Doing Good With Wood

At Community Wood Recycling, our mission goes beyond repurposing wood and reducing the carbon footprint of waste. We’re here to help people who face barriers to entering the workforce, those who feel isolated from society, and people dealing with challenges such as disability, recovery from addiction, homelessness, or long-term unemployment. By offering opportunities to volunteer, train, and work, we aim to help people change their lives. But our work also contributes to something bigger: creating more resilient, connected communities.

Mental Health and Resilience

We know that poor mental health is one of the biggest challenges faced by the people we help, often alongside other difficulties, like unstable housing or unemployment. We believe that strong social relationships are a key part of creating mental wellbeing.

According to research by the New Economics Foundation (NEF), now shared by the NHS, there are five ways to wellbeing. These provide a framework for building resilience and fostering mental health in both communities and workplaces. Simple, evidence-based actions can help people “feel good and function well.”

1. Connect with Others

Strong relationships and social connections are key to wellbeing and resilience. In a workplace setting, creating opportunities for meaningful interactions—like collaborative projects that benefit other people—can foster trust and improve morale. At Community Wood Recycling, we see the power of connection daily. Whether it’s volunteers supporting each other or the relationships we build with businesses that share our ideals, these interactions strengthen both individuals and the community.

2. Be Physically Active

Physical activity isn’t just good for your body; it’s essential for your mental health. At our workshops and wood yards, people engage in hands-on work that’s physically active and meaningful, which helps improve mood and energy levels. No gym membership required!

3. Learn New Skills

Learning keeps our minds active, boosts confidence, and helps us adapt to new challenges. At Community Wood Recycling, every activity, from learning about workplace safety to making bespoke furniture, offers opportunities for people to learn, grow, and take pride in their achievements.

4. Give to Others

Acts of kindness and generosity don’t just help others; they’re good for your own wellbeing too. Workplaces can encourage charitable giving or volunteering, for example last December one of our members, Leeds Wood Recycling, hosted a workshop where employees from construction firm Wates made Christmas gifts for a local domestic abuse charity, an initiative which not only helped a good cause but also boosted the participants’ sense of purpose and connection. Our staff and volunteers often tell us how important it is to them that what they do helps people, and is one of the main reasons people choose to work with us.

5. Take Notice (Mindfulness)

Taking time to appreciate the present moment—whether it’s through mindfulness exercises, gratitude practices, or simply pausing to reflect—can reduce stress and improve focus. We believe that there’s something about working with wood, with its smell, texture and grain, that’s particularly effective in helping people stay in the moment. Living in the moment can also create space for feeling more connected to the past and future by putting habitual regrets and anxieties in perspective.

The Bigger Picture: Building Resilient Communities

Beyond supporting individuals, Community Wood Recycling contributes to the resilience of the broader community. Our workshops act as hubs of connection, where people come together to learn, create, and share. Initiatives like repair cafés, woodworking classes, and community sheds foster collaboration and mutual support. By repurposing wood, we also contribute to the sharing economy, donating timber to schools, prisons, and other community projects. This approach not only reduces waste but also reinforces the idea that resources—and kindness—can be shared.

With an estimated 6.5 million people in the UK struggling to heat their homes or afford food this winter, and the impact of climate change, political instability and economic crisis unavoidable, the situation can feel overwhelming. However, Christmas is a time for friends and communities to come together, to reflect, recharge and support each other through the darkest days of the year. We hope that projects like ours remind people that nobody faces these challenges alone, and that solutions that elude us as individuals can be found in the strength of collective action.

If you want to connect with someone by buying them a gift, shopping sustainably is a way to show you care while minimising waste and spreading goodwill. Our enterprises have all kinds of products like candle holders, tree ornaments, and decorations, and some stock wooden faux-Christmas-trees or living Christmas trees as well, so consider visiting your local Community Wood Recycling enterprise’s website or wood store for a gift that’s in the spirit of the season. If you have a hearth or wood-burning stove, many also stock kindling and firewood from reclaimed sources.

If you’re looking for a gift that isn’t made of wood, there are also many sustainable shopping guides available online such as Social Enterprise UK’s Festive Gift Guide, which has a selection of gifts from social enterprises certified by the UK’s primary social enterprise membership body. Other than gifts, there are a range of other actions that go towards lessening the environmental impact of the holiday, like making a roast dinner with locally-grown seasonal vegetables, reusing wrapping paper, steering clear of packaging and anything made of non-renewable materials, and making your own decorations. The WWF has a great article on top tips for a sustainable Christmas.

Learn more about this topic at:

• Building resilient communities: Making every contact count for public mental health (Mind)
• Five ways to wellbeing (New Economics Foundation)

Glasgow Wood was the first member of the Community Wood Recycling network to be set up in Scotland. Founder Peter Lavelle was inspired by the model he saw in Brighton, and with the help of a diverse and broad-ranging team, Peter has built a thriving charity and social enterprise in a former shipyard on the banks of the Clyde, in the shadow of one of the famous Titan cranes.

Peter has now stepped back from the role of managing director, but reflects

“A great delight for me is always when we’re able to support a volunteer into employment, especially here at Glasgow Wood.

