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About us
Whithorn reBUILD was created in 2021, initially as a project title, in the wake of the pandemic. Building Futures Galloway is the legal entity from which Whithorn reBUILD trades. It is a youth employability scheme which offers young people, initially aged 18- 25, the chance to try out and be trained in traditional construction skills, ranging from joinery to masonry and blacksmithing. The charity works alongside other organisations with a shared passion of heritage, respect for the archaeological site and a vision to promote and safeguard heritage sites and the traditional methods required to protect them. We are governed by our own Board of Trustees and are building a support team to deliver the ambition of becoming an independent centre for qualifications. The commercial wing will secure a revenue stream by tendering for construction contracts and projects.
Building Futures Galloway Trust
Building Futures Galloway is a unique organisation, as it’s a commercial business that incorporates a training element. As such the ethos of the organisation is that all employees must have the opportunity to be involved in a rich and ongoing learning journey. The learners, as employees, are at the heart of the organisation and work together to create a supportive and encouraging environment. Our motto is ‘Our Future is your future – Our future is the future of Galloway’. We believe that by nurturing hidden talent we will not only flourish as an organisation but so will the youth that we employ. With our accredited training centre, we hope to extend our skills offer far beyond Whithorn and thus have a positive impact on youth skills development in the wider Dumfries and Galloway area. By achieving this we are not only bridging the gap in youth education but also in youth employment in the wider Dumfries and Galloway region.
Our Aim
Our aim is to provide young people in our area with employment, niche trade skills, qualifications and skills for life. We aim to bridge the gap in local youth unemployment and extend the wonder that is historic construction skills to the wider community showcasing the need and desire to keep these skills alive. We aim to empower and support young people on their journey towards meaningful employment. Our vision is that not only do we seek to re-store the historically significant buildings to their former glory – and in such a way that addresses key social issues such as affordability, accessibility and energy efficiency but is also sympathetic towards the aesthetics of their time – but that we seek to redress the significant gap in skillset in the area.
Our Impact
Our impact spreads far and wide. We strive to keep traditional construction methods alive. Many of these are falling by the wayside in the UK and through our education is for everyone approach, these skills are being learned by a new generation of budding craftspeople. We have strong links with local schools and have a dedicated team of learners honing their new skills. We recognise barriers to learning and that everyone learns in a different way. Our approach in the knowledge of this ensures that, despite these barriers our youth learn new skills, marvel at their achievements and have a foot on the ladder to future employment that may have been previously closed to them. We our extremely proud at Building Futures Galloway of what our team and young learners have achieved and we strive to extend this achievement to others and expand our reach even further than before.
Our Ethos
We at Building Futures Galloway shall work together to develop heritage construction skills which allows work on some of the most fragile, interesting and important structures in our local community and further afield, ensuring their existence for future generations. We as a team shall look out for each other recognising that every member brings good and talent to the team. We shall strive to improve in all we do, as people and as a company. We shall go forward as one company with every member playing their own individual part through education, mutual support, leadership and collaboration.
Our Accreditations
