My name is Lizzie and I coordinate the Group Befriending activities at The Welcoming, a charity based in Gorgie in Edinburgh that aims to help newcomers settle in the city by offering friendship, community and diverse learning experiences. We work with asylum seekers, refugees and individuals from a diverse range of countries and ethnic backgrounds around the world.
I’ve attended the Fringe for many years with friends and family. I hadn’t come across the Fringe Days Out programme – making the Fringe more accessible to minority ethnic communities and other isolated individuals – until I started working at The Welcoming. I really value and credit the Fringe for bringing arts and creative learning opportunities to all sectors of society, not just those who have previous experience or the money to afford it. Making the Fringe inclusive is absolutely wonderful.
My earliest and one of my favourite memories of the Fringe was attending a show by Nick Cope with my then four-year-old, to listen to great music for children. Nick Cope is so human and down to earth, and his children’s songs are inclusive and often very funny. We listened to them in the car and in bed for years after!
I love how the Fringe offers really diverse and whacky arts experiences. Bringing culturally diverse performances to the Fringe makes it feel both exciting and like there’s a place for all people, from all cultures.
The Fringe Society approached The Welcoming in 2019 to both offer Fringe tickets, but also to ask myself, volunteers and participants to take part in a short film about Fringe Days Out, to share the word about inclusive Fringe performances for communities in Edinburgh. A Syrian participant and her befriender and I took part in the filming. The Society staff and the filming crew were absolutely wonderful. It was relaxed and supportive and most of all fun.
Working with the Fringe Society is a privilege; the staff are friendly and approachable and professional. We recently were offered a terrific online dance and movement class in collaboration with dancer and choreographer Julia James-Griffiths. It was inspiring and thought-provoking. I really value our collaborative work.
The Fringe Society allows participants at The Welcoming to feel like valued and equal members of Edinburgh. The free tickets for Fringe shows allow those who couldn’t ordinarily afford them to see exciting shows. In 2019, attending some Fringe dance and music performances with large groups of female participants was a real buzz. I look forward to that again in the future a great deal.
