Creative Learning & Education

Community & Regeneration

We are now taking bookings for Community Group visits for Spring 2025.

Are you a member of a community group that likes to go on days out?

We offer very popular, community group visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These visits are priced at a low-cost sliding scale, detailed below. This enables us to provide free days out for those who may not be able to access our heritage site in other circumstances – while remaining affordable for all.

Each visit includes a guided tour around the original Willow Tea Rooms building, a Mackintosh themed stencilling workshop, a serving of tea and cakes in our historic back saloon and self-led entrance to our onsite exhibition. The entire experience lasts approximately 3 hours but can be tailored to your groups needs.

Costs for 2024/25:

Community Groups with no membership fee: Free

Community Groups with membership fee in SIMD 1-3 postcodes: Free

Community Groups with membership fee in SIMD 4-6 postcodes: £3.50 per person

Community Groups with membership fee in SIMD 7-10 postcodes: £6.00 per person

Thanks to all the lovely community groups that have previously visited us:

1^st Torrance Girls Brigade – 12th Clydebank Brownies – 178^th Beaver Scouts – Ace Cultural Tours – Action For Children – Active Seniors – African Women’s Network – Albatross Arts/Police Scotland – Alloa Library Talk Wellbeing Café – Amina Muslim Women’s Resource Centre Friendship Group – Axis Volunteers – Befriend – Bothwell Community Group – Bridging The Gap – British Deaf Association – Care4carers – Carr Gomm – Castlemilk Star GDA – Celtic Connections – Central West Integration Network – Clydebank Stroke Club – Come & Sing Dementia Choir Lenzie – Community Info Source – Cornerstone – Crammond House Outreach – Cross Reach – Diversity Friendship Group – Discover Glasgow – Dixon Community Carers – Doors Open Day – Dress For The Weather – Eaglesham History Group – Eastwood Arts Club – Empower Dalmuir – Empower East – Empower Glasgow – Empower West – Empower Women For Change – Enable – Enable Glasgow – Enable Fortune Works – English4You Netherlands – Erasmus Exchange – Eric Liddell Community – Exhale QTIPOC+ Group – Garnethill Community Centre: Healthy Living Group – Garnethill ESOL Group – FARE Scotland – Food School Scotland – Forth Community Resource Centre – Forth Valley Friendship Group – Galgael Community Project – Garnetbank Art Club – Garnethill Community Centre – Glasgow Association of Mental Health – Glasgow City Council Family Play – Glasgow City Mission – Glasgow Disability Alliance – Glasgow Eco Trust – Glasgow Film Theatre Movie Memories Group – Glasgow Walking Tours – Glasgow Women’s Aid – Glasgow Woodworking Club – Glasgow’s Golden Generatation: Nan Mckay Hall – Glendale Women’s Café – Go Ahead Club – Gorbalites 50+ – Grey Matters – Guess – Healthy Pathways – Heart In Mind – Hub International – Hidayah – Hidden Gardens Community Volunteers – Homestart Glasgow – Interrupted Learners – Jean’s Bothy Community Group – Kairos Women+ Group – Kelvin Probus – Killermont Parish Church Stroke Group – Laurieston Elderly Group – LGBT Health & Wellbeing: Age Group – LGBT Health & Wellbeing: Refugee Group – LGBTQ Sober Socials – Livingston Arts Association – Lomond Arts – Lost Glasgow – Macmillan – Marvellous Initiative – Maryhill Integration Network – MILK Women’s Group – Moat Brae Group – Mòd Family Workshop  – Motherwell Outreach – Move On – Murieston Arts Group – No. 1 Befriending Agency – NHS Design In Healthcare Partick Annexe: Circle Dancing Group – Partick Annexe: Partick Pluckers – Piping Scot Tours – QEST Scholars – Quarriers – Raven’s Craig Moot – Respitality – Rowena Ladies Group – Sakina Women’s Group – Scottish Women’s Institute: Bathgate Belles – Scottish Women’s Institute: Blackness – Scottish Women’s Institute: Corstorphine – Scottish Women’s Institute: Croftamie – Scottish Women’s Institute: Edinburgh – Scottish Women’s Institute: Jackton Rural – Scottish Women’s Institute: Millig – Scottish Women’s Institute: Westfield West Lothian –  SEAL Community Health Project – Sharpen Her: African Woman’s Network – Tea In The Pot – The Warriors – The Well Multicultural Resource Centre – Turning Point – U3A: Art Appreciation – U3A: East Renfrewshire – U3A: Local History – U3A: Paisley – U3A: Stirling Forth Valley – U3A: Tarpoley  – Utrecht Arts Group – Vale Of Leven Arts – Vista Arts Community Group – West Lothian 50+ – Winterfest – Women Of Faith And Community – Women’s Integration Network – Women’s Support Project – World Strides Travel Students – Youth Commmunity Support Agency

Education

To learn about our offers for all levels of formal learning, please visit our new NTS Formal Learning page here.

Some believe heritage is only for those of privilege but we see the potential for creative engagement in every corner, space and object at Mackintosh at the Willow. That is how our accessible CLE programme brings history and heritage to life for everyone, no matter who they are.

We have already engaged with thousands of learners of all ages and abilities from around the world, delivering activities, tours and workshops in the building, and all for free.

