The wooden workshop where homeless people can carve themselves out a new future

Published on Wednesday 28 October 2009 08:14

THE sound of laughter and chatter rise above the background noise of sanding and polishing and the tinkle of the radio. Men and women dressed in jeans and overalls sit at wooden benches, putting the finishing touches to their work.

Manager Tommy Steele darts around the workshop, dispensing a piece of wood here, or a word of advice there. All around the walls, display cabinets show off the beautifully finished wooden clocks, candle holders and bottle racks.

It's hard to believe that, until a few months ago, many of these craftsmen were sleeping rough. The majority have been homeless, while some have struggled with drug addiction, alcoholism and mental health problems.

Many had never picked up a saw or a piece of sandpaper before they discovered the Greyfriars Recycling of Wood, or GROW, project in the Grassmarket.

Tommy helped set it up three years ago with the Greyfriars Community Project and the Cyrenians charity, in a small portable cabin off Hunter's Close.

Now it has expanded, with its own large workshop, and up to 20 people working each day. They turn unwanted church pews from around Scotland into unique, handcrafted pieces of furniture.

As well as recycling high-quality hardwood, the project has helped volunteers turn their lives around.

Chris MacCallum, 27, is sitting at a bench polishing a carved wooden clock. Until recently, he was living on the streets, shoplifting to feed his heroin addiction.

His troubles started when he split up with his girlfriend last year, had to leave the flat they shared, and found himself with nowhere to go. He says: "I got in with the wrong crowd. I was easily led. I had a heroin habit and I ended up begging on the streets.

"A lot of the time I'd be sleeping rough. Sometimes I'd stay in the Cowgate shelter, but you'd get chucked out at 7 in the morning, and I'd have nowhere to go all day."

His wake-up call came when he was arrested and charged with shoplifting. Chris realised he had to deal with his drug habit, and managed to get methadone treatment. He moved into temporary accommodation, and heard about the Greyfriars project.

He says: "It gives me something to do with my time. I've been getting to know a lot of people here. Now I want to get back into work. I'll try and get into college."

The workshop grew from a pilot project, developed by Greyfriars Kirk minister Richard Frazer. Members started making smaller items, such as clocks and birdboxes, made from donated church pews and sold at craft fairs, with all the money ploughed back into the project.

But with the larger workshop, they have been able to become more ambitious. They joined forces with Edinburgh College of Art student, Mark Kobine, who has designed an elegant and sturdy three-shelf bookcase, made from a truncated church pew. He was inspired by the idea of centuries-old wood, bearing the dents and marks of long-term use.

It is the first in a range of larger items, which can be ordered at around 400 a time. The project now has around 1,600 worth of orders on its books, with most of the business coming through word of mouth.

Tommy says: "Ninety per cent of people who come here say they're rubbish at woodwork. But then they'll produce something like a candle holder or a bottle holder, with a bit of support. That immediately is a quick fix for their confidence. Once they've done that, they can move on to making furniture."

One success story is Stephanie Goddard, 21, who is sitting in a corner of the workshop filling out her college admission form. She hopes to study woodwork and joinery at Telford College next year.

Like most of the volunteers, Stephanie never expected to become homeless, but when her mother moved to England to be with her partner and the cinema where she worked closed, she found herself struggling to keep a roof over her head. She spent time staying on friends' floors, then ended up in a hostel. Her self-esteem plummeted as she was repeatedly rejected for jobs. Stephanie was caught in a common trap – with no fixed address it was hard to find work.

She came to the Grassmarket after hearing about it from another girl at her hostel. Stephanie had done a little woodwork at school, and once her confidence grew, she realised she had a talent for it. The first thing she made was a bottle holder, but now she can turn her hand to everything from intricately carved clocks to elegant coffee tables.

"Knowing you've made something that someone else will buy is really good," she says. "I know I can do something now if I put my mind to it. Everybody's really friendly here and we all help each other." She is now living with her sister in Gilmerton while she looks for a flat to rent on her own.

Just next to her, James Bjorkly is refurbishing an old table. He has removed the top from it, and is sanding it down and polishing it to give it a new lease of life.

The 40-year-old has been coming to the workshop on and off for two years, in between having surgery on his spine. He is about to begin radiation treatment after being diagnosed with cancer of the spine. But despite his ill health, and a long run of bad luck, James is upbeat.

The divorced father-of-two had moved to United States a few years ago, hoping to start a new life close to his adoptive father. He found work as a security guard at Universal Studios in Florida.

But then James' residence permit ran out, and he was deported. With nowhere to live and no job, he was too proud to ask his family for help.

He says: "I didn't want to take advantage of my father. I wanted to show them I could do it on my own. I was sleeping behind buildings, in the park and Princes Street Gardens. That wasn't much fun."

He would come to the Grassmarket Mission to get a hot meal. Then he discovered the volunteer project, and found he enjoyed the satisfaction of making things.

He says: "I love working with wood, and the satisfaction of people buying it. It's nice seeing the old church furniture recycled."

He now has a flat near Ocean Terminal and his two sons come to stay at weekends.

Tommy says several volunteers have used their new skills to move on to college courses or find jobs. He says: "Just being here is moving on for people. Some of these guys are sleeping on the streets, but they're still very committed. After they've been here a while, they feel like real workers.

"I try to create a welcoming atmosphere, with a workshop that's the same as any other. There are a lot of issues that come with homelessness. There's often drugs or alcohol, or self-harming. I'll be giving them support and advice while we're looking at a bit of timber."