What If Community Care Looked Like A Jigsaw That Never Ends

A lot of community support sounds good on paper, but falls apart when it’s hard to access, hard to navigate, or missing the human part. We sit down with Caroline Murphy, a trustee of Crieff Connections, and Gillian Burns, the charity’s manager, to talk about what it looks like when help is local, relational, and genuinely useful. From the start, our goal is simple: connect people with services, skills, and everyday essentials in ways that build dignity rather than dependency.

We get specific about the practical work happening inside Crieff Connections in Perthshire. You’ll hear how the community pantry operates as a food larder, using supermarket surplus and FairShare deliveries to keep prices affordable, plus a free shelf and free fridge to stop good food going to landfill. We also unpack how the Home Essentials project helps people who don’t have basics like bedding, crockery, and small household items, and how Big Hoose surplus stock supports households with someone under 25. Along the way we share the reality of donations, why “usable quality” matters, and how volunteer training like PAT testing makes it possible to pass on electrical goods safely.

The conversation also highlights longer-term support that helps people move forward: accessible learning through ASDAN courses, reflective routes to SQA qualifications, and a growing network of partner organizations. We’re especially excited about bringing Citizens Advice appointments back into Crieff, removing the travel and phone barriers that stop people getting timely benefits and debt advice. We close by talking about volunteering roles for different personalities and skill sets, plus what we need from future trustees, including finance, legal, HR, and social media support.

If you care about cost of living support, community wellbeing, volunteering, and practical local solutions, listen now, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the work happening through Crieff Connections.

Transcript

Meet Crieff Connections

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Hi, um I'm Caroline Murphy and I'm here today um as a trustee of Creef Connections. Um and I'm really looking forward to having a chat with um Gillian Burns, who is our current manager at Creef Connections. Um and we're just gonna talk to you today a little bit about what we do there, how it started, and we'll see where the conversation goes. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

And Caroline, you're very much going to be doing the how it started, all of the history, the way back when, because I'm relatively I like the best because I'm quite new to the relatively new to the charity, been in post about a year. Uh-huh.

unknown 0:45

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Yeah, new. Yeah, you've been there, uh yeah, it must be almost exactly a year or something. It was Easter time during the Easter holidays. I started last year.

SPEAKER_02 0:53

But but in that time you've um there's been lots going on, so yeah, and I think you've got quite a lot to say yourself, so it'll be interesting. Yeah, so um why what what have you enjoyed about your your first year at Creative Connections?

SPEAKER_01 1:06

I enjoyed, I love the variety of it and working with lots of different people. I really enjoy it. I just like people and conversations and finding out about people, what they're up to, what we can do to help support them and what different what makes them tick.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

And so I really enjoy that. I love our team of volunteers, they're a really fun bunch.

SPEAKER_02 1:31

And the folks that we

Learning Support That Builds Confidence

SPEAKER_02 1:33

have coming into connections, it's just nice to get chats and so what sort of things you said there you like supporting people, what sort of things are on offer that can support people?

SPEAKER_01 1:43

So that's one of the things that I've been really working hard since I started to try and get some more different things because in connections we really want to be supporting people and connecting them with services, things that they're maybe not aware that they actually can access or they can get some help with. Yeah. Uh-huh. So we've had a few different agencies and council departments that we've connected with. So the community learning team, the uh lovely lady called Heather. She's in Heather's great. I think we all love Heather. Yes. And she oh, she's just such a bright, bubbly person. It's lovely when she comes. So she's been helping people um in accessing education. So she does Asdan courses with them. So people do like there's a volunteering ASDAN, people have done gardening ones, there's oh, that's what Christina did. Animal working with the one.

SPEAKER_02 2:35

Oh, an animal, yeah, there's an animal care one. Yeah, part of that.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

So they're only some of the ones that I remember. I know that there's a huge scope of them, but she does that. And as well, she helps people find out what qualifications they might already have but have forgotten about. Oh, that's interesting. So she can look back on. Yeah, so I know she was doing that with someone yesterday, they were able to look back, and this person just thought they left school without any qualifications, but found out actually she had loads that she didn't know about.

SPEAKER_02 3:03

So it's building up people's capacity to do things.

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Oh, and that means that she's able to say, okay, well, this is what you have done, so that opens up these different opportunities. Oh, that's a great thing. And she's fantastic at getting alongside people who are maybe a little bit unsure about education, because education is not always a very fun subject for people. But Heather's great at making it accessible and finding out what they're interested in and pointing towards it.

