Edinburgh’s first and only breakfast bothy stands in a little patch of greenery and sunlight at the edge of The Meadows.
Inside the brightly painted booth stands Tim Fidelo, a former chef currently known as the man in the bothy box. He is the Breakfast Bothy’s outreach project manager.
There’s not much room inside the old police box, but there’s enough space for Fidelo, a small kitchen, and a few personal touches. From the tiny kitchen, Fidelo serves up hot food, hot drinks and warm smiles to the community’s most vulnerable and at-risk population.
READ MORE - Edinburgh restaurant 'sorry' after diner complains about waiter's 'bad attitude'
“I think the Bothy is important because It’s not just about the hot drinks and the food, it’s about community and connections,” Fidelo said.
On Wednesday morning, Carlowrie Castle’s operations manager Keith Taylor and bothy regular Duncan tried to define the bothy and its role in the community.
READ MORE: Edinburgh restaurant owner tells diner 'I'm glad you won't be back' after complaint
At its simplest, Taylor said the Breakfast Bothy is a “meeting place where people experiencing financial hardship or homelessness can visit to get a warm breakfast, coffee, tea and good chat.”
“We are a meeting place for good in the community,” Taylor added.
It’s unclear whether bothy regular Duncan is speaking from personal experience or speaking generally, but it is clear that the bothy means a lot to him.
“The bothy helps open horizons and fulfil your life. It’s one place where you can get started and grow,” he said.
“Some of us have never been given the opportunities to believe in ourselves. There are people in the world tormented and put down by life that in the end pull away and isolate. The bothy gets people out of that mindset.”
Fidelo said he is seeing more and more people come to the bothy in need of its services, but it's hard to separate the causes. During August, he said Festival Fringe created a “marked uptick” in demand because temporary venues displaced regular community services.
However, he said it’s impossible to separate the growing word of mouth from the effects of the cost of living crisis.
“There’s no doubt that a lot more people in our community will be forced into poverty with the cost of living crisis. I’m sure there will be higher demand for facilities across Edinburgh, not just here. But there’s a lot of people that come because the community is growing and spreading the word about us,” Fidelo said.
“As the current group is growing, the word is spreading and growing our community. Something I always remember is the first morning when three or four strangers who didn’t know each other showed up and started chatting. An hour later, they were still here talking to one another, and that’s when I realised it’s not all about the teas and coffees, it’s about the community. Creating a community and society is more than half of what we do here. It’s the best job I’ve ever had.”
Duncan fondly talked about the friends he sees every day at the bothy and the opportunities the bothy has given him:
“Some people are so locked away and so enclosed within themselves. Next thing you know, there are people with mental illnesses and not able to communicate. Places like this are a little building block. You can go out and build from here and build a better quality of life.
“It gives people a degree of self worth and well being. It gives you more confidence to take steps to help yourself and others.”
Taylor explained that the idea for the Bothy began during the earliest days of the Covid-19 lockdown.
“The breakfast bothy was born under lockdown, and it is part of the Carlowrie Castle family. When weddings and other events disrupted the team’s normal events schedule, we started the Bothy to promote community involvement and give back during a challenging time,” said Taylor.
Since then, a lot has changed, and the team is learning as they go along. The Breakfast Bothy recently became a registered charity. Soon, the team will be able to accept donations to expand and provide more services.
“We’re happy to let it grow organically. We’ve talked about expanding, adding another box, organising more days out and adding new services. But they’re just ideas right now and we’re talking to the community we’ve built about what they need and want,” Taylor said.
The Breakfast Bothy is open from 9am-1pm Monday through Friday at 100 Melville Drive. For more information, visit the website.
READ NEXT: Ewan McGregor, Alicia Silverstone and Michael Madsen coming to Edinburgh Comic Con
Martin Lewis issues new energy price cap update as bill calculator released
Edinburgh queue to see Queen's coffin closes after 26,000 mourners attend
Edinburgh police horse slips and falls on pavement in heart-stopping moment
Edinburgh train lines closed in ongoing incident after 'trespassers' on railway
