Conscious Living project

January 2023 – Present

Promoting wellbeing, creativity, and sustainability in Edinburgh’s diverse communities

The Conscious Living Project, delivered by ELREC and funded by organisations including the Nancie Massey Charitable Trust, Leith Chooses, and ECCAN, offers free, inclusive activities across Edinburgh. Its mission is to improve mental wellbeing, reduce loneliness, and raise environmental awareness through creative, nature-connected, and community-driven experiences.

Current Activities

Conscious Leith Crafting Workshops

June 2025 – February 2026

Now in its third year of Leith Chooses community funding, this new series blends art, nature, and wellbeing. Each month, we run three relaxed handcraft workshops—starting with a one-hour walk through Leith’s green spaces, followed by a calming three-hour creative session with tea and snacks.

The workshops aim to connect Leith’s multicultural community, foster a sense of belonging, and encourage participants to reflect on their surroundings through art. The project will conclude with a short video showcasing the explored green areas and participants’ handmade work.

Locations: Various green spaces and community centres across Leith
Stay updated:

Plans for the future: We’re working on expanding our activities—stay tuned for updates!

Conscious living logo.jpg

 

Past Highlights (2023–2025)

Weaving Workshops

Our popular handloom weaving sessions (2023–2025) engaged over 230 participants in creating beautiful tapestries from recycled materials. These weekly workshops helped foster creativity, reduce stress, and build lasting friendships, culminating in a powerful community-led exhibition in January 2025.

Sustainable Rug Weaving (March 2025)

Participants learned to build looms from recycled wood and upcycled over 9kg of fabric into unique rugs. The workshops offered skills in sustainability, creativity, and practical reuse—while supporting wellbeing through mindful, hands-on activity.

Other Activities (2023–2024)

  • Board Games Afternoons at the Zero Waste Hub promoted social connection and second-hand reuse.
  • Nature Walks & Foraging provided seasonal mindfulness and movement in local green spaces.
  • Community Gardening sessions (in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden and others) taught environmental skills and deepened connection with nature.

Get in touch

The project would not run without the help of the amazing ELREC team and our funders! Thank you very much for all your support!

Project news
There are no news items yet for this project - check our social media streams for information
Project gallery

Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.