Whiteinch Based Social Enterprise Set to Help Make Spaces for People

Whiteinch based social enterprise and charity Glasgow Wood Recycling, have been busily working away to build planters that will help the council to support physical distancing, and suppress a resurgence of COVID-19.

A number of these planters, made from recycled scaffolding boards, will be used in addition to water filled barriers, to mark out widened footways as part of Spaces for People, the project that's providing temporary additional space for people to walk, wheel and cycle as distancing restrictions remain in place.

Established in 2006, Glasgow Wood Recycling looks to reduce the amount of wood going to landfill by finding creative ways to reuse this natural resource, including the manufacture of quality furniture and the design of bespoke pieces for homes, businesses and schools. Through these practical activities, the organisation is also providing employment, volunteering and training opportunities to local people, as a practical way of tackling unemployment and social exclusion.

Glasgow Wood Recycling founder Peter Lavelle said: "We work closely with local businesses to source materials that they no longer require and the planters that we are building for the council as part of their Spaces for People programme is a great example of how unwanted wood waste can be expertly repurposed to extend its usefulness. Our social enterprise prides itself on creating a fantastic product whilst offering opportunities for both paid and voluntary work as well as training programmes to help local people back into work, learn new skills and to feel part of something worthwhile."

Spaces for People

Supported by £3.5m funding from the Scottish Government and administered by Sustrans Scotland, Spaces for People will see footways widened at pinch points across the city centre and in neighbourhoods to ease pedestrian movement and make it easier to access businesses, community facilities and public transport hubs. Consideration is also being given to the positioning of temporary strategic cycling routes to highlight cycling as an attractive, viable and long term commuting choice.