Glasgow Council On Alcohol

What Glasgow Council On Alcohol does

Murray's Initiative (formerly Glasgow Council on Alcohol) is a registered Scottish charity and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1965 and headquartered at 14 North Claremont Street, Glasgow. The organization provides confidential counselling, accredited training and specialist workshops for individuals and professionals affected by alcohol, drugs and trauma across Scotland. Its service portfolio comprises three pillars: (1) direct counselling services including a specialist cocaine and cannabis programme, delivered via a Freephone helpline (0808 802 9000) and in-person at its Glasgow office; (2) COSCA-accredited training programmes, specifically the Counselling Skills Certificate and Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, plus workshops on trauma-informed practice, alcohol and drug awareness and lone working; and (3) an ABI (Alcohol Brief Intervention) Training Portal offering online training resources. The organization rebranded from Glasgow Council on Alcohol to Murray's Initiative in 2024 to reflect its expanded scope.

The organization's revenue model is grant-dependent and multi-stream. The primary funding mechanism is charitable grants and statutory commissioning from public-sector bodies including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow City HSCP, East Dunbartonshire HSCP and East Renfrewshire Council, alongside charitable trusts such as The Robertson Trust, Corra Foundation, The Gannochy Trust, the Community Fund, National Lottery Awards for All and Youngstart. Secondary revenue streams include fees from accredited training programmes and individual/organizational donations. The go-to-market is hybrid: direct-to-consumer for individuals via the helpline and direct-to-organization for healthcare and social-care professionals seeking accredited training. The customer base is bifurcated between individuals seeking support and healthcare/social-care professionals and organizations commissioning training or referring service users.

Operationally, the charity holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, is a Disability Confident Employer, holds the LGBT Silver Charter, is a Living Wage Employer, and is a member of Helplines Partnerships. Gary Meek serves as Chief Executive Officer. The organization has published a 2026-2031 Strategic Plan and operates a small team in the 11-50 employee band. There is no evidence of AI, machine-learning, or proprietary technology capabilities; the technology footprint is a Squarespace-hosted website and a digital training portal.

Name

Glasgow Council On Alcohol

Legal name

Murray's Initiative

Website

https://www.glasgowcouncilonalcohol.org/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Murray's Initiative (formerly Glasgow Council on Alcohol) is a Glasgow-based Scottish charity providing confidential counselling, COSCA-accredited training and specialist workshops for individuals and professionals affected by alcohol, drugs and trauma across Scotland, funded by NHS, council and charitable trust grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Addiction Counselling Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Substance Use Disorder Prevention & Recovery Services (BPAGACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN), Substance Use Recovery & Harm Reduction Support Services (BPAGAEAO)

Keywords

• Addiction counselling services
• Substance abuse support
• Trauma counselling services
• Accredited counselling training
• Charity health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Funding and Grants: As a registered Scottish charity, Murray's Initiative receives funding from multiple institutional funders including government bodies, health and social care partnerships, and charitable trusts. The organization is funded by Community Fund, Corra Foundation, East Dunbartonshire HSCP, East Renfrewshire Council, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow City HSCP, NHS GG&C, The Robertson Trust, The Gannochy Trust, National Lottery Awards for All, and Youngstart.
2. Training Programme Fees: The organization generates revenue through accredited counselling training programmes including the COSCA Counselling Skills Certificate and Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, as well as specialist professional workshops offered to individuals and organizations.
3. Donations: The organization accepts charitable donations from individuals and organizations to support its mission of reducing alcohol and drug harm across Scotland.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Murray's Initiative (formerly Glasgow Council on Alcohol) provides confidential counselling services for individuals affected by alcohol, drugs, and trauma, including specialist support for cocaine and cannabis use. It also delivers accredited professional training programmes including the COSCA Counselling Skills Certificate, Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, and specialist workshops on topics such as alcohol and drug awareness, trauma-informed practice, and lone working. An online ABI Training Portal provides access to alcohol brief intervention training resources.