SPEAKER_02 3:36

Yeah, that sounds a bit about how we wanted connections to start. You were saying um that whole it all came out of actually an education programme that Elizabeth Philip and I, who are both truste well, were founding trustees of the charity. We it was an activate programme at Glasgow University that they ran at the campus. And I think I don't I can't remember if Heather was involved with that at the campus here. Yeah. So the Glasgow University came out and um a few of us did that, and it was a great course. But Elizabeth and I worked on this project and it and it and we used the uh jigsaw as the kind of logo, and it was all these jigsaw pieces to try and connect people together. So it's absolutely fantastic that we're now providing these kinds of services which are connecting people. Yeah, so that's that's definitely what the core of what we were trying to do was. So that's really exciting to hear.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

So that's one of the things, and it's yeah, it's great having Heather in, and she's she points us in other directions as well. And we also have had Lead Scotland in, so again, with the education. So one of the other partners that we have worked with is Lead Scotland, and they work with people to help them get um SQA qualifications, but it's in a really different way from normal education, so it's not sitting down and being taught, it's not sitting with a textbook, it's all really reflective. And through the the course that they did with this woman, Katie, who's lovely, um the people who did it so they managed to get an SQA qualification accent. So it's like a proper accredited thing, and it's all reflective learning. Right. So they were able to use um the volunteering that they did at Connections and reflect in that and think, okay, so what have I learned? What are my skills? What are the things that I need to work on and write reflective journals? Oh, amazing. And then from that, yeah, they managed to submit

Volunteer Upskilling And Safety Training

SPEAKER_01 5:21

that and get an SQA quality.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

So that's the actual volunteers who are are are being upskilled as well. So it's giving them that sort of building their capacity to go and do other things or move on to work if that's where they want to do them.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

And we've put volunteers through first aid training, we've done drug overdose training. One of the um staff members has done pat testing training as well. So that's been quite an important thing, trying to provide some upskilling and education to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

Or the pat testing, I would have thought it's been a great thing because it's really hard if you get donations of electrical goods and then you can't do anything with them, and it must be very frustrating. So that must have been a brilliant thing.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Before before Zoe did the pat testing, there was just like a massive table that was piled high of things that we knew people would want to use. Yes. Uh huh. There would be like toasters and kettles and electric blankets and heaters and air fryers, and we just thought we really want to get these things to people and slow cookers and stuff. So having managed to get her through the pat testing. Oh, that's brilliant. Absolutely fantastic.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

So is there a project that you do that um that specifically gives items like that out to people, or is it is that goes through the charity shop or well, no, the new to you shop, sorry.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

So both of them. So we have the Home Essentials project, which Zoe manages, she facilitates that. Right. And we also put some of the electrical things through the new to you shop. Fantastic. But the Home Essentials one. Uh we also work with a charity called Big Hoose, which might be you'll know that because of Logos, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 6:47

That's the one that Gordon Brown started, wasn't it? Um through Amazon, I think. So yes, it's a good idea. And it was Gordon Brown, yeah. He he was he didn't like all the so much waste because I think Amazon threw away a lot of the orders that maybe weren't fulfilled or had come back and returns, and um uh yeah, it was him that championed that.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

I didn't realise that's who started it. But yeah, so it's been fantastic working with Big Hoose. So essentially what happens is they produce a list every week of things that they're surplus of that we can get access to. And so the Big Hoose project, we can give it to people who are under 25 or have got someone in their household who's under 25. Fantastic, right? And there's loads of like baby type things or household items and these things that we can give out.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

I've seen some of those boxes, so you can get some really and some of it's interesting, but some of it's beautiful. I mean, some of the things I've seen that you've got is just like wow, I mean, absolutely stunning.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

Do V covers and all I wish that we could sell that in the charity shop in U to you, because I would absolutely buy that.

SPEAKER_02 7:51

Yeah, no, no, which is wonderful. So people are getting really lovely things, it's not yeah, which is lovely.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

Yeah. And the home essentials, um, if you don't qualify for big hoosts, so if you don't have someone in the house who's under 25, then the home essentials is a way that we can give things which have perhaps been donated or that we have got from another way. So a lot of the um electrical things might go out through Home Essentials. Right. So that could be people who've maybe been moved into emergency accommodation or who, for whatever reason, don't have the things that they need. So we've got a lot of like household goods and bed linen, crockery, these sorts of things that we can give to people.

SPEAKER_02 8:28

Those things that are essential. That's a great name for the project, actually. And it and things you don't think that you've that you need until you haven't got them. This that makes sense, things you that are everyday items like cutlery or something. It's so good.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

How do I eat my stew when I don't have exactly yeah so that's that sounds like a fantastic project. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And Zoe loves it as well, she's so good at it. It also gives joy to us being able to help people out, uh-huh. So as well as being able to hopefully help them and support them and connect them with different services, that's it.

SPEAKER_02 9:02

Again, part of our core values of what what the heart of what Creek Connections was made up to do. There's just that love and care for the community and people in the community.

SPEAKER_01 9:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 9:10

So the parties thing has enabled an extra addition to that, like an extra

Donations That Help Not Harm

SPEAKER_02 9:15

being able to supplement, which is which is brilliant because actually we all go through so many electrical items and I and it or get something new or want to change our set, and it's great to know that that's somewhere. So can people come and donate items like that? Is that how it works? Yeah. Uh huh.

