Homeless take on tour guide roles
A social enterprise training homeless people to become tour guides across the UK is taking its first step into the Borders.
‘Invisible Cities’ was launched nine years ago by Zakia Moulaoui Guery, who helped to establish the Homeless World Cup as a global event, and this week she was in Galashiels to present Invisible Cities training certificates to the latest tour guide recruits.
The programme now runs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee in Scotland, and has moved into York, Manchester and Cardiff, but Galashiels is its first step into a rural area. Zakia explained that this was driven by demand.
“We work closely with VisitScotland, hotels and other tourism and travel operators,” she said. “About 80 percent of our clients are on traditional coach tours into the cities, stopping in at the People’s Palace in Glasgow, for example, doing a couple of hours and then heading off to the Highlands or wherever. We get a real mix of people from all over the world.
“I personally love travel and while I was working on the Homeless World Cup I was hearing that people on tours were looking for a more authentic, personal experience when they visit places.
“And that’s where I got the idea of how we could support people into meaningful work, where they can earn money to help them break the cycle they’re in and also contribute to their home city, or town; places they feel proud of. But, also it gives travellers a more personal, social connection to places, and more understanding of the world we live in.
“You can buy a guidebook, and AI will now give you a tour schedule wherever you want to visit, no problem, but with Invisible Cities you’ll have an hour or two of banter with the likes of Angie, Neil and Stewart and then go on with your day more knowledgeable, but also knowing that you have done something to support people and communities in that place.
“And the reason we’ve come to the Borders is simply because people on our city tours have asked for a tour in the Scottish Borders. So, we have worked with a lot of partners here, and secured crucial funding from Allia C&C, and we’re delighted to have our first two people complete the training, ready to become tour guides in 2026 in Galashiels.”
Forces veteran Stewart McPhee, now 60, will become the first Galashiels tour guide when the Borders programme launches next year. He told us why he had signed up.
“I think it’s a great idea, to be honest, so that’s the first reason,” he said. “I’m not originally from Galashiels but I came to Gala for a night-out 28 years ago and loved the area. We’re surrounded by history and I think it’s a place that more people should visit.
“In terms of my story, I wasn’t technically considered homeless, but I was as good as homeless and I am a recovering alcoholic.
“I was nine years in the Marines and when I came out of the regiment, I just lost my direction, my purpose in life. I came to Gala, got work and started to turn it around, but then my marriage sort of went wrong, and I felt myself sliding again.
“I couldn’t get work, or keep work, and then I visited a place called Cafe Recharge, and it was Amy there who told me about Invisible Cities, and put me in touch with Michaela. Honestly, if you’d asked me then how I’d be now I’d never have thought I’d have come through training to be a tour guide and feel I’ve got a real purpose in life again, and have this community of people supporting me.
“People think that things like homelessness and drug and alcohol problems are just in the cities, but it’s just as prevalent in the Borders. So, we have people that need help here just the same as in the cities.
“And this has been a great way for me to find some direction again. Folk have always said I’ve got the gift of the gab, and I love sharing stories with people. I enjoy people’s company, I like learning and if I believe in something I give it 100 percent. And I believe in this. I’ll work hard to make it the best tour people have had
“I’ve got a bit of nervous apprehension about how people will take to me, but I can’t wait to get started next summer, and I’ll work hard to make it the best tour people have had.
"The guys from the other cities say it’s amazing when you get feedback that you’ve opened people’s eyes to places, so hopefully, we can get people talking positively about Galashiels and telling their friends this is a place to visit.”
The programme has received vital grant funding from Allia C&C, the charity arm of a financial advisory firm, with Zakia stating that efforts to develop programmes have failed due to a lack of financial support.
Zakia added: “We are excited to see how this works in a rural area. Next year will be our tenth anniversary and we are looking to mark that by moving into ten cities or towns, and supporting people across those communities, so we’re all excited to see how the Galashiels tour develops.”