Our community

We are a learning community of people from all backgrounds. We are makers and change makers. We are ambassadors for our collective values and each fulfil different roles.

OUR CREW – help us deliver our purpose and aims

Participants and apprentices: folk who are part of a specific programme involving practical skill and personal development
Volunteers in our workshop: currently a wide range of folk who contribute to GalGael by undertaking diverse tasks
Staff: sessional, part-time and full-time folk based in Glasgow and Argyll; responsible for nurturing GalGael’s culture and overseeing day-to-day systems and tasks to ensure smooth running
Governance team: trustees serving in a voluntary capacity on two boards (Trust and Enterprise) to ensure robust governance and overall sustainability of GalGael

WE ALSO LOVE OUR CONNECTIONS WITH…

Those who join us for our regular gatherings especially our Thursday open workshop and meal
Makers: folk who rent workshop space
Kinship Members: folk who contribute to the realisation of GalGael’s vision through regular giving
Friends, Guest and Supporters: People who walk with us and seek to offer encouragement and support; including via social media

Latest

Referring Someone

More information for referral agencies supporting someone to access what GalGael offers.
Making Just Futures

Making Just Futures is a big new piece of work for GalGael. Over two years, Making Just Futures will empower communities to imagine, determine and ultimately make just futures that meet their needs for living well and sustainably in an increasingly uncertain world.
GALGAEL TEMPORARILY CLOSED

WE'LL BE CLOSED FOR THE NEXT WEE WHILE... Glasgow City Council has declared the derelict building next door unsafe and have suspended access to the workshop. We'll let you know as soon as we get an update but for the time being we need to suspend much of our workshop activity - including Practical Woodwork and Thursday evenings 🥲
A new state

Govan Free State: living in the early days of a better nation. So COP26 is coming to town, about the same time as GalGael enter our 25th year. And so we thought what more appropriate way to mark all this than to declare a new free state - returning to our roots in Pollok Free State - an anti motorway camp. A playful, creative exploration of power and legitimacy in the face of climate emergency. An act of solidarity with those communities struggling for recognition of their territories.

Partners and funders

Our partners, allies and funders work locally, nationally and sometimes globally. Our co-collaborators share similar values and have a kindred understanding of the world and the work that is needed.
Who we stand with

We seek to be in solidarity with communities around Scotland and the world. The communities we actively serve are Govan and Glasgow. We particularly want to stand with those most negatively affected by current systems.

Boat building

GalGael works together on demanding common tasks that build community and demonstrate ways of living with more humanity. Working together on boats of all shapes and sizes is one of the ways in which we do just this.
Timber and firewood

We produce a number of Scottish hardwoods - often by working with partners within Historic Environment Scotland and Glasgow City Council to bring locally produced timber for sale to the public and for use in our products.
How to participate

There are many ways to get involved in our work. Find out how to become part of what we're doing, visit us or stay connected.
Why we need volunteers

GalGael offers activities that help people reclaim skills, agency and sense of worth. Without our crew of dedicated volunteers, these activities wouldn't happen nor would the many other adventures we have.
Open Workshop Nights

We have a workshop with tools and benches so every Thursday we open that up to the wider community. Thursdays are open format - they very much depend on who shows up and what they bring. But we can promise workshop space, a basic meal and some banter.
About our social enterprise

Our range of products and services - activities that generate meaning and income to help us become self-sustaining.
GalGael Next?

Big changes at GalGael
A new state

Govan Free State: living in the early days of a better nation. So COP26 is coming to town, about the same time as GalGael enter our 25th year. And so we thought what more appropriate way to mark all this than to declare a new free state - returning to our roots in Pollok Free State - an anti motorway camp. A playful, creative exploration of power and legitimacy in the face of climate emergency. An act of solidarity with those communities struggling for recognition of their territories.
Our story

Our story is crafted by many people. It starts in one of the most deprived areas of Glasgow, where the GalGael grew from an environmental campaign. We created GalGael as a vehicle to take forward what we’d learned and to move from being about what we didn’t want to what we did want.
Colin's passion shared in BBC Alba documentary

BBC Alba documentary Birdman of Pollok, Curaidh na Coille tells the story of Colin Macleod our founder - a power story for our times. "An inspiring insight into a quest for justice, equity & sustainability of people and place" Broadcasting on 30 December