SPEAKER_01 9:28

Yeah, so we take donations and we're we absolutely would love to have donations that are of a usable quality. Yes, I understand that. I think we're probably all quite aware of the fact that sometimes charity shops, like you see articles and BBC news or whatever, of charity shops having things that are just left outside the door and they get sodden or they're just not usable at all, or people who are wanting, that have got a really good heart and want to give things to charity shops, and that is lovely, and we really appreciate that that people are wanting to things to not go to landfill. But sometimes actually items have reached the end of their life, and passing them on to somewhere that's trying to resell items on, that's actually not the life that that item has is able to fulfil. It's life is finished.

SPEAKER_02 10:18

And it's sometimes hard to actually accept that, isn't it? Because we are we all want to recycle or we all want to give, but actually sometimes yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

Uh-huh. Yeah. You do get some donations that come in thinking, actually, this has been well loved. Yeah. This has been well used. And it is not something that we are able to either pass on or sell to someone. And there's textile recycling and things that these things can perhaps go to. But yes.

SPEAKER_02 10:43

So I suppose we've got when Creef we're really um blessed with the fact that we've also got remake as well, haven't we? So there's other charities that can maybe do things with some things as well.

SPEAKER_01 10:52

So we do um sort of help out remake and they help us at points. So there's sometimes things that are maybe not going to be useful for us. So I know that they've done some textile art projects. That's fantastic, right? And so at one point they were looking for a specific type of textile. Oh, brilliant. And they were able to say, okay, well, here we have these things, excellent, and then there's sometimes things that they've been donated that for whatever reason they're not able to

The Community Pantry And FairShare

SPEAKER_01 11:18

sell them on, they're not able to upcycle them. And so they give them to us.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

Oh, that's great. That's what it's all about, that collaboration and community organizations working together as well. That's brilliant. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so I I know food is something else that's um quite an important part of Creef Connections, and it always was. It's sort of actually Creef Connections, some of it came out of um the food bank way back yonder in a different life. I know that when I was at Logos, we had the food bank to start with, and um it sort of grew too big for Logos and then it moved on. But there was always a sort of food element to what Creef Connections could do. It's so it's not a food bank, but it's a food larder. So there's quite a difference in that. Is can you explain a little bit about that? Because we do still have a food bank, obviously, in Cree, which is a really important thing, but that but you have a food larder, so how does that work?

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Yes. So the food bank is one that can give out food, excuse me, food parcels, and they're open Monday, Wednesday, Friday. And I think you can correct me if I'm wrong, but the reason that we open Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday is so that there is always an affordable. So we are open Tuesday, Thursday, Saturdays. And so we are um it's a community pantry, is what we our signage says community pantry, and it's items which are for sale, but they are usually about 50% of what you will find in shop prices. And part of that is because they are excess from shops. Okay. That's the word that I was looking for. Yes. So we've got a few different ways that we get food for the food for the pantry, and the main one is getting excess from supermarkets. Right. So there's two different streams, even to that.

SPEAKER_02 13:04

Oh, right, okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

I was thinking that sounds yeah. We have a wonderful team of volunteers who pick up from ALDE and from Co-op. Oh, great. Uh-huh. And they pick up things that are have maybe got a short shelf life left or they've ordered more than they require. And so we're able to take it and pass it on through the through the community pantry, and that's Co-op and ALDE who do that. And then the other one, which is probably our main source of stock in the pantry, is through FairShare.

SPEAKER_02 13:37

Oh, right.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Okay. So in some ways, FairShare is maybe like the food equivalent of Big Hoose.

SPEAKER_02 13:41

Ah, yes, that's a good way of doing it, saying it actually. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

So instead of taking like Amazon excess stock, they take from the likes of what Tesco's and Morrison's and randomly, KFC and Domino's. Really? Right. And Marks and Spencer's.

SPEAKER_02 13:58

Well, you say that I think I saw you've got a sauce on the shelf. I think that's some secret KFC sauce, isn't there, yeah? KFC sauce. I must admit, I looked at that the other day and thought, well, that's I'm really intrigued by that. I wondered where it had come from.

SPEAKER_01 14:14

I can't remember where it was from Domino's. I think it was a sauce as well. Right. Uh huh. There are wee dipping pots. Right. Oh, yeah. But the yeah, the KFC secret sauce and Pizza Express. It's very random. It's kind of cool though, isn't it? I think in some ways it's quite fun actually to shop in the pantry because you don't know what you're gonna get. It's not like you are definitely always going to get it. And you are always going to get that particular sauce. Right. It is a bit, oh, what's in this week?

SPEAKER_02 14:41

And yeah. I I must admit, having been in, um, I've been amazed sometimes at the fridge at the amount of meat that you sometimes get. I mean, that's I mean, that's incredible. That some of the things, like I mean, I mean like joints of meat and yeah, and steaks, even sometimes, isn't there? And things like that.

SPEAKER_01 14:57

Right, okay. Like Tesco, rump or sirloin steaks are the ones that we get the most rate um regularly. So Tesco. So when does that when when does that food come in? How does that work? What happens is on a Thursday morning I get a phone call and they just say this, this. So they're like bananas, blueberries, steak, chicken.