At the moment we have a number of staff who were previously volunteers, but I do have a soft spot for Helen, who volunteered and then worked with us a number of years ago. What made this special was the fact she became Glasgow Wood’s very first wood-working apprentice, made all the more special because our work can often be seen to be male dominated.”

As a charity and social enterprise, Glasgow Wood is committed to fostering a healthier and more sustainable population and planet.

The organisation enhances the wellbeing of its local community by offering valuable training and volunteering opportunities, addressing unemployment and social exclusion. The age-old craft of building with one’s hands proves to be a powerful tool for personal and social transformation.

Glasgow Wood also prioritises environmental health by reusing and rehousing timber, diverting vast amounts of this precious resource from landfill. Using reclaimed wood, the enterprise creates quality furniture and accessories, undertakes bespoke commissions, and delivers large-scale projects for homes, businesses, and social sector organisations.

When Cop 26 came to Glasgow, the social enterprise was asked to create planters to welcome the delegates, and after the event they took things further…

As Glasgow Wood explains in their blog:

Back in early May, the technology teacher of Hillhead High School came in looking for something to get his P7 students learning how to grow their own potatoes.

Using a little bit of ingenious thinking, Mr McMahon settled on some large planters originally made for the public areas at COP26, along with some long, thin ply wood boxes to help with building their outdoor space. Who knew this story could become such a great example of the circular economy in practice!

The large box planters from inside the Green Zone were kindly returned after COP26, and the long thin boxes came via Event Cycle, an organisation helping to bring circular economy practices to the events industry. These long ply wood boxes were collected from stage sets of the keynote & meeting rooms in the Blue Zone. So when Mr McMahon was in need of an affordable and sustainable solution for his P7 induction week project Glasgow Wood were happy to be of service!

The planters were too large to begin with, so the first step was for the students to break them down and use each segment as a separate planter, with additional wood purchased from Glasgow Wood used to make the bases. After that, the students added some colour to make each planter stand out.

Once painted, the planters just needed a suitable lining to hold the soil and they were ready to go. Some of them were even destined to be used for display boxes for stands at their Summer Fayre. The rest were stencilled with the name of each class to identify them.

Birch ply from the Youtube exhibitor stand at COP26 was also reused for a number of purposes, one of which was a request from Scottish Libraries, who needed a set of peg boards for a Lend and Mend hub, facilitating free access to equipment to repair, reuse, and up-cycle everyday items within local libraries.

Glasgow Wood used their CNC machine to create samples to make sure the look and function of the board was what the library needed. Once the specifics were agreed, they went into production. Here are the boards in use at the library:

We wholeheartedly support the Lend and Mend project and we’re glad they chose Glasgow Wood for their order. There are currently 11 hubs in operation across Scotland with a range of services, so if you live nearby and have a broken item in need of fixing but don’t have the tools, remember that libraries aren’t just for books.

My name is Merle Collett, and I’m a Yard and Warehouse Assistant at Glasgow Wood. I originally joined in 2017 where I volunteered in the workshop.

I first signed up at to volunteer at Glasgow Wood through Project Scotland. I really liked the sound of the organisation and the ethos behind it. At first, I was in the office, but I was given the opportunity to go into the workshop, which was great. I enjoyed that a lot – I learned a lot about woodworking and it helped with my confidence. I felt really supported as a volunteer.

When I was in the workshop I was mostly helping to make the bespoke stuff. So furniture made to order such as bookshelves and units. Learning in the workshop is a really great experience. There’s so much wealth of knowledge that’s passed on in a really genuine way.

New Role

I heard about the Community Jobs Scotland opening through Glasgow Wood. A job had felt quite in the distance for me – because of my health. But this role seemed really perfect because it was 16 hours. I was volunteering 2 days a week here anyway so I felt capable of that. It was something that I wanted to do and felt confident within. The job is great because the CJS jobs are specifically set up for people that are in my sort of position.

Within the job, I’m working in the bays, which are mainly used for storage. I’m organising the wood: drying it, sorting it – it’s all the ‘pre’ stuff – before it reaches the workshop.

Achievements

I’ve learned loads of skills in my time here. Practically – in the workshop with woodworking – but also social skills, being a part of a team & working with other people in collaborative ways. I’ve also passed the forklift driving training course. Learning useful skills to feel a valuable part of something – I think that’s a big achievement!

Community

I think there’s a strong sense of community and, almost, family here. People are working together for shared goals. And I think the practical thing of ‘selling stuff’, works really well because people are here for a purpose.

I think there’s space for lots of different people to be here. It feels valuable just to be an individual that might have different skills and different understandings of things. So I guess I’ve made a difference at Glasgow Wood just by being myself!

If you’re near Glasgow and interested in buying wood or products, volunteering, or just seeing what the project is all about, Glasgow Wood is well worth a visit. They have a great selection of products with an online store, and are also happy to take on bespoke work including office and shop fittings.

Mid Sussex Wood Recycling have transformed an old filing cabinet into stylish storage with hexagonal wooden tiling.

Take one boring old filing cabinet, put new wooden drawer fronts on it and a coat of black paint…

A customer at Southampton Wood Recycling has turned a collection of wooden blocks into a display resembling a shelf of books. What a great way to show off the variety in the world of wood!

Each of these ‘books’ is actually a piece of timber, made from the species that it says on the spine. These have been made by an incredibly talented customer – the two on the far left were purchased in our shop.