Magnificent Seven

Seven of our Navigate Life participants received their well earned tool bags last week to a round of applause from staff and volunteers. Some good friendships were formed among them and all said they had a great time on the course. Two of the guys are moving on to volunteering roles with other organisations and some are looking at staying on for a bit to volunteer here.

Well done to all and good luck for the future.

The will to work

The workshop remains as busy as ever with a full waiting list ready to take up the next two intakes for Navigate Life.

Some of the past participants who have stayed on to volunteer are now mucking in on the various boat projects that are ongoing on while others are using their skills to see how we can make a range of GalGael products to generate some income.

There's a real good energy in the workshop and it proves the point that given a bit of respect and some meaningful activity people, often with unemployment through three generations of their family- just love to get stuck in to some good honest work.

At the benches.

It just seems to get busier and busier at the Navigate Life benches. Our course is still in big demand and making a real difference to the confidence, motivation and sense of identity to many who join up. On a recent Friday outing we had our biggest group so far of nineteen people. Last Friday we visited the ever popular Wallace Monument. We hope to get participants to contribute to this blog on a more regular basis but hear are a few impressions of Friday's trip.

"I had a great day out. It was really interesting to visit the Wallace Monument and learn more about Scottish history" Matthew.

"Tremendous, my first time at the Wallace Monument and a look back at Scottish History."

Alastair Mor Dickson.

"What a brilliant day again" Sean

"I really enjoyed myself, thanks for a great day" Gary.

" I really enjoyed myself, it was a perfect day out" Brian.

(pics to follow)

Presentation

Toolkits were handed out to Jenny McCarry, George Todd and Norie Somerville who have all just completed our Navigate Life course.

Well done to all three, they are great folk and have been wonderful to have in the workshop as you can see by all the clapping hands in the background.

Visit from The Rock Trust

We were very pleased to receive a visit from "Step Up" participants and staff from the Rock Trust, an excellent project from Edinburgh who wished to come over and see what we are up to at GalGael.

We gave the Group a tour of the workshop and got them involved in carving a sign on a piece of oak to put up in their base. The picture shows GalGael's Ian Bogle passing on some carving skills. Well done to the guys for getting so much done in a short space of time.

Visit their site at;

www.rocktrust.org

More participant successes.

A few more pictures of Navigate Life participants either showing their work or receiving their toolkits. A special mention to Joe Gray on gaining a years placement on the construction crafts course at The Metropolitan College. Joe (in the orange shirt) start on Monday and we wish him all the best of luck.

Participant activity

The Galgael workshop in Fairley St continues to be a hive of industry with available bench space constantly sought after. Visitors are always taken aback by the site of so many people working away on various wood projects and by the atmosphere of creativity and community around the benches.

Well done and thanks to all the latest group of participants who have just completed the Navigate Life course and who received their belated bag of tools last week. They were good enough to hold back till we got through our recent funding difficulty, many volunteering for us through a very busy summer. Special congratulations go out to Brenda on receiving her tool kit.