The Big Walk came to Portobello today to help the community get up an appetite for the Big Lunch on 3 June 2018. They collected litter on the beach and promenade as they passed by doing something good for the community on the way.

There are four teams of walkers who set off on 16 May on a three week trek across the UK. Angus McLeod a 52 year old father of three from Dundee is leading the way along with Adam Mould, founder of the Glasgow Panthers Wheelchair Rugby League team, and several of his team-mates. 

Community singing at the bandstand. Then the day ended with a community quiz, live music, beach yoga, a community hub and a plastic-free picnic..

The Big Community Walk celebrates ordinary people doing extraordinary things and every day the Scotland team gets involved with a different project. Today they began at the Edinburgh Remakery where people are being taught employability and repair skills and tackles the throwaway culture at the same time.

Right now they are running Laptops for Refugees trying to give 100 laptops to 100 refugees and asylum seekers across the UK this year.

The idea for this community involvement came from the Eden Project which shows people going the extra mile to bring locals together.

The walkers collaborated with the Beach Wheelchair team at Portobello to make sure the day was accessible to everyone. You can book one when visiting the beach.

 

Angus McLeod, captain of Team Scotland, said:  “When I read about The Big Walk I completed the application form in record time during my lunch hour; and just a few months later, here I am, taking on one of the biggest challenges of my life. I’ve seen so many amazing places on my walk already and it’s such a privilege to be welcomed into the heart of these communities and be given an opportunity to shine a light on the work they do.”

Sandra Brown, Eden Communities Scotland Country Manager, said: “The aim of the Big Community Walk in Portobello was to give participants the opportunity to experience the joy of spending a few hours doing the kinds of things which connected communities do together and celebrating how important this is. Hopefully, it will inspire them to bring this joy back in the places they live by organising their own Big Lunch.”   

Anyone can take part in the Big Lunch which is made possible by the National Lottery. Order a free pack and join millions of others across the UK for The Big Lunch on 3 June www.thebiglunch.com and don’t forget to follow #TheBigWalk to see lots of inspiring communities in action. 

Register for the Portobello event at https://thebigwalkportobello.eventbrite.co.uk

 

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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.