Who We Are
The Bothy is a recovery café and community space in the heart of Craigmillar, created by people in recovery, for people in recovery.
It was set up by Let the People Sing —a group of local residents with lived experience of addiction and recovery—who came together to build something better for their community. With support from Thistle Foundation’s Connecting Craigmillar team, they started a local recovery forum in 2021 to address the lack of accessible, compassionate services for those affected by addiction.
As the forum grew, it evolved into Let the People Sing, taking its name from a phrase used by Helen Crummy, a symbol of Craigmillar’s proud history of grassroots action and community voice. The group secured a space on Niddrie Mains Road in 2022, and through their own hands—DIY, painting, decorating, fitting flooring—they transformed it into The Bothy: a warm, welcoming hub for recovery, mutual aid, and connection.
The Bothy officially opened in January 2023 and is now home to a busy programme of activities. Led by local volunteers—many of whom have completed recovery coaching and peer support training—it offers a safe space for healing, learning, creativity, and rest.
At its core, Let the People Sing is about voice, dignity, and collective action. The Bothy is proof of what’s possible when people with lived experience lead the way.
A message from the Chairperson
As the Chairperson of Let the People Sing, I am honoured to share with you a little of my journey, our incredible team, and the exciting future we are working towards together. The Bothy is more than just a service, it is a community built on passion, connection and purpose. I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on how I became part of this journey and to express my gratitude to those who make our work possible. I first came to The Bothy service simply looking for something to do, somewhere to connect and to be part of something meaningful. I joined the women’s group and soon became a volunteer within The Bothy drop in. I began to take part in training opportunities and outreach work and through the process, I discovered something I hadn’t expected, I found my passion. My journey led me to facilitator training and eventually, I became facilitator for the very same group that welcomed me. The groups success and growing demand led us to open a second session, because this is what our community wants and needs, and meeting those needs is at the heart of everything that we do. Throughout my time at The Bothy, I have continued to learn and grow. With a background in social care and years of experience as a support worker, I stepped back for a bit as I went on to have four wonderful children, I knew I needed something for myself too, something to strive for and this is when The Bothy became part of my story. Today, I am proud to serve as a chairperson of a service that run’s on the dedication of its volunteers, supported by the public and our funders, driven by the community needs. The plans we have now, to move to a larger premises, expand services for women and open a welcoming cafeteria, this is the plan for our shared vision. Thank you to every volunteer, supporter, funder and community member who continues to believe in and back our work. I am truly grateful to be a part of this with you.