Hub in Sandgate, Ayr. This includes supervision of the team in the shop and ensuring that the drop in space is utilised to its full capacity Moira works closely with the Connect Manager to make sure that the hub runs smoothly and all necessary data is collected Moira also helps with making sure the website is up to date and helps with all in person and telephone enquiries
Connect South Ayrshire Services Support Worker, Josie McMurdo: josie@vasa.scot
Responsible for ensuring that residents of South Ayrshire who use VASA services receive a quality experience and that they feel supported, that enquiries are responded to in a timely manner and partner services are engaged with regularly
Connect South Ayrshire Service Support Worker, Pauline Johnston: pauline@vasa.scot
Responsible for ensuring that residents of South Ayrshire who use VASA services receive a quality experience and feel supported, maintaining the Connect South Ayrshire Website ‘Events’ and ‘Activities’ pages.
Connect South Ayrshire Digital Support Officer, Holly Houston: holly@vasa scot
Responsible for responding to all digital enquiries that comes in to Connect South Ayrshire through face-to-face appointments and regular drop ins Holly deals with a diverse range of clients with different needs and confidence levels. She works to support them in a kind and patient environment to help grow their confidence at a pace that suits their individual needs She also works in close partnership with other organisations giving structured workshops to larger groups
Communications Support, Eilish McNaught: eilish@vasa.scot
With strong design skills and creative flair, she is responsible for the promotion of VASA and Connect South Ayrshire using a wide range of media
Connect South Ayrshire Ageing Well Officer, Fiona Craig: fiona@vasa.scot
Focus on improving the quality of life, predominantly for older people, who are anxious about getting out into the community focusing on confidence, health and socialising by way of a short intervention service Fiona is also responsible for supporting the Ageing Well agenda.
Connect South Ayrshire Telephone Befriending Coordinator, Jill Haigh: jill@vasa.scot
Co-ordination of the Telephone Befriending Service, recruiting volunteers and matching them with clients who need a little extra social support, alleviating loneliness and isolation. Continued support and guidance to both volunteers and clients ensures a rewarding experience for both
Food Pantry Manager, Danielle Lowndes: danielle@vasa.scot
Responsible for ensuring Food Pantry customers receive quality service and volunteers have a positive volunteering experience. Also responsible for the day-to-day operational delivery of the Food Pantry using a “hands-on” approach, paying particular attention to customer care and rotation and display of food as well as supporting the volunteers, pantry staff, and work placements
Food Pantry Assistants/ Sessional Workers, Stephanie Kyle, Kara Reilly, Derys McFarlane, Jane Dare, Linda Mclleveen, Catriona Findlay and Alistair Mcdonald are responsible for supporting the daily Pantry operations.
FootcAyr Technicians
Lorraine Wells and Kate McTaggart
Our friendly toenail-cutting technicians offer a relaxed, friendly and affordable service to footcAyr clients while attending their appointments. They also monitor their fragility and signpost where necessary
FootcAyr Appointment Coordinator, Moira Wilson: moiraw@vasa scot
Moira is in charge of managing all appointments for the FootcAyr Clinics This includes setting appointments up, sending reminder text messages and responding to telephone enquiries
Staff Away Day
We closed our offices, phone lines and premises to enjoy a Full Team Staff Away Day in Sept 2025 at The Horizon Hotel. All enjoyed a day of games, food, laughter, interaction and of course – strategy!
The games included drawing a described picture through listening to instructions while blindfolded Much laughter was heard, especially when each team member then looked at their final result �� Holly won the bake-off described picture and Megan won the house and playpark described scene. They are obviously good listeners…
Competition was high when split into teams and asked to build the tallest freestanding structure they could out of only paper and sellotape. We were all impressed with the results. The winning team was Audrey, Danielle, Moira W, Moira H, Kate, Lorraine and Steph. Well done on great teamwork.
We asked all staff to tell us what they loved about their jobs. Below is a selection of post-it responses:
Variety Always Something Amazing Problems: Halved, Shared, Solved Seeing different people Connecting people Helping people Learning and sharing
Being a listening ear Knowing I've helped someone to make their life easier Making someone ' s day a bit better Getting people to the right support and services Helping to bring older people together Helping young people
Reducing food waste Being happy coming to my work I love my job Using a wide range of skills Positive environment
The laugh we can always have no matter what
We also went ‘old school’ and asked the staff and board to list items under a S.W.O.T Analysis, thinking about the organisation. The main themes that came out of that were:
STRENGTHS:
WEAKNESSES:
OPPORTUNITIES: THREATS:
Ageing Well Champions Board & Age Friendly Communities
2025 has been another busy and productive year for Ageing Well in South Ayrshire One of the main highlights was South Ayrshire being recognised for the joint work between South Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (SAHSCP) and VASA on the Ageing Well agenda We received the Silver Award for Transformation in Health and Social Care at this year's national iESE Awards The award recognises our approach to addressing the challenges associated with the ageing demographics of South Ayrshire through preventative interventions, cross sector collaboration, and communityfocused st t i
The second award was the Association of Public Sector Excellence (APSE) Awards for the Ageing Well programme as the Best Efficiency and Transformation Initiative. Although a public sector award, the contribution that VASA made was acknowledged as playing a vital role in this achievement. Competing against finalists from all over the UK, the SAHSCP's work stood out for the meaningful difference it is making in supporting older people to live well, stay connected and remain active in their communities
The Ageing Well Champions Board has continued to meet throughout the year in Girvan, Ayr and Troon. The Board are a strategic partner with the Chair and Vice Chair playing an active role on the Ageing Well Oversight Group, which includes members from the SAHSCP and SAC ensuring the voice of the over 50’s in South Ayrshire continues to be heard
Angela McWhinnie Depute Chief Officer represented VASA at the event
Fiona Craig (VASA) and Rita Miller, Chair of the Ageing Well Champions Board centre of the picture with the award
They also work alongside VASA to set achievable actions/activities for the year. These have included:
“Over To You” Pack, including My Final Wishes and All About me Booklets.
