Our story

Columcille opened in 1996 and was planned as a drop in community resource providing training and work opportunities as well as a large hall for performances.

Columcille is part of the wider family of Garvald organisations in Edinburgh and the Borders (Garvald Edinburgh, Garvald West Linton, Garvald Home Farm), and the building is owned by the Garvald Trust.

The name Columcille – which is Gaelic for Columba of Iona – reflects both the spiritual and community aspect of our roots, as well as the Scottish character and outward looking mission.

The service was shaped in response to a need for day supports for people with learning disabilities who also had some mental health needs, originally individuals leaving Gogarburn hospital who were moving to community settings. Strong links were made with the Royal Edinburgh hospital which continue today.

The vision from the outset was that the centre would be well integrated into the local community so that people could access community resources, as well as the facilities being open to the local community to hire for evening and weekend use.

In 1998 Columcille Eskbank opened in Midlothian, a satellite day support project.

In 2002 Columcille secured funding from the Garvald Trust to develop work experience projects, in response to the recommendations in the Scottish Government’s, “Same As You” national learning disability strategy. The projects that we set up were Edinburgh Activity and Leisure Library, Columcille Ceilidh Band, Music for ALL and a gardening group working at the Botanic Gardens and then as a Community Gardens Group. All projects enabled meaningful work experience, partnership and cooperative working with other organisations and provided valuable resources.

The identity of Columcille has been shaped by an attitude of openness and responsiveness to the needs and contribution of each person who has been part of the service.

The culture and practice of Columcille is guided by a:

• fundamental respect for the individual, working with and alongside people.
• warm and healthy social atmosphere where people feel safe to simply be.
• openness to a wide variety of individuals with needs not easily met elsewhere.
• non-hierarchical flat organisation structure
• productive work and activities that give purpose and meaning to people.
• community based initiatives