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 guided walks, tours, 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 participate.
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 and vigil (with time slots allocated by negotiation), please email jb4change@gmail.com.
Emerging programme:
9th May
10-2pm: Bike Repair Station (Soul Cycles), Active Travel, Active Hope Banners (A+E), A Bikely Story (a performance by Hazel Darwin-Clements exploring the history of women’s cycling), Block Printing – bring a t-shirt or other fabrics (XR Edinburgh), plus guided tours of the Cathedral bell tower and Phoebe Anna Traquair’s Song of Creation murals in the Song School – the latter acting as inspiration for the whole event (Friends of the Cathedral; offered as part of the Cathedral’s annual Open Day).
24 hour relay commences:
12 noon: Rung in by Ring Out for Climate Justice youth project with walkers from St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral and others … (everyone invited)
1pm: Extincion Rebellion Edinburgh (also block printing from 10.30am-12.30pm) with Christian Climate Action
2pm: Solo runner or walker (likley a representative from the Scottish Episcopal Church Net Zero team) to hold the relay while Each Child A Light have their exhibition opening and programme (2-3.30pm) – Gaza focused with community choir etc.
3pm: (Actually from 3.30-4.30 overlapping) Red 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 (see https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/breaking-well-exploring-how-to-live-in-a-time-of-collapse-tickets-1982550509944)
6pm: Eco Congregations 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 – so we don’t distract from the Eucharist – holding space for a ‘more-than-human’ concern
8pm: A solo runner or walker – holding space during a Work that Reconnects workshop – honouring our pain and seeing with new eyes
9pm: As above: A solo runner or walker – holding space
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
Emerging:
12-5am: Holding the space – likely to be a solo walker or runner and/or two people walking (open invite)
5-8: Hope to engage folk in a more-than-human nature reconnection walk – possibly focused on the dawn chorus walk (tbc)
8: Mindful walk (tbc)
9: Heather’s birthday walk (updates to follow)
10-12: Peace walk – with various peace organisations and possibly a Peace with Nature representative
12: The relay concludes with young people (6-12 yrs) breakdancing on the North Lawn!
Further programme updates to follow
A+E 