A £1,000 boost has been delivered to two popular causes.

The donation came from the Unpaid Work Service, operated by North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership’s Criminal Justice team.

The gift was presented to the Neonatal Unit at Crosshouse Hospital, Kilmarnock, and SANDS, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity. The donation will enable the unit to buy two bedside cots to furnish the room for parents preparing to return home with their babies.

The money was raised through income generated through the Unpaid Work Service which sees people who have been handed Community Payback Orders by the courts carry out unpaid work which benefits the local area.

Here in North Ayrshire, those taking part in the service are involved in a range of work which includes the building of garden furniture, such as benches, pergolas and bird tables, as well as growing plants.

These are then made available for purchase by the public at sales days with proceeds going to the Income Generation Fund.

Service users are asked to nominate a number of charities and are then given the opportunity, along with Criminal Justice staff, to vote for where they wish the funds to go. This year, the neonatal unit and SANDS were chosen.

Councillor Robert Foster, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: “The donation also shows how the Community Payback project can make a real difference to people’s lives and put something positive back into the community.

“The project enables those on unpaid work orders to develop a range of skills in horticulture and joinery whilst being able to make a valuable contribution to charities such as the Neonatal Unit.

“In previous years, donations have been given to Women’s Aid, the North Ayrshire Foodbank and Victim Support and it’s great to see the neo-natal unit and SANDS being picked as this year’s beneficiaries – they do an amazing job.”

The Criminal Justice team’s unpaid work operates a range of programmes including weekly collections and deliveries for North Ayrshire Foodbank, garden tidies for vulnerable Council residents, painting community halls, and repairing woodland paths.

Last year, the service notched up 57,000 hours of unpaid work for communities within North Ayrshire.