Come along for a hot breakfast roll 9am – 10:30am or how about a lovely freshly made lunch from 11:30am – 12:30pm?
The volunteers are making up a veggie chilli, and there’s lots of other toppings to go on baked potatoes.
One of our amazing volunteers, Toufik, is making his famous orange cake for dessert too!
Sit in or take away, free for everyone to come along!
Over a thousand people joined a mass cycle ride through Edinburgh to the Scottish Parliament to demand safer conditions for walking and cycling in Scotland.
Gathering in the Meadows and cycling to Holyrood along closed roads, Pedal on Parliament’s fourteenth action since it began in 2012 continued their call for safer streets for walking and cycling in Scotland.
The organisation’s manifesto demands action on a wide range of interventions for cycling and road safety, ranging from adequate funding allocation and building on the successes of protected infrastructure already built, to calls for greater enforcement powers for police to tackle unsafe driving, and presumed liability for motorists in the event of collisions.
The ride concluded on the grass outside the Scottish Parliament, hearing from attending MSPs Kate Campbell, Patrick Harvie, and Sanne Dijkstra-Downie.
Organisers opened the speeches with calls for better treatment of cycling as a normal transport choice, and calling for greater accountability from politicians – before handing over for a powerful and moving speech from Rose Marie Burke, the mother of Glasgow architect and cycle activist Emma Burke Newman who was tragically killed in January 2023 by the driver of an HGV that had encroached on an Advanced Stop Zone or ‘bike box’.
In her speech, Rose said: “Emma had a different kind of vision. She dreamed of having a big family, three children to be exact, cycling them to school on a cargo bike. She saw herself living in a community where cycling is the norm.
“Instead, she had to cope with a world of unadapted infrastructure, distracted, careless and dangerous drivers, as well as outdated lorries with huge blind spots. In her case, the drivers of the lorries and buses in the three lanes across the George V bridge at the light had breached the bike boxes, the advanced stop lines. It proved to be fatal.”
The junction in Glasgow where Emma was killed has now been made safer; but speakers observed that the issue of failing to keep bike boxes clear continues to be a safety issue on Scotland’s roads, amongst many other dangerous driving behaviours that largely go unenforced.
Ride participant Kate Campbell, MSP for Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh and Tranent, said: “I want to say a huge thank you to POP for organising such a wonderful event and to everyone who attended today and sent a very clear message to our parliament.
“As someone who is not a cyclist, but wants to be, I know just how important it is that we make our streets safe for cycling. And I will work hard over this parliament so everyone like me, who really wants the joy of cycling but just doesn’t have the confidence, can cycle safely on our streets.”
Green MSP Patrick Harvie gave a rousing speech about the need for safer conditions, and his own experiences – throwing his support behind Pedal on Parliament’s manifesto and the need for adequate funding for sustainable transport to make cycling an easier everyday choice.
Speaker and participant Sanne Dijsktra-Downie, MSP for Edinburgh North, said: “Growing up in the Netherlands, I loved having the freedom of being able to cycle to meet friends, play sports or go out.
“I would love kids here to experience that same freedom, and for that we need safer cycling infrastructure that is connected, well designed and fit for purpose.”
For the City of Edinburgh Council, Transport & Environment Convener Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, said: “Pedal on Parliament is an important election year event which showcases the importance of cycling and associated policy across our country.
“Here in Edinburgh, I’m proud that we’ve made real progress over the last few years with schemes like the City Centre West to East Link (CCWEL), Roseburn to Union Canal, and the latest phase of Leith Connections making it easier for everyone to get around the city.
“The data here speaks for itself. When we invest in good, sustainable infrastructure then people will use it. I’m committed to continuing this positive work and I hope everyone participating today enjoyed themselves.”
Dr Scott Arthur, MP for Edinburgh South West took part in the mass ride, and said: “I was proud to be taking part in Pedal on Parliament in Edinburgh today alongside so many people from my constituency.
