We are delighted to announce that the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded a grant of £65,800 to Edinburgh World Heritage for an important and timely community engagement project at Greyfriars Kