Community Project Expands to Welcome New Scots to Edinburgh

When we launched the Our Stories, Your City (OSYC) project in 2022, we couldn't have predicted just how big of an impact it was going to have on Edinburgh’s communities — or how many people we’d be able to connect with. 

The project began with a singular idea: that stories are powerful. They create deep, enduring connections between people, places and the past. 

Those in vulnerable communities often feel cut off from their city. They may live here in Edinburgh, but the city’s stories are not theirs. OSYC is designed to fix this with one simple solution: rebuilding connections through the stories we tell every day.

This project launched in 2022 with our long-standing friends at the Grassmarket Community Project, then expanded to include local schools in isolated communities.  

For every £100 raised through donations, a 5-star, 3-hour private tour and attraction visit is arranged for isolated communities, free of charge. Since its launch, we’ve raised £10,600, resulting in 106 OSYC tours and experiences for 1590 individuals. 

Together, we can break down barriers, promote respect and equity, reduce harm, and improve social wellbeing through ethical, regenerative tourism. 

 

Welcoming New Scots 

In a world where migration is at the forefront of news articles, Mercat are making our stance clear: people are the fabric and foundation of the city — ALL of its people — from Scots born and raised to New Scots alike. 

This year, we’re thrilled to announce that the OSYC project is expanding even further in partnership with The Welcoming. 

The Welcoming is a Scottish charity that supports asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Edinburgh. They welcome New Scots and help them build community connections. 

Their vision is “a diverse and inclusive Scotland, where everyone feels welcome and can achieve their potential.” 

We believe in the power of shared cultural experiences to enhance wellbeing and foster enduring connections between people and place. Rather than restoring a lost sense of identity with a native home, we’re helping to nurture new roots through sharing stories and a welcome to belong in their city. 

Kat Brogan, Managing Director of Mercat Tours, emphasises that “Edinburgh offers a warm welcome to everyone. That greeting is all the more important for those forced from their homes, settling in their new city.” 

 

Making Introductions, Forming Connections 

Last May, on a seasonably warm and sunny morning, we hosted our first tour for The Welcoming. Since then, and with the generous donations of our visitors, we’ve led a half dozen tours to make New Scots feel welcome in Edinburgh. 

Together, we’ve explored the Blair Street Underground Vaults, Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Mile and the National Museum of Scotland. Coming up, we’ll be revealing the secrets of the Canongate and its royal connections. 

After a guided tour of the National Museum of Scotland, one participant said the experience “made it so much easier for me to understand Scottish history." 

Another says, "The cultural outings can broaden my horizons and expand my vision. They also enhance my appreciation of this city’s culture, values and its diversity."  

“Enabled by our visitor’s donations, we’re deeply privileged to share our stories and help build trust for New Scots to connect with their new home — to belong,” Kat Brogan says on this new phase of OSYC. 

Another New Scot summed up the experience in one sentence: "I gained a deeper appreciation for Edinburgh's history and heritage." 

History and heritage, stories and connections. That’s what we’re all about. 

 

A Year in Review 

The Our Stories, Your City project is evidence that tourism is a force for good. 

It creates a deep, lasting bond between visitors, Edinburgh and OSYC Pals through sharing and owning stories of Edinburgh. It supports Living Wage jobs in 5-star attractions. It proves the power of storytelling, culture and tourism to create and restore connections with heritage and sense of self. 

As we wrap up another year of OSYC, we’re looking back at what we’ve achieved while also looking to the future. 

Our Stories, Your City helps those who call Edinburgh home connect with the city, whether that was lost at some point, whether they are growing up here or have only just started calling Edinburgh home. 

 

Your donation gives those cut off from Edinburgh's culture a warm welcome to — or back into — their museums, their Palace, their Castle, their stories and their city. 

Pals, Donors, Partners, Mercat Team — thank you. 

Read the full Impact Report here.