Support Travel to Our Conversation Café

Description

Can you help fund bus passes for a Conversation Café for New Scots in Edinburgh?

Every week at our Conversation Café at Mustard Seed/St. Margaret’s on Easter Road, people from around the world come together to have fun, learn English, learn and share culture, and build community. For over three years, we’ve created an “us and us” space where everyone, whether facilitator or participant, learns from one another.

We support New Scots as they settle into life in a new city, make friendships, get into college, build their CVs, and gain the confidence to thrive in Scottish society.

But there’s a simple barrier many face: the cost of getting here.

 

 

Due to housing challenges, many participants are often moved across the city. For some, a bus fare is the difference between connection and isolation. A bus day pass can also mean making it to a Halal shop across town, visiting friends or relatives in other parts of the city, or getting to a medical appointment on time.

In early 2025 alone, funded support allowed us to provide 193 day bus passes in just a few months, each one enabling someone to show up, belong, and grow.

Today, we no longer have funding for this vital support.

For £240, you can provide 50 bus day passes
For £1,440, you can fund 300 bus day passes, opening the door for hundreds of meaningful connections throughout 2026–27.

Here are some words from our participants:

"Everyone is welcoming, and that's why I come back.”

“Before coming I studied English alone and didn't have other people to talk to. But here I feel more confident and the topics are very good.”

“Before coming to the cafe I felt isolated but now I feel I know a lot of people and feel connected to them.”

“It’s helped me understand how things work here in Scotland.”

“It’s a place where you can connect with people and make friends with a cup of tea in hand.”

Any contributions would be very gratefully received.