SPEAKER_02 15:17

Wow. So they actually reel it all off in the list. Oh well, right.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

They go through their whole list and they'll they'll say when the um best before date is made because that's essential for us, isn't it? Yeah. Yes. So they literally go through this great big list and I get to say yes, well of that, no, but I'm not sure about that. And trying to figure out what the people of Creef might want to buy. Yeah, what I want to maybe get buy is not always the same. So I have to sometimes think, actually, I would really like that, but I am not going to buy two kilograms of it. Right, fair enough.

SPEAKER_02 15:52

What's the weirdest thing you've you've been offered? Can you think? The weirdest thing. Or the sort of most out there that you've sort of gone, maybe not, or I mean we'll go for it and we'll see.

SPEAKER_01 16:02

The things that I don't like are like tongue and liver and we have I did at one point get liver because I was chatting to someone, they're like, Oh, I would love that. Oh right, okay. Fair enough.

SPEAKER_02 16:14

Um liver just takes me back to being a wee girl. No, can't stand it.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

We got you know how if you go into Pizza Express, this is the Pizza Express thing, and they'll have like an activity sheet for kids. Yes, uh huh. They gave us hundreds of those at one point. Oh, right, okay. That's yeah, yeah. Sometimes they have got so much of a thing that they give it to you for free because nobody wants it. Right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 16:37

So you get a bonus, a bonus. Thank you very much. 60,000 bunches of bananas or something, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

I thought, oh, I was a couple times. This was when I was quite new and didn't always know what to ask when they were saying things. And they'd said, like, oh, um, like tomato pasta sauce. I thought, yeah. That sounds great. Yes. That'd be great. Not realizing it was a commercial pack. Oh my god. And so it was three litre packs.

SPEAKER_02 17:06

Well, we could did you have to oh no, what um, I'm not even gonna ask what you did with that. I mean, I think I bought one person. Right, okay, and put it in the freezer, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

Um there was another one. Oh, it was sliced sausage, right? I think, and I was expecting like a little pack of yeah. No, it was like oh wow, a kilo and a half of it. Yeah. Oops.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

Okay. So I've learned to ask. Yes. What is that? Or is that uh how is it dispensed, so to speak?

SPEAKER_01 17:37

We s we do actually still have a like mass of two big logs of haggis. Oh wow. Which yep.

SPEAKER_02 17:43

We'll figure something out. So a Saturday morning's the time to come, is it? For the fair shoes.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

We order on Thursday, it gets delivered on Friday, and we unpack, putting the shelves, price up, all that jazz. And then on the Saturday is when those things and some of them are like longer shelf life. So we pretty much always have like rice and pasta, and there's always going to be bread in tins. So we always will have those things, but stuff like steaks or cheese, milk, cream, some of these things, it's just dependent on what they've had.

SPEAKER_02 18:15

And imagine people uh you've got regular customers who enjoy coming and seeing what you've got and things. So that's that's great, isn't it? Fair share's quite fun, to be honest. I quite like Fair Share. No, that sounds good. You often have flowers as well, obviously, lots of bunches of flowers down there.

SPEAKER_01 18:30

Supermarkets, we quite often get flowers for the supermarkets, which is nice for people, I think. After Mother's Day, and after Easter weekend, we had an awful lot of flowers. Yeah, yeah. That's good. And we always have um like the free shelf or the free fridge. Right, okay. So there's like a free element. So some things, some things it's because the best before has maybe just passed. Right. And it's still a perfectly usable item, but the shops can't sell it, we're not gonna sell it, it's away for free. And the same for some fridge and freezer stuff, or we have just got so much of it that we would really love just for people to take it. And very often that is bread, so we get masses of bread. I could imagine. And I don't think any amount of bread and butter pudding or like making the little bird cakes could actually get right yes, get through all the bread.

SPEAKER_02 19:20

And I suppose half of it, half of our idea was to stop landfill as well. So we don't want to be putting it in the landfill either. So we want people to to to get the use of it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 19:33

But also the sustainability, wanting to divert foods from landfill.

SPEAKER_02 19:37

So so anyone could so anyone can use the the pantry. Anyone can use the pantry. Yeah. Yep. That's fantastic, isn't it? All are welcome. Yeah. It looks to be nice to see more people come in and kind of see what we've got.

SPEAKER_01 19:49

Hopefully, they'll be. Saturday mornings at 10 o'clock, we have people champing at the bit, waiting to go in. We have to nope, it is still 9.59.

School Uniform Bank For Families

SPEAKER_01 19:58

You're not allowed in until 10 o'clock. It's a dash, isn't it? Supermarket sweet.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

I love supermarkets. Yes. So that is the food pantry. Oh, that's great. So there's I'm trying to go around. Um what else do the school uniform bank? Again, that was another one that started a long time ago. Um, I think it's been in Logos too at some points, but it was also in Elizabeth's garage for a while and in boxes. And um but I I think some of it's still in boxes. Yeah, it's very lovely to see it actually all set out now in its only unit. So so how does that operate?

SPEAKER_01 20:29

Is that it's a low-cost uniform bank, pre-loved items. We have some sometimes we have new things and we can provide uniform for people for free if there's referrals and things. We work with the schools for that. Great. But for the most part, it's things that have been donated that we pass on to folks. It's very cost if it's very low price, isn't it? Yes, very low price. And we find that like nowadays you can get uniform quite cheaply in shops.

