Active Travel, Active Hope
Invite
Join us as we celebrate active travel and active hope. Take time to walk, run or wheel together.
“[P]athways are valuable only if they are used. Humanity has procrastinated for far too long on climate change – now we have to walk the path, or rather we have to run it.” – Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett Carnac
Join A+E (a socially engaged art project) and St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh, as we celebrate active travel and active hope in response to the climate and ecological crisis.
Supported by the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans), this event reframes Active Travel in the context of Active Hope: a practical and joyful approach to engaging with difficult world situations by moving from overwhelm to empowered action.
Alongside themed walks, performances, info stalls, exhibitions, art workshops, and a bike repair station, this event celebrates the recently opened cycle path along Bishop’s Walk, and includes a 24 hour relay around the perimeter of the cathedral.
The relay is a symbol of the individual and collective energy needed to address the climate and ecological crisis, political polarisation and war; to transform the land within our care into a place of healing and renewed hope.
All active travel, climate, ecological and social justice advocacy projects are invited to contribute.
Daytime event: 10am-2pm, 9th May 2026
Relay and vigil: 12pm 9th May – 12pm 10th May
Join us on the day for this celebratory event. If you can contribute to the relay please do. Contact details below. All speeds and ages welcome: both tortoise and hare! (Running, walking, wheeling – whatever suits you!)
‘[C]elebration is characterized by action. Celebrations that can be called creative … are marked by the active participation of the whole celebrating community. … [A]cted out in assembly, the celebration becomes a tensive symbol – an environment for the creation and realization of life.’ – Elochukwu E. Uzukwu
Book a free ticket or drop-in on the day!
To find out more, or to sign-up for the 24 hour relay (with time slots allocated by negotiation), please email jb4change@gmail.com.
Emerging programme
9th May
10-2pm: Bike Repair Station (Soul Cycles), Porty Energy (with their urban arrow cargo bike for you to trial ride), Active Travel, Active Hope Banners (A+E), A Bikely Story (a performance by Hazel Darwin-Clements exploring the history of women’s cycling: 10.15am, 11.15pm, 12.15pm), Each Child a Light (exhibition), Block Printing – bring a t-shirt or other fabrics (XR Edinburgh), plus a chance to view the Cathedral bell tower and Phoebe Anna Traquair’s Song of Creation murals – the latter acting as inspiration for the whole event (Friends of the Cathedral; offered as part of the Cathedral’s annual Open Day).
12 noon: 24 hour relay and wider programme commence:
On the 9th May all walkers will meet on the South Lawn with access to the exhibitions and workshops via the South Door.
On the 10th May (from midnight to 11am) all walkers will meet in the A+E project space (the Cathedral’s Chapter House), access via Manor Place.
Note: the relay is open to anyone at any time. You can walk for as long or as little as you like; joining and leaving as tributaries flow into and out of a river. What follows are details relating to individual walkers (sometimes runners or wheelers) and organisations who will be ‘holding’ the relay over the 24 hours. Every hour listed below includes an open invitation to join the relay.
12 noon: Rung in by Ring Out for Climate Justice with walkers and cyclists from St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral and others … (everyone welcome)
1pm: Extinction Rebellion Edinburgh (also block printing from 10.30am-12.30pm) and Christian Climate Action
2pm: Solo walker (open to walking companions) from the Scottish Episcopal Church’s Net Zero Team – to hold the relay while Each Child A Light have their Gaza-focused exhibition opening; sharing information about SEC’s 2030 Net Zero commitment and their sustainable travel grants:
2-3.30pm: Opening event for Each Child a LIght – a collaborative fabric-arts project honouring and remembering the children killed in Gaza – includes poetry and a community choir
3.30-5pm: Poetry workshop with Leila Buorarim, children’s author and editor of ‘A Million Kites: Poems and Testimonies from the children of Gaza’ to lead a creative workshop for children and families
For more information see https://eachchildalight.org/exhibitions
3.30-4.30pm (overlapping with the above and what follows) North Sea Knitters – connecting the Red Line for 1.5c and increased militarisation around the world
4pm: Care4Calais, Passion4Fusion, RAM English Conversation Class and other refugee support groups
5pm: Climate Psychology Alliance – focused on their Breaking Well project – exploring how to live in a time of collapse. For more information see https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/breaking-well-exploring-how-to-live-in-a-time-of-collapse-tickets-1982550509944
6pm: Eco-Congregation Scotland – an Emmaus themed walk leading to an Ecumenical Eucharist on the South lawn – open to all faiths and none
7pm: A solo runner or walker – holding space for a ‘more-than-human’ concern during the Eucharist
8pm: A solo runner or walker – holding space during a Work that Reconnects Truth Mandala workshop
8-9.45pm: Truth Mandala workshop – honouring our pain for the world and seeing with new eyes (hosted in the Cathedral)
9pm: A solo runner or walker – holding space (as above)
10pm: Walkers from Work that Reconnects and Quaker representatives
11pm-midnight: Regenerative Circle – emerging from Climate Camp Scotland – walking with the question, ‘what can we learn from regenerative cultures?’
10th May
12-1am: Reclaim the Night – walking to end violence against women (open invite)
2-5am: Holding the space – walking through the night – likely to be a solo walker or runner and/or two people walking (open invitation to hold this space – please get in touch)
5-7am: Walking (and audio mapping) the dawn chorus (Glen Cousquer and friends)
7am: Walking for species at risk across Scotland (Ollie Howell and friends)
8am: Walking meditation with Edinburgh Buddist Sangha (open invite)
9am: Birthday walk (Heather Stacey and friends)
10am-12pm: Peace walk – with representation from various peace organisations and a Peace with Nature Scottish Constitution representative (open invite)
12pm: The relay concludes with the Cathdral’s bell ringers ringing for active hope and a more peaceful world, followed by young people (6-12 yrs) breakdancing on the North Lawn courtesy of Dance House
Further programme updates emerging daily
A+E 