Our work tackles social isolation, raises community aspiration, improves wellbeing and creates life changing opportunities. Our community outreach goes further, delivering a museum ‘handling box’ to schools who are unable to travel, and offering free online resources to support teaching at all levels of education.

We have a unique and urgent opportunity to create positive impact for people and communities through engagement and learning. With your help, we can reach further, supporting others to greater aspirations.

Thanks to all the lovely school groups that have previously visited us:

Aachen University – Abercorn Secondary School – All Saints Secondary – Amsterdam University – Ayrshire College –  Chryston Primary – City Of Glasgow College – Colquhoun Park Primary – Dalmarnock Primary – Firpark Secondary – Garnetbank Primary School – Glasgow Academy – Glasgow Acting Academy – Glasgow Caledonian – Glasgow School of Art: Fine Art – Glasgow School of Art: Product Design – Govan High School – Hillhead Primary – Hollybrook Secondary – Holy Cross High School – Kingspark Secondary School – Newton Primary School – Notre Dame High School – Parkhill Secondary – Purdue University – Riverbank Primary – Shawlands Academy – St Aloysius School – St Andrews University: Art History – St Ninian’s Primary – St Roch’s Deaf School – St Roch’s Primary School –St Roch’s Secondary School – Strathclyde Uni: Architecture – University Of Glasgow: International Students – West College Scotland – Wallace Summer School – Westercraigs Nursery – Whitehill Secondary School – Williamwood High School – York Steiner School

School Holiday Programme

To keep up to date with all families activities during school holidays please visit our new NTS Family and Adult Learning Activities page here.

We love family holiday activities that involve making something useful or something you’ll actually want to take home.

Previous workshops have included:

Make a Willow Pattern Plate – Make a Willow Lightcatcher – Make a Stained Glass Window Hanger – Make a Gesso Panel Bedroom Door Sign – Make an Embossed Copper Pencil Case – Make a Mini Billiard Table – Make a Hand Bound Journal – Make a Mirror Mosaic – Make an Embroidered Bookmark

Thanks to all the lovely out-of-school-care groups that have previously visited us:

Ark Rutherglen Out Of School Care – Buddies OSC – Calderwood Out Of School Care – Chatterbox Out Of School Care – Connect2 Bridgeton OSC – Jam OSC – Meiklewood Nursery OSC – Mini Adventures OSC – Monkeypuzzle OSC – Pollok OSC – St Roch’s OSC – Tasc OSC – Task Gorbals OSC – Tic Tacs OSC

Adult Workshops & Activities

Mackintosh at the Willow offers a programme of workshops, talks and other activities for adults.

Often participants in workshops and activities will gain access to the historical tea rooms and the onsite interactive exhibition. The ticket price for some workshops will also include food and beverages served in our historic tea rooms.

To keep up to date with all adult workshops and activities throughout the year please visit our new NTS Family and Adult Learning Activities page here.

Skills Development

Mackintosh at the Willow offers skills development in hospitality and business for students and young people outside of education. This can include formal work experience placements and workshops on afternoon tea design, barista skills and the history of hospitality. To enquire about skills development for your young people click below.

Employment training offers hope, particularly in regions with limited social mobility.

We are proud to be working with the Prince’s Trust, Action for Children, Hub International, Developing the Young Workforce and Career Ready, providing essential, practical training for marginalised young people in Glasgow. We are thrilled that 10 of our young trainees are working towards their Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ).

To ensure positive employment experiences, we put the wellbeing of all our staff front and centre, prioritising mental health support, and providing mental health first aid training for all of our training mentors.

Without our building, we cannot offer training, support and career progression. It is essential we continue as a champion of young people, no matter their background. Together we can inspire the next generation to believe in themselves and a better future.

Outreach

While we always recommend that learning activities are best experienced within the tea rooms, we know this isn’t possible for everyone. Whether you are from a school, college, university, community group or care home, if you want to learn but can’t make it to town, we can come to you.

For offsite/outreach learning we offer the following:

• A self-led handling box of historical objects, complete with a suite of learning plans tailored to the content.
• A visit from one of our education team to help your learners engage with the handling box contents.
• A 60 minute illustrated talk from one of our education team, covering the history of the original Willow Tea Rooms building, the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the business of Kate Cranston.

If you would like to learn more from home, or share your learning with a group, please feel welcome to make use of these free digital resources, that include the following:

• A slide presentation on the history of the original Willow Tea Rooms building, the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the business of Kate Cranston.
• A video presentation on innovation in the designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh
• A recorded discussion on the history of Afternoon Tea and it’s return to popularity

Powerpoint: Guide to Mackintosh at the Willow

Video: Innovation at Work

Video: Discovering Afternoon Tea

Impact

Through visits to us and our outreach programmes, we have provided educational experiences for early learners, young adults and adults.

Founded in 2015, MILK is a social enterprise set up to support women from a migrant background, including refugees and asylum seekers. Check out their blog post detailing their visit to Mackintosh at the Willow here.

There’s lots of ways to engage with the building; formal and informal workshops, the interactive exhibition, guided tours and of course a visit to the tearoom.

Active Seniors encourage anyone over 50 years of age living in North West Glasgow to be more socially active. To learn more, click here

We want everyone to be able to engage with their local heritage and are here to provide whatever support you need.

GDA strives to empower disabled people to become leaders in our own lives, communities and wider society. To learn, click here