SPEAKER_02 20:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:57

And that's good that it's really accessible for people because folks it's important for kids to have uniform and feel that they are belonging and part of the school and this um have that identity. But often they're of lower quality. Yeah. And so we find that perhaps sometimes people will buy from places and actually they might be paying the same money that they would in our uniform bank. Uh-huh. But the brands that we have in the uniform bank are usually like MS. It's better quality. So it's it's really good quality to us. A lot of the stuff when we've picked it up, we're like this, it looks as though it's not been worn at all. It's not like my children then who went through their knees like, well, my son anyway. There's no ripped knees, it's not looking faded. And one of the things, so in the um was it the summer holidays, we had a a uniform sale. So what is in the uniform bank and connections is just a small portion of what we have. Right. Okay. So because we knew schools are starting soon, people will be buying uniform, we got everything out and put it down the main concourse. Uh Forever to sort it out because there was so much of it. But I was so impressed by the way that kids' uniforms are designed. Right. Okay. And not having children myself, this is probably not news to anybody, but it was to me. The fact that the waistbands of trousers elasticated with the little buttons. Yeah, they're brilliant.

SPEAKER_02 22:18

Absolutely brilliant. How's that not just done for clothes? I know everyone's clothes, not just yeah, I agree. Yeah, I would as well, actually. It'd be great. Special trousers.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

Yes. So we have an awful lot of particularly trousers, I think.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

And do you have the so-do stock? Um I know that uh quite a lot of our schools now have a specific colour jumper or something. So do you have a sort of range of that as well for the local primary schools?

SPEAKER_01 22:45

A lot of Creef primary, a lot of Cree High, a little bit of St. Dom's, and then we've got some from Comrie, and occasionally we'll get some from Adderty or St. Phillins.

SPEAKER_02 22:54

And Muthell as well. No St. Fillins anymore because there's no school there anymore. No school there. I probably meant I was trying to think of the others. I remember there being a school of civilians, but not anymore, sadly. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 23:07

So we have those different ones.

SPEAKER_02 23:09

And and I take it it's probably it's a busy time, is that sort of summer season, is it, and maybe October too? It is. Yeah. Or do people come in all the time?

SPEAKER_01 23:17

But we quite often have parents who'll come in and just like pick up a couple t-shirts or a couple of things and say, Yep, kid just loses them. Aye, or they grow suddenly. Yeah. So I think there was someone woman in who was in and saying, like, I feel like I buy them as quickly as she loses them. Oh, right. Oh gosh. There's a fair chance that they'll go into school lost property, make their way back to us, and then just go straight out to her again. Sure, she'd rather not have to do that. But yeah, so school uniform bank, and we do a big push

Cafe Warm Welcome And Citizens Advice

SPEAKER_01 23:50

with all of that stuff and work with the schools for referrals to help people get uniform. That's a brilliant service, isn't it? Very good service.

SPEAKER_02 23:57

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 23:57

Yes. So that's done the pantry. Yes. Done the school uniform bank community cafe. Yes. Where people can come and have a natter, social isolation, like addressing these sorts of things. Is that connecting people again, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 24:11

Is it a space for people to feel like they're safe and can just enjoy a chat or a conversation or a cup of tea or not too long finished doing the um warm spaces.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Ah, yes, of course. So what's that? Favour communities money. This is when I forget the different funds for different things.

SPEAKER_02 24:29

No, it's warm spaces money.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

Oh, it's just warm spaces money. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 24:32

Warm welcome, I think they called it this year. Warm space for a warm space. I think that's how it works. Warm welcome for a warm space.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Yes. So we had put in an application to be able to be a space that had a warm welcome for people. Oh, lovely. And so we managed to get soup from Gourlies that they brought up for us. Oh, that's a good idea three times a week. Nice. Just had a warm welcome bowl of soup. Great. Lots of bread, because we have always lots of bread. Yes. And a bit of a a chat. So that was really nice. Yeah. So that was we were doing that and it was free from November to March, and that's a sort of regular thing that we're done. I think this was the first year there was soup. Yes, I think it was. Yeah. Yeah. Which was great. Which is a lovely idea. I think that's a brilliant idea. I really appreciate that.