“What struck me most was the sheer number of children involved. I’m not used to cycling surrounded by so many families, and that in itself maybe says something about Edinburgh.
“This year’s Pedal on Parliament comes at an interesting moment. Five years ago, after the last Holyrood election, we stood here with promises of reduced non‑essential car use across Scotland, increased investment in active travel, and world‑leading climate targets.
By the end of that Parliament, those commitments had largely fallen away. “Nonetheless, I remain an optimist. I’m hopeful that Scotland’s new government will show real leadership.”
To learn more about Pedal on Parliament, visit pedalonparliament.org
Former Marks & Spencer Chief Executive Marc Bolland has been tasked with convening CEOs across sectors to help implement Youth Guarantee reforms, bringing the voice of businesses into policy delivery. This will help create opportunity for young people and tackle the crisis of one million not in employment, education or training (NEET).
As well as leading major companies including Marks & Spencer, Morrisons supermarkets and Heineken, Marc is founder chairman of the charity Movement to Work, which working with the DWP has helped over 200,000 unemployed young people into work.
In his new role as Lead Non-Executive Director at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Marc will convene leading Chief Executives across sectors to help expand opportunity, create clear routes into work and tackle the long-standing challenge of youth unemployment.
He will also advise Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden on the Government’s response to the Alan Milburn Review, which has just released its interim report. In this role he will be asked to place partnership with business and the third sector at the heart of the Government’s approach.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said: “The number of young people not in education, employment or training is a serious challenge that has been allowed to persist for too long. That is why I asked Alan Milburn to look hard at the underlying causes and what it will take to fix them.
“Marc Bolland’s appointment sends a clear signal that we are serious about tackling that challenge. His track record in business and through Movement to Work make him uniquely placed to bring employers together and open up real opportunities for young people who need them most.
“I’ve also commissioned senior officials in my department to look at how we go even further in the support we provide young people – particularly young people with health conditions. And I’ve asked that that be done together with employers, charities, disabled people’s organisations and young people themselves.”
Marc’s role will:
Marc Bolland said: “As founder and chairman of Movement to Work we have, in close cooperation with DWP, brought over 200,000 NEETs into work and I am honoured and passionate to join the DWP now.
“I believe the Government is serious about tackling this generational crisis of youth unemployment, and I know that working hand in hand with business to support young people gives them the best possible chance of success.”
Marc brings experience at the most senior levels of business, having served as Chief Executive of Marks & Spencer plc, Chief Executive of Morrisons supermarkets, and Chief Operating Officer at Heineken.
He also brings a deep passion for improving young people’s lives through work, as demonstrated in his role as founding chairman of Movement to Work, a charity that offers free support to businesses to create youth employability programmes. The organisation has so far delivered more than 200,000 opportunities for 16 to 30-year-olds facing barriers to work.
Marc will help bring business into solving this national crisis – with some employers already stepping in to be part of the solution.
Severn Trent is the latest major employer to back the Government’s Youth Guarantee, which aims to give every young person the chance to earn or learn. Other supporters include the Premier League, Channel 4, Royal Shakespeare Company and Pinewood Studios.
The Government has commissioned Alan Milburn to look into the root causes of youth inactivity and identify what more can be done to support young people into work and learning. Last week, Alan Milburn published his interim findings which highlighted calls for a system reset to support more young people into work.
The report found that, without urgent action, the number of young people who are NEET – not in education, employment, or training – will rise from 1-in-8 to 1-in-6 young people within five years, representing 1.25 million young lives.
The government is prioritising early intervention, ensuring young people are supported before they reach crisis point, identifying and supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), speech delays, and behavioural risks as early as possible to improve long-term outcomes.
Marc is the latest major figure from the world of business brought in by the department to utilise their extensive experience and expertise.
Last year, former John Lewis boss Sir Charlie Mayfield was asked to lead the Keep Britain Working Review which, with the support of employers, has been looking at ways to help people return to or stay in work.