Product overview

Murray's Initiative (formerly Glasgow Council on Alcohol) operates as a single integrated service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organisation provides three interconnected pillars of service: (1) Direct counselling services including specialist support for cocaine or cannabis use, offering confidential, judgement-free therapeutic support for individuals affected by alcohol, drugs, and trauma; (2) Professional training programmes including the COSCA Counselling Skills Certificate and Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy, along with specialist workshops on alcohol and drug awareness, trauma-informed practice, and lone working; and (3) An ABI Training Portal for online access to alcohol brief intervention training resources. The counselling services form the core offering while training programmes serve both professionals seeking to support others and as a revenue stream for the charity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Counselling Services Confidential counselling services providing safe, judgement-free support for individuals affected by alcohol, drugs, and trauma.
• Counselling for Cocaine or Cannabis Use Specialist counselling service addressing cocaine and cannabis use, providing targeted support for individuals affected by these substances.
• COSCA Counselling Skills Certificate Accredited counselling training programme equipping professionals with foundational counselling skills for supporting individuals affected by alcohol, drugs, or trauma.
• Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy Accredited professional qualification in integrative counselling and psychotherapy, part of the organisation's COSCA-accredited counselling training programmes.
• Specialist Workshops Specialist training workshops covering alcohol and drug awareness, trauma-informed practice, and lone working, designed for frontline professionals.
• ABI Training Portal Online training portal providing access to ABI (Alcohol Brief Intervention) training resources and programmes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Empowering lives every day for over 60 years

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHS GG&C)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare commissioning partner providing strategic alignment and funding for alcohol and drug support services in the Greater Glasgow area.
• Glasgow City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partner providing funding and strategic alignment for community support services in Glasgow.
• Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegrated health and social care partnership providing commissioning and funding for alcohol and drug services.
• East Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSCP providing funding and commissioning for alcohol and drug support services in East Dunbartonshire.
• East Renfrewshire CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal council providing funding for community support services in East Renfrewshire.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Alcohol Focus Scotland: Scotland's national alcohol charity working to reduce alcohol-related harm through policy, prevention, and support services. It is highly comparable to Murray's Initiative given overlapping Scottish focus, alcohol harm reduction mission, and engagement with public health and government stakeholders.
• Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs: Scottish charity supporting families affected by alcohol and drug use through helpline, counselling, and family recovery services. Directly comparable to Murray's Initiative in Scottish geographic focus, charitable structure, and substance use recovery mission.
• Phoenix Futures: UK charity providing residential and community-based recovery services for people affected by drug and alcohol addiction. Comparable to Murray's Initiative in recovery-focused mission and counselling-led approach, though with greater emphasis on residential treatment.
• Scottish Drugs Forum: Scottish membership-based drug policy and information charity working to reduce drug-related harm. Comparable to Murray's Initiative in Scotland-only focus, drug and alcohol harm reduction mission, and engagement with NHS and Scottish Government stakeholders.
• Cranstoun: UK social justice charity providing substance use, criminal justice, and domestic abuse services. Overlaps with Murray's Initiative in counselling and recovery services for people affected by addiction, with comparable charity-sector operating model.
• Humankind: UK charity providing health and social care services including drug and alcohol treatment, housing support, and mental health services. Comparable to Murray's Initiative in substance use service model and commissioned NHS/local authority delivery.

Broad incumbents

• With You (formerly Addaction): One of the UK's largest substance use charities providing free, confidential support for drug and alcohol issues across England and Scotland. Comparable to Murray's Initiative in mission and counselling service model, but with significantly larger scale and national footprint.
• Turning Point: UK social enterprise providing health and social care services including substance use treatment, mental health, and learning disability support. Overlaps with Murray's Initiative in substance use and recovery services, but operates at a much larger scale across multiple service lines.
• Change Grow Live: UK's largest charity providing drug and alcohol treatment and recovery support across England and Scotland. Closely comparable to Murray's Initiative in service model (counselling, recovery, harm reduction) but with substantially greater geographic reach and commissioned contract volume.

Others

• COSCA (Counselling & Psychotherapy in Scotland): Scotland's professional body for counselling and psychotherapy, accrediting training programmes and practitioners. Relevant to Murray's Initiative as the accrediting body for its COSCA Counselling Skills Certificate and Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gcaglasgow

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Glasgow Council On Alcohol