SPEAKER_02 25:14

And it definitely fills your but makes you it does it makes you warm from inside as well as warm on the outside. So that's lovely. So I think we've got is there not a new thing that's just started? Um you were talking about the Fairer community futures funding. Um was there not a Fair Communities? Fairer Communities funding.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

Did you not have a real bonus um uh connection? Yeah. We had two things in for the so one was the fairer communities and one was the green spaces. Oh that's right, of course. Yes. Uh-huh. Green living funds. Yes. So these were two different funds that were perfect ros, aren't they? Yeah. Uh-huh. So you had to put in your proposal and say what it was that you would want to spend the money on. And it was focused around cost of living, I believe. Yes. And so we had one in in the green living to replace a couple, well, to get a freezer and a fridge for the pantry, because one of them wasn't working, and then another excuse me, another one wasn't fit for purpose. So we've now got a much bigger free fridge, and it's really wonderful. But the one that we were a bigger one that we put into the fairer communities was to work with citizens advice care to get someone in Creef doing citizens' advice. Fantastic. So that was a really big deal for us, and the community obviously wanted that to be a service that was in Creef because they really got behind that, voted for it, and so we're delighted that we now have on Tuesday mornings citizens' advice. That is amazing. Taking appointments. And ever since she started, I think she started end of February. Yeah, I think it was. Yeah. Around about that sort of time. But I don't think there's been a single appointment slot that hasn't been taken. That's absolutely brilliant. Since then. What a fantastic service to be able to offer as well. That's great. Yeah, it's just another way of connecting people with services. Yeah. And Emma, the woman who does it, who does the drop-in from CAB, she used to do uh drop-in in Creef. Did she? Really?

SPEAKER_02 27:24

Yeah, it used to be in the in the old days, so to speak. It was in the the hospital. Yeah. And it was missed. I would I mean I'm I'm can't say how many times people still were asking when it was taking place when it hadn't been taking place for years. So to bring it back to Creef is an absolutely brilliant thing.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

So that locality thing is just brilliant. And even the fact that if we're just going about talking with people, we're able to say actually that's something that Emma would be able to help you with. Let's just get you booked in. And it's not thinking about, okay, so you need to go to Perth, this bus, and that has to tie in with this time and whether they're confident enough to get the bus, I suppose, as well. Sometimes people don't like that track. Between the work shifts and things, absolutely. And it's just not possible to go out there.

SPEAKER_02 28:02

So and some people don't like telephones either, because I think that was the other option, and I think that was putting people off too. It's all about what Krieve Connections was all about. It's that that into those jigsaw pieces coming together and putting the right people together.

SPEAKER_01 28:15

It's fantastic having Emma in on Tuesdays doing that.

SPEAKER_02 28:18

So it sounds like a very busy

How The Charity Started And Grew

SPEAKER_02 28:20

place. You're only open. Are you sure you're only open a Tuesday morning, a Thursday morning, and a Saturday morning?

SPEAKER_01 28:26

Saturdays, it's just we pack a lot into those times. It's absolutely fantastic. Yeah. So I'm fairly recently at Crew Connections, but you have got the long history of Cruz Connections. So maybe you can tell us a little bit about how it got from whatever it was, activate, I think you said to where it is now. Yeah. And physically now obviously it's in the old bus depot. So there's a lot of things. Oh, there has been a journey, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 28:54

Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, I talked a little bit about doing the activate course that was the Glasgow University course, which is where kind of some of the ideas have come from. But it had been brewing before that, to be honest. Um with this with the food bank unfortunately becoming more used, which I always say with a sad heart, because I don't yeah. Just makes me sad to think that we in a society that we need a food bank. But feel like that you can provide it, but you really don't want to be in a situation where people need it. Yeah, exactly. But um and and it had grown too big for Logos because Logos was a youth work charity and it just the way it was working. So that so we we'd seen that and that actually in Logos we were also doing a lot of that connecting role. We were it wasn't just about giving somebody a bag of food, it was about sitting them down and having a cup of tea. We were doing that and talking to people and finding out a bit more about them and and and and connecting them with people and services and things like that. So so there was it was already sort of brewing, if that makes sense, uh in the background. And then I think we did this course, and then uh it was also uh up at the the parish church at that time, um, it was they were looking at doing a community cafe and also sort of bringing people together, and it was just just trying to bring people together, give them a space to go that was nice, and and then everything kind of came to a halt because COVID hit. But actually for us, it turned into a good thing, which sounds really weird, and I don't know if that's the right word, but um, we we we got some funding. Um, that was when we kind of really sort of made the charity come together, and we got some funding for the in the COVID recovery fund, uh, and we opened up and an actual site in the high street um which got the name Creef Connections, and it was uh and from there we were able to provide some of the pantry food that we were doing already. We were able to connect with people, we we employed a couple of members of staff, we were doing a telephone befriending project and for obviously people who were feeling isolated because of COVID because they couldn't come out of their homes. Um the it there was immense projects, they went out and played golf, which was fantastic. We had all these golf clubs donated to us, which I think we've still got a few remnants of. Um and and and so that was a real buzzing hub, actually. It was it was small. We had we had um we also had the school uniform in there, it was it was a bit of everything in that building. Um so but and then the opportunity to um get the the bus depot, which was Penny Lane, or as well. I think Penny Lane's what most people think of it as, but it had had the co-op in there, and we'd have there was all sorts of different places, but it had been empty for about eight years. Um so we got the opportunity to go and have a look at this site, and then we all sort of went in thinking it's gonna be too big or it's gonna be ruined, or you know what it's gonna be. And it was absolutely we were gobsmacked, it was almost immaculate. Oh, wow. And the place we couldn't believe how um that it was just all still there. The what there wasn't much damage done, people hadn't been in there. Um it it almost felt ghostly in some respects, and that like there were still fridges and things that you it was all still there, and it I think all of our hearts went, Oh, this would be amazing, it would be an amazing space to do this from. And we did it, and so we moved in there. I think it was around about 2022 time, um, and uh sort of then well, I think we kept the space up in the high street for a wee while while we we sort of formulated the different the transitioned the different shops and made spaces available and things and sort of been there ever since. So and it wasn't. So was it during the lockdown times when you moved down there? No, it was just after. I think it was just at the end of it. Well, I I remember I know it's crazy. I was actually I didn't do the move, I got out of the move and because I was locked down because there was COVID in our house and it was a Christmas time. So it was just so um I think it was maybe just at the end of the COVID. So yes.

