IT was once the shipbuilding capital of the world and the launch site of some of the most powerful vessels ever to sail the seas.

And now two new Glasgow-built vessels have taken to the Clyde at Govan, crafted in the city just as the mighty ships of the past were.

But these are no steel-clad leviathans, but wooden boats made by volunteers seeking refuge from the stresses of unemployment, addiction, and mental health problems.

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The boats are the work of volunteers with the Anchor and Sail project, set up to help people on the fringes of society skills and regain the dignity that comes with building and working after years on the scrap heap.

And seeing the boats launched- one on Saturday and the other yesterday (on Sunday) - was the culmination of the hard work of dozens of volunteers who came together to build the boats using traditional working practices.

Anchor and Sail project leader Ben Duffin said: "The point of the project is to introduce people to boat building and teach them the skills they need.

"Anybody can volunteer and learn, and some go on to be apprentices and take their boat building qualifications."

He added: "But boat building is not for everybody. It takes precision and a meticulous nature, and you have to put a lot of hard work into it.

"But it's very rewarding for those who want to learn. The guys were all take ownership of the boats they work on, in a way, even if they only worked on it for a couple of weeks."

Anchor and Sail is jointly run by the Galgael Trust and the Clyde Maritime Trust and is funded by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.

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The three year project will see over 200 people from the Govan community build four new boats, while eight will be taken on as long-term apprentices.

One apprentice, Alan Matthews, said he felt despondent and worthless after being made unemployed in 2006, and that his long-term unemployment was having a serious effect on his health until he began work on the boat.

He said: “I was stressed out and depressed. I was seeing a psychologist and he suggested that I shouldn’t be idle so I started doing a bit of joinery and carpentry volunteering, making tables and chairs. I discovered that I had a knack for it and I really enjoyed it.”

Alan moved on to volunteer with Galgael and his natural talent at woodworking was soon spotted helping him secure an apprenticeship. For the last 12 months he has been building a clinker dinghy, called Annie B, from scratch, and it finally set sail on Sunday.

He said: "I have learned so much from putting pencil to paper to do the original drawing then taking those and translating them into the lofting – full size drawings for making patterns. I’ve learned how to use lots of machines, such as circular saws, as well as developing fine woodworking skills.

"I suffered from shyness and social phobia, it's a barrier to work. Working in a team in an encouraging environment, I now have a feeling of self-worth. I feel my life has direction and I have control over it again."

One of the boats was built to a commission, while the other will be sold at some point.

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Gehan Macleod, GalGael Trust Programme Director, said that the project was about restoring the volunteer's peace of mind through work and good company.

She said: "The way we look at it, we don't work with people who are dysfunctional, we work with people who have been through dysfunctional circumstances.

"It's about creating better future days for them."

She added: "Some people come here and are already skilled woo workers, but have come through hard times and are just needing the camaraderie and the environment we have here to build their confidence back up.

"Others have no skills at all but they are able to learn as they go."