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  • who-we-are
  1. Who we are
  2. About GalGael

Who we are

GalGael are a working community based in Glasgow, Scotland. We work together on demanding common tasks that demonstrate ways of living with more humanity in our times. In this section you can find out a bit more about our story, what GalGael means and how we came to be building boats as well as how we're organised.

What GalGael means

What GalGael means

The name 'GalGael' is our way of re-rooting notions of identity and belonging in ways that are inclusive not exclusive – recognising there is both a bit of the stranger and a bit of the native in us all. Read more

Published: 2nd March, 2018

Updated: 17th March, 2018

Author: Gehan Macleod

Our story

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. Read more

Published: 2nd February, 2018

Updated: 3rd March, 2018

Author:

How we're organised

How we're organised

GalGael consists of the GalGael Trust, a registered charity and GalGael Enterprises a social enterprise - wholly owned by the Trust. Find out more about how we're structured and how we make decisions. Read more

Published: 2nd March, 2018

Author: Gehan Macleod

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Latest

  • Coming to us with a DIY project

    Coming to us with a DIY project

    We believe in creating community by working and learning together. We are open to anyone who wants to join us, but we try to be fair and offer more support to those who need it the most. We will ask you to play along with our ethos of inclusion, and accept our priority for fellow learners with complex needs.

  • A new state

    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.

  • AGM 18 February 2021

    AGM 18 February 2021

    GalGael's Annual General Meeting reporting on the year April 2019 to March 2020

  • virtual Burns Night

    virtual Burns Night

    So we're having a bash at an online version of our Thursday Night Gatherings – kicking off with a Virtual Burns Night, on the 28th January.

Most read

  • Timber and firewood

    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.

  • Boat building

    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.

  • How to participate

    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.

  • GalGael Next?

    GalGael Next?

    Big changes at GalGael

  • Why we need volunteers

    Why we need volunteers

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

  • About our social enterprise

    About our social enterprise

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

  • Basic Woodwork

    Basic Woodwork

    Basic woodwork is the mainstay of our work at GalGael. Find out more about our opportunities to learn with us. Craft generates skills, agency, and community.

  • A new state

    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.

  • Open Workshop Nights

    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.

  • How to refer

    How to refer

    GalGael’s activities offer folk a place of work, some respect and some tools. We work to create a therapeutic environment however what we offer is firmly based in practical skills. So we are reliant on ongoing working relationships with our partner agencies in supporting people with complex needs.

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Find us

Registered Office
15 Fairley Street
Glasgow
G51 2SN

+44 (0)141 427 3070
[email protected]

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GalGael Trust is a company limited by guarantee registered under number SC246912 and registered as a Charity number SC026824. GalGael Enterprises is a wholly owned subsidiary of GalGael Trust - company number 502026.

Photo Credits: Colin Mclean, Cathy Weir, Oran Macleod, Leanne Fischler, Thomas Wall, Alasdair Smith, David Boni, Keith Jack, Aldo Ferrarello, Christian Petersen