These booklets available to the general public in South Ayrshire, give citizens the opportunity to detail plans for end of life and also a guide to help those left behind know all the information on where important documents are kept and who to contact for example utility companies etc Over 1500 of these booklets have already been distributed during 2025 and have proved to be a big success/
Age Without Limits
Celebrating the UK Ageing Challenge Ageism. providing a moment for everyone to come together and think about our views and experiences of ageing to both celebrate the contributions made throughout our lives and challenge the negativity that sometimes comes with getting older. We set a range of questions for people of all ages to consider their personal views relating to ageing
The Big Cheerio
A light-hearted review of a serious subject. Invited speakers provided information on the importance of having a Power of Attorney in place, information regarding making a will, and the important role of your chosen Funeral Director. This was a huge success and will be repeated in 2026 in both Ayr and Girvan
Social Fit
This brought together members of the VASA team, Ageing Well Champions Board, South Ayrshire Council Information and Advice Team, Ayrshire Independent Living Network and Connect South Ayrshire to provide a range of advice to attendees from activities available in the area, benefits advice, health and wellbeing, self-employment in the care sector Local people were able to also have an MOT facilitated by the Ahead of the Curve Team. Areas visited during the year include Colmonell, Barr, Prestwick, Barhill and Troon with over 100 benefiting from the functional MOT.
We again celebrated International Day of Older People on October 1st at the Cutty Sark, Ayr
Unfortunately a very driech and wet day weather wise however we went for a change of pace for the event this year focusing on both crafting opportunities, volunteering and launching an initiative to provide small food parcels to older people being discharged from hospital. We were lucky to have a group of talented crafters who produced cards and jewellery items on the day along with a group demonstrating the use of spinning wheels to spin wool.
Our annual review of Ageing Well in South Ayrshire was held this year at the Walker Hall, Troon An instructive morning spent reviewing the work completed to date on the first Ageing Well Strategy Action Plan in a ‘You said We did’ session and looking forward to the opportunities ahead for the next 12 months. A range of informative presentations followed highlighting the benefits of volunteering when older, options available should you wish to consider self-employment, how digital connection can benefit everyone and finally a presentation on the development of Connect South Ayrshire in addition to a real time tour of the website
The Take A Seat initiative launched this year, initially in Ayr with plans to now expand to other areas within South Ayrshire
The scheme is designed to support older peoples’ independence in the community by ensuring they are aware of places in their local high street area that they can sit down for a couple of minutes rest without being expected to make a purchase or any form of payment. To date, 15 Ayr Town based businesses have signed up to either Take a Seat or Take a Seat plus.
We are grateful to all the organisations involved and to the organisations who have signed up to Take A Seat Plus which also provides access to a toilet when requested by an older person out and about in the community.
Christmas Companions
2025 will be the 24th year of the Elves visiting socially isolated older individuals on Christmas Day spreading a little Christmas cheer.
We aim to deliver up to 130 meals and gift parcels across the local authority area.
I am delighted that Wiltshire Farm Foods are helping to support the event again by supplying, free of charge, the Christmas dinner (turkey and all the trimmings) and a dessert so a very big thank you. Also this year we are Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas Charity of the year, so again another big thank you for the donation's from local businesses.
This Elf Delivery Service would not be possible without our team of volunteers who take time out of their own festivities to deliver goodie bags or those behind the scenes that help with the huge amount of preparation that goes into getting ready to deliver Christmas to someone.
What will 2026 bring?
As we approach 2026, the financial position not just for VASA but for the whole of the Third Sector remains gloomy The knock on effect of the increase in Employer National Insurance, the 6 7% increase in the Real Living Wage and local authorities looking at deficit budgets does not help the current situation. However, I know that VASA and the rest of the sector will try and weather the storm looking at smarter ways to work
During 2026, we will continue to strengthen the voice of the Third Sector and we look forward to starting dialogue with the new Chief Executive, Stephen Penman of South Ayrshire Council and Mark Inglis, Director of Health and Social Care and promoting the essential services the sector offers to our local community.
As the Third Sector Interface for South Ayrshire, we have online conversation’s twice a year with our Scottish Government link and at this year’s half year interim report VASA was complimented on the amount of work we carry out considering we have not had an uplift from the Scottish Government in over 14 years
In fact, we are one of the few TSI’s still with a volunteering team. Recently the senior team from VASA attended the TSI conference which was very informative with some excellent speakers (including the Finance Minister), informative workshops and network opportunities We came back knowing that VASA are excelling in the delivery of our core services.
New for 2026, we will be launching Volunteer Ready. This is an accreditation scheme for organisations that engages volunteers and will promote best practice The awardees will hold the accreditation for three years and will be promoted as a good place to volunteer
The Ageing Well focus will be on End of Life, as well as encouraging more businesses to buy in to the Take a Seat Campaign, increasing the number of Ageing Well Champion Board memberships, promotion of the importance of Power of Attorney and the Over to You Packs. We will also continue to further roll out of Social Fit.
Other events confirmed for 2026 include:
Third Sector Trustee Conference 16 February th
Third Sector Hustings 26 March th
Saltire Awards 2 April nd
South Ayrshire Volunteer Awards 4 June th Carrick Showcase event TBC
Ayr and surrounding areas Showcase event TBC
International Older Persons Day 1st October
Launch of Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults 2027/2028
I do wish you all the best for 2026 and please remember VASA are here to support you and your organisation.
