Fountainbridge Canalside Community Trust

City: Edinburgh

Project: Waterways to Wellbeing

The Union Canal in the heart of Edinburgh provides unique opportunities to help people improve their wellbeing through engagement with this urban blue space. We intend to offer short programmes of nature and creative based sessions, which use a moving canal boat as their venue. We will offer a range of activities for people to try new things, build their confidence and perhaps find a new interest or hobby. The first session for each group will be led by a community engagement facilitator who will guide the group in building a programme of activities appropriate and attractive to them. We will create a ‘menu of activities’ to help groups decide what they would like to try. We have a bank of practitioners who have delivered: learning about the canal and its history; artist-led sessions; breathing and seated yoga; and many more. To reach diverse groups of people who we believe have increased barriers to participation, we plan to work with partners to offer the programmes to different groups. At the end of each programme, we will signpost all participants to activities and places where they can continue to engage with activities on and around this unique urban blue space, be it opportunities within our own organisation or with other local interest groups.We also plan to hold an end of year celebration event to invite past participants to come and reconnect with others and the canal.