Let the People Sing launch a recovery bothy
We’re delighted to celebrate the successful launch of a new community hub for people affected by addiction, in Craigmillar and Niddrie, called The Bothy.
The Bothy was set up by Let the People Sing, a group of local residents with lived experience of addiction and recovery, who have been supported by Thistle Foundation’s Connecting Craigmillar team.
In this article, Connecting Craigmillar share their experience of supporting with the setup of The Bothy:
“At the end of 2021, some local residents who are in recovery, approached Connecting Craigmillar about the lack of services and support for people affected by addiction in the local community, and their desire to change this.
“The Connecting Craigmillar team assisted with setting up a monthly, local recovery forum, led by those community members. And from there, momentum grew and grew.
“The forum started to include third sector and public sector representatives alongside community members and as the forum grew, they formed themselves into a group which they named Let the People Sing. The name comes from the Helen Crummy phrase and takes inspiration from the history of collective action and self-help in the area, plus the group’s intention to support people in recovery to have a collective voice and to shape the support that is needed.
“In the summer of 2022 we managed to negotiate with the Council to get access to a space on Niddrie Mains Road. Local community members have renovated The Bothy themselves. They did all the DIY, painting, decorating, flooring and fittings, and have converted it into a warm and welcoming community space. It also has a memorial wall dedicated to remembering all those who have been lost to drugs and alcohol in the local community.
“The Bothy is now up and running and has a very full programme of activities that are organised and run by local community members with some in partnership with Turning Point Scotland or other third sector providers. Our volunteers have taken part in a 10-week Recovery Coaching Course, along with other training, and provide peer support and mentoring as well as group work.
“The Bothy was opened to the public in January 2023 (you can watch a short film about the opening here. It has provided a focus for many community members who are in recovery, and helped to build a strong connected community that is offering peer support to others experiencing addiction.
“Let the People Sing have also welcomed visitors from a similar community group in Dundee and ran workshops with Queen Margaret University.
“The Bothy is going from strength to strength and is an inspiring example of community-led action and connection, based on the principles of offering mutual aid and helping others who have shared experiences.”
You can find The Bothy’s current programme of activities here - there are more groups and activities being added all the time.
If you would like more information or if you know anyone who might, you can contact the Connecting Craigmillar team via:
Email: connectingcraigmillar@gmail.com / will.golding@thistle.org / angela.doherty@thistle.org.uk
Phone : 07909257415 / 07909457414
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100084309416534
