About Grassroots
The Greyfriars Community Project is a 21st Century manifestation of the age old concept of hospitality; offering friendship, learning and practical help without prejudice and based on a belief in the common human worth of all people whatever their condition and circumstance. The support for vulnerable people here goes all the way back to the Grey Friars who established a friary on this site in the middle ages, growing medicinal herbs in the Kirkyard and walking with the poor and vulnerable of medieval Edinburgh.
A central part of the Grassroots vision is to help to create an alternative social economy and sense of community for many people who for one reason or another have not managed to remain a part of the mainstream economy. Our ambition is to cherish people and find ways in which people can enjoy success, recover self-esteem and find ways of making a useful and creative contribution to our whole community’s well being.