Garvald Edinburgh

In March 2024, Garvald Edinburgh was awarded a grant from the Murgitroyd Foundation towards improving accessibility for people with disabilities in our Woodwork and Joinery Workshops. 

Garvald Edinburgh is a Scottish charity providing a caring, friendly environment for 240+ adults with learning/physical disabilities at diverse arts, crafts, bakery, catering and gardening workshops  across the Lothians. 

Garvald supports people to express creativity, develop skills and increase confidence and is committed to the health and well-being of our ‘Members’ (service-users), 11% of whom are wheelchair-users, with over 50% having mobility issues.  

At Garvald Woodworkers – based at the Gorgie Workshops in Edinburgh – Members are involved in all aspects of woodwork and joinery, from use of hand tools to more complex  machinery work, and produce lovingly crafted items such as chopping boards, tables and stools,  picture frames and musical instruments as well as larger group projects such as benches. Many of the finished products are sold through the Garvald Makers Shop in Morningside. 

The grant from the Murgitroyd Foundation along with other donations have enabled the charity to improve accessibility in the Woodwork and Joinery workshops by installing electric door openers  and plumbing in a specialist sink at wheelchair level.

These improvements have been a huge success and enabled wheelchair-users and others with  mobility issues to fully participate in all aspects of joinery and carpentry.