John Maguire is a workshop volunteer at Glasgow Wood Recycling MY name is John Maguire, I’m a retired mental health nurse, and I’ve been volunteering at Glasgow Wood Recycling since 2017.
I’ve always been keen on doing woodwork, learning DIY skills and things like that. After retiring, I had plenty of time on my hands, so my partner suggested it would be a good idea to do a bit of voluntary work. I had worked full time before, with long hours, so I never really felt I had the time to do volunteering. But in my job, we had a lot of contact with voluntary organisations.
I was referring people to volunteering projects for the social inclusion aspect of it – so I was well aware of the benefits.
The opportunity arose to come into Glasgow Wood Recycling to volunteer, and I thought I’d just have a go at it! I haven’t looked back since because it’s been most pleasurable, and quite an education for me as well. I’m learning new skills all the time, and you get to see an end product with the furniture we make – so I get a lot of satisfaction out of it.
I do all sorts of things as a volunteer here. We make indoor and outdoor furniture from reclaimed wood – so I might be working on a dining table, a chair or a wooden planter box. I could be in the finishing room or putting units together. I’ve also done work on-site, such as repairing planters and installing items in schools.
It’s quite remarkable the amount of skills I’ve learned here: building and structuring things; reading diagrams; using tools. There’s no great expectation that you’re going to do it perfectly though – and I like that. You just try to do your best, and when you complete something, it’s really a good sense of achievement. At home I’ve started doing my own projects. So it gives me confidence to attempt things that I wouldn’t have before.
Socially it’s quite entertaining as well - the people here are great. I really enjoy the camaraderie and there’s a whole mix of people that come in, with varied backgrounds and life experiences. It’s interesting to hear about how people got involved with the organisation. It’s a fun atmosphere, you get a wee bit of banter, and you get that social contact. And our input as volunteers is really appreciated by everybody here – so it’s all very positive.
Doing what I did before, the stress levels were really, really high – that doesn’t happen here. Even just sanding a piece of wood is so relaxing, and kind of good for your psyche I think! You get a sense of wellbeing when you’re doing it – a wee bit of escapism.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel