The international Jane’s Walk community building movement is back with neighbourhood walks in Edinburgh on 5-7 May 2023. There are neighbourhood community walks to join, and we’d really like offers to host a walk in your area.
Jane’s Walk, a community-based approach to city building that uses volunteer-led walking tours to make space for people to connect around their neighbourhoods, is back in Edinburgh this May. Sunday Assembly Edinburgh, the city’s ‘secular congregation’, are again acting as city hosts to organise and encourage walks on the weekend of 5-7 May 2023 as part of the international Janes Walk Festival.
This is, of course, also the weekend of the coronation of King Charles III. However, we have decided to stick with this date as it’s an international event with walks in thousands of neighbourhood around the world.
Jane’s Walk Edinburgh 2023 walks
Friday 5th May, 2pm: West End (hosted by Mark, meet at Binns Clock, Johnnie Walker Princes St) – register free, download the PDF poster
Friday 5th May, 2pm: Lochend (hosted by Hetty, meet at the main entrance to Lochend Park, Lochend Road South (the one closest to the Doocot) – register free, download the PDF poster
Saturday 6th May, 2pm: Stockbridge (hosted by Sarah and Amy, meet at St Stephen’s Church, Comely Bank Road) – register free, download the PDF poster
Sunday 7th May. 2.30pm: Willowbrae (hosted by Lara, meet at the Lillyhall Terrace entrance to Holyrood Park) – register free, download the PDF poster
Sunday 7th May, 2.30pm: Saughton (hosted by Titus, meet at the Garden Bistro cafe in Saughton Park) – register free, download the PDF poster
See all the walks together in our Eventbrite collection.
Jane’s Walks encourage people to share stories about their neighbourhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbours. They are:
Jane’s Walk was founded in Toronto in 2006 in honour of community activist Jane Jacobs. Over the next decade, the movement saw rapid global uptake. In 2017, 1,700 Jane’s Walks took place in 225 cities around the world, spanning 37 countries and 6 continents. The movement continues to grow every year.
In 2022 we teamed up with local walk hosts to offer walks in the West End, Balgreen/Saughton, Willowbrae, Broughton and Stockbridge. We hope to expand the range this year.
Would you like to host a Jane’s Walk?
Do you want to:
You do NOT need to be:
We can help you set up an Eventbrite page for people to register, promote the walk and give training, guidance and support about how to host the walks. Get in touch with Sunday Assembly Edinburgh chair Mark McKergow (mark@sfwork.com, 07976 936086) for more details.
There is more information about leading a walk on the Jane’s Walk website.
Potential lead organisers in other cities in Scotland can also step forward via the Janes Walk website at http://janeswalk.org/add-a-city/ (not active right now, the website is being update).
For more information contact Sunday Assembly Edinburgh Chair Mark McKergow at mark@sfwork.com, or on 07976 936086 (anytime). Mark is also an organiser of the Edinburgh West End Residents & Businesses Facebook group, which has grown to over 1500 members during the pandemic. He lives in Atholl Crescent in the West End, is a leadership author and speaker and also leads Village In The City, an online hub providing connection and support for people to build and enhance their own neighbourhood communities.