SPEAKER_01 32:40

Because I think I've seen pictures of uh like maybe you and Elizabeth at the entrance with tables.

SPEAKER_02 32:46

Yes, that's right. Yes, we did. Yeah, we did we did it from the door to start with. We did it, yeah. Um yeah, we had we had tables and we were distributing food from the door and things like that.

SPEAKER_01 32:54

And I wondered if that was because people weren't allowed to do it. Yes, it was. It was absolutely yes, yeah. It was another photo that I've seen is of doing, I think it must be Christmas meals.

SPEAKER_02 33:05

Yeah, so there's loads of tables down the corner. So that's a project that uh myself, um well Alan Caldwell, actually, who's a uh a man from Conway who has a massive heart for the community, um started that project up and uh to to provide a a fresh meal for Christmas for families. Um initially families who were referred through the food bank, and then it came from families who we referred, and then um also we got the council involved in that and lots of housing and and tenants and things. So, yeah, that started actually. We we did those initially from the Baptist church, they were distributed. And then the last I think it might be three years we've distributed them from Crieve Connections because it's easier for the drivers to come in. Um, and the f the numbers again due to cost of living, it we I think we delivered 50 plus 50 meals this year. But we've also did that um in conjunction with giraffe trading, who at the time were doing a cooked meal. So the people that perhaps weren't able to cook cook a big turkey or anything could get a starter, a main course and a pudding. So there were two elements to that. So so yeah, no, that's that's an amazing project. We did do that on Christmas Eve. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:15

I do remember last Christmas there. I was going round with lots of been able to give out packs of Christmas meals, the ones from the giraffe, and that was that was nice.

SPEAKER_02 34:25

There's nothing better. I think it's just just a bit of Christmas cheer at that time of year. So but yeah, there's been lots of things like that. We've we've um there's been lots of projects where we've given we've had funding to be able to give out um electricity for people. I can remember Elizabeth and I having to go round with electric carts and make sure people had electricity and things like that. So that's so it it's all about cost of living and making people's lives easier and better if we can.

SPEAKER_01 34:50

That's something we're going to be doing again quite soon because cost of living is well really challenging. So some of the things that are happening now are ones that have been in the past. Yes. But are there things that have been done like before my time that are not going on anymore?

SPEAKER_02 35:05

Or the telephone befriending, um, it it it it had its season because it was COVID and people were in their homes, and then so so the whole the bit by isolation, we that was very much one of our our our um our core elements was was to stop isolation, and it was like, oh, suddenly we hit COVID and we couldn't do that in the same way. Um so there was a lovely lady called Jill Garang took on that project and she had uh various different people who were befrienders who would phone up and and they had some lovely, I think there were some lovely connections and conversations made, but as as we came out of lockdowns and things, that wasn't needed as much anymore. So some of it is reacting to what the needs were of the timer. Absolutely, yeah. And it's always growing and developing. Um it's not a jigsaw piece that's ever finished. There's no out I don't think there's any outer outer edges of our jigsaw. There's always that opportunity to add a little bit more in or take a little bit out if necessary.

SPEAKER_01 35:58

Are you going to end up having little holes in your jigsaw because that's not a need that's there anymore? I think that's a a possibility. Or we change the picture. Yeah. I change the picture entirely. Yeah, things don't stay

Volunteering Roles And Trustee Needs

SPEAKER_01 36:14

the same. No. Which can be challenging. It can be very challenging, yeah. But it can be an exciting challenge as well. Yeah. Trying to remember that. Yes, definitely.

SPEAKER_02 36:25

I think one of the things that's been so amazing about um Crief Connections is our our team of volunteers. Um I don't know what you think, but I know from the joys. From the very beginning all the way through, there's there's been and we've watched some of the volunteers grow into staff members as well. Um, but it's just uh they're just they're it's like a family. Yeah, I I just think I always think that's something that makes uh Creef Connections really special. Is is that kind of they look after each other, it's they they they almost empower each other to be um to to do things and have a go at things and try something new, but they're so loyal and dedicated as well.

