Who We Are
We are Let the People Sing. Our base, The Bothy, is a community recovery space in the heart of Craigmillar — created by people in recovery, for people in recovery.
It was set up by 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 the Thistle Foundation’s Connecting Craigmillar team, they started a local recovery forum in 2021 to respond to the complete absence of accessible, compassionate support for those affected by addiction in the area.
Before the pandemic, Craigmillar had five workers dedicated to supporting people in addiction, but after the pandemic, none of these roles were reinstated. The forum emerged as a community-led response to this gap in care and connection.
As the forum grew, it evolved into Let the People Sing, taking its name from a phrase used by Helen Crummy, a key figure in 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 hard work — DIY, painting, decorating, and fitting flooring — transformed it into The Bothy, a warm and welcoming hub for recovery, mutual aid, and connection.
The Bothy officially opened its doors in January 2023 and has since grown into a thriving, volunteer-led space offering a full programme of activities. Local volunteers, many of whom have completed recovery coaching and peer support training, lead sessions focused on healing, learning, creativity, and rest. The Bothy has also benefitted from the support of a volunteer psychologist, currently studying for his master’s degree, who has delivered weekly presentations on managing recovery and mental wellbeing.
Over the past year, The Bothy has continued to go from strength to strength — forming new connections throughout Craigmillar and deepening relationships with partner organisations including Connecting Craigmillar, Edinburgh Food Social, Craigmillar Now, L.E.A.P, Turning Point Scotland, The Royal Edinburgh Patient Council, Alcoholics Anonymous, ADP, Thistle Foundation, AdvoCard, a local yoga group, and the local GP practice manager. Through a partnership with the Scottish Drugs Forum's Local Support Team, The Bothy also launched its own website to help share news, events, and stories from the community.
In recognition of the team’s hard work and dedication, The Bothy’s volunteers were honoured with the Lord Provost’s Award for Most Inspiring Volunteers. The space has also welcomed visits from First Minister Christine McKelvie and Permanent Secretary John Paul Marks, both of whom met with staff, volunteers, and participants to hear first-hand about the impact of peer-led recovery in Craigmillar.
At its heart, Let the People Sing is about voice, dignity, and collective action. The Bothy stands as living proof of what’s possible when people with lived experience lead the way — building community, compassion, and hope from the ground up.
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.