Grampian Participatory Event

After weeks of preparation the 28th of November dawned at long last. It was the day individuals we support and staff had been waiting for, it was the day of our participatory event and it certainly lived up to the hype that surrounded it!

The Station Hotel in Aberdeen was a hive of great activity and excitement as over a hundred and fifty folk came to Grampian’s Participatory Budget Event.

The large ballroom was crammed to the gunnels and the event was also supported by an array of visitors and guests who had set up stalls inside and outside the Ballroom sharing relevant                information and advice. These included The Hub Volunteering, The Fire Service, who were offering advice on home safety, and The Red Cross offering alternative therapies including stress relieving head and shoulder massages. The longest queues were for the manicure skills of a team of beauty therapy students from Aberdeen College.

Before the presentation of bids for funding began everyone had the chance to circulate and enjoy what was a carnival atmosphere.

Katharine Paton and Ken Dinwoodie got proceedings underway, responded to some very direct heckling on the availability of Xmas lunch and pantomime tickets and introduced the guest speaker Mel Edwards. Mel from Aberdeen was an Olympic class distance runner in the 60s and 70s who talked from personal experience about the value of exercise and positive attitude in good mental health. He certainly got a positive reaction with some unexpected and very active participation from one member of the audience!

Also circulating the room, spreading some fairytale magic, complete with two glass slippers was the lovely Cinderella!

Four carefully researched bids had been put forward for consideration and presentations on these were made to a, now pretty lively audience:

• Team Hot Air proposed a trip of a life time; Sky’s the limit Hot Air Balloon trip leaving from Castle Fraser!
• Team Alford had come up with Eglu’s to rear their own hens and provide a limitless supply of fresh eggs for the residents of the care home and build on their home produce gardening project!
• Team Ashvale have already been running and organising activity nights in The Holburn Bar and were bidding to purchase equipment to enhance their program of events to attract more participation from those being supported in Aberdeen.
• Team Inchbroom in Lossiemouth were hoping to fund a year long program of visits, events and activities which would enhance the supported individual’s quality of life.

The votes were cast . The voice of the people was heard and top of the poll was Team Hot Air. However, it was possible to find sufficient funding from the available pot to meet at least a good part of the cost of the other bids.

The event finished on a high with cheques  presented to all the teams . Everyone was a winner that afternoon.

"It was an excellent and very enjoyable event-a true example of best practice in involving people and participation’" - Mike Melvin, ACVO

"Really Inspiring, Motivating, interesting" -  IWS, Leggart Terrace

"The event was a great success" -  IWS, Team 2

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