SPEAKER_01 37:00

I would say that our volunteers come into mind, like they're so committed to each other and building each other up and supporting, and there's a WhatsApp chat with the volunteers. And if someone's not going to be there for whatever reason, everyone is getting around. I hope you're doing okay. Is it anything you need? And yeah, so there's a real culture of supporting each other in community and family within that. And how would you become a volunteer at connections? Is that something that is something that we would love for people to do? So we've it's a simple volunteer form, but I would suggest that coming in and having a chat with myself, and there's loads of different roles that people can help out with at connections, and sometimes people will come in and say, Well, I don't want to be at the front of things at all. I don't want to do that, and that's fine because we've got roles that need people to be not front-facing at all, uh-huh. Not like having nothing to do with people, yeah, and that works so well for folks who just want to sort of potter away in the background. Right, okay.

SPEAKER_02 37:58

I suppose you must get lots of um uh donations and things, so that would be a job, wouldn't it?

SPEAKER_01 38:02

Yeah. Always a job is helping sort through donations and getting clothes steamed and ready to go out in the charity shop and sorting out. Actually, there's some things that might be better to sell online because it's a more specialized item. So, how do you do that? What do you use for that? At the moment, we have got uh um one of your logos people doing their work at their Duke of Edinburgh.

SPEAKER_02 38:24

Oh, fantastic!

SPEAKER_01 38:26

And so she does it through vintage. Fantastic pictures, the listings and the posting of them out. So yeah, we do some things for vintage. But then like we have the volunteers who pick up the food at the end of the day from supermarkets, and we could always do with an extra one or two in that rota. People who maybe Is that in the evenings then? Is that so? Okay, yes. And I mean, we would love to be able to do some weeding around the outside of the building.

SPEAKER_02 38:56

Oh, right, yeah, I never thought of that. Yes, that's a great idea.

SPEAKER_01 38:59

Coming into this time of year, weeds grow like weeds. Yes, I think. And so it's lovely to get them picked up. And we have uh some garden space at the front and to be able to keep that tidy and to grow some things, as well as like helping out in the church and then you to you shop or the pantry. So there's lots of different areas that people can volunteer.

SPEAKER_02 39:18

And we love to get them involved and support them through that, through the likes of some of the I know we're also done as a board um uh uh also thinking it's time maybe it's if people are interested, they could also come on board and become trustees as well. That's something else that uh if they had uh an expertise or something in finance or in uh I don't know, various different charitable things that uh trustees would also be really good as well. Legal and HR and finance, some of these skill sets. Perhaps if there's a few people out there, that would be great.

SPEAKER_01 39:51

I think I'd love someone who's up in social media because I'm finding I don't have the time to do the Facebook posts that would help us to tell people about what we're doing. Yeah. So that's one of the things that yes, if anyone is a d up hand at social media. Yes.

SPEAKER_02 40:09

Yeah, and I think the community has always been very supportive of um connections right back from the beginning. Um I I I remember uh when we were in the the hub in the high street, I can remember us getting donations from various different businesses and things of food sometimes if they had or or other things that you sort of go. They're real special treats sometimes as well. You suddenly get this donation. So I mean I I think we can't say thank you enough to to the members of the community uh and the businesses in the community of supported us and our and the bigger funders who who are out there and the different groups and organizations and and the schools as well. The schools have always been really supportive and what we do.

SPEAKER_01 40:44

Well, it's one charity, it's a whole load of people, and uh it wouldn't happen without all the the different volunteers and the different like the council people who support us. Absolutely and the the school and

When To Visit And Final Thanks

SPEAKER_01 40:58

the businesses and the funders. Yeah, our local councillors have always been really supportive as well, which has been great. So there's so many different parts that go into making connections able to happen.

SPEAKER_02 41:09

And yeah, we So the best time to find you is a Thursday or a Saturday, isn't it? Yeah. Yes. But we're also open on a Tuesday as well.

SPEAKER_01 41:17

I just work elsewhere on a Tuesday.

SPEAKER_02 41:19

Yeah. So I work on the Sunday. So it's 10 to 1 on a Tuesday.

SPEAKER_01 41:25

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 41:26

But do come and see us. Come and see what Creed Connections has to offer.

SPEAKER_01 41:30

Come and buy something from the pantry. You might get a surprise, eh? Yes. See you soon.

SPEAKER_02 41:43

Oh right, yes.

SPEAKER_00 41:44

Oh thank you to you, yeah. Well, not necessarily thank you, but um to me.

SPEAKER_02 41:50

Oh, definitely, yeah. Sorry to the other stories. No, no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 41:55

And you know, we'll be black in the future, I think. So you might say well, you might see us back again again. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:03

With a different I might have a different hat on.

SPEAKER_00 42:06

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 42:08

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_01 42:09

Oh, Gillian, this has been really great, hasn't it? Still drinking that coffee. I'm still drinking this coffee. I finished mine some time ago. But yes, it has been very nice to be here.

SPEAKER_02 42:17

Yeah, it's part of Strathurn Stories podcast. Uh hopefully we'll get invited back another time. What do you think?

SPEAKER_01 42:23

I hope so.

SPEAKER_02 42:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:24

I mean, we haven't eaten our tea cakes, maybe we'll take that away.

SPEAKER_02 42:27

A big thank you to Karen and I. Yes. And all for Strathurn Stories, so we'll be looking forward to seeing this. Yeah. Yeah.