I'll make no Bones about it, this project has saved me

Published on Saturday 31 January 2009 09:59

DRESSED in black denim jeans and sporting numerous piercings and tattoos on his neck and head, Bones looks every bit the punk band frontman.

But the 35-year-old from Dalry has also developed a less anarchic passion for woodwork, hand-crafting beautiful clocks from reclaimed wood.

Bones, real name Jon Fitzgerald, who is also the singer in an up-and-coming Edinburgh punk band, discovered a flair for woodwork through the Greyfriars Recycling of Wood (GROW) project in the Grassmarket.

Through painstakingly hand-sanding and polishing the recycled wood, the self-proclaimed former "drunk punk" has turned a corner in his battle against alcohol addiction.

Bones said: "I came with a friend a couple of years ago and learnt away, just pottering about and getting pointed in the right direction.

"When I started out I made a few stools but I found my niche with clocks. I bring out the natural beauty of the wood and spend time fixing the mechanisms and polishing it up.

"I had a real problem with alcohol and this has given me something to focus on – I find it very therapeutic."

The aim of the project is to help individuals restore their confidence by gaining new skills.

Led by woodwork teacher Tom Pringle, 54, who also runs his own furniture craft business, a small group of men have been working to develop their skills and turn recycled timber, mainly church pews, into sellable wooden goods.

The high-quality products, from stools and tables to bird boxes, lamps and clocks, are made by people who have faced issues such as homelessness, addiction and social exclusion.

Mr Pringle said: "It is not just about recycling pews, it is about recycling people's lives, giving them a chance to change their lives and develop new skills.

"The project has shown great promise – all the guys have come on quite significantly. They get so much encouragement seeing the thing made and money coming in and that gives them the incentive to continue."

The money made through selling the items at craft fairs is put back into the project, which operates out of a workshop at the Grassmarket Mission on Hunter's Close.

GROW was started in 2006 as a pilot project, managed by Greyfriars Community Project, in partnership with homelessness charity Edinburgh Cyrenians.

Mr Pringle hopes it will be able to expand this year, linking with local colleges and increasing the number of people involved, but the project is in need of wooden supplies to continue its work.

The social enterprise has made a plea for donations of old church pews to help them continue the carpentry classes.

Reverend Richard Frazer, chairman of the Greyfriars Community Project, said: "Old church pews are always welcome for the project. The wood is well seasoned and of very good quality.

"Thanks to our fully-equipped workshop we can turn them into almost anything, such as tables, small stools, mirrors and even picture frames."

The appeal for pews comes ahead of Homelessness Sunday, which takes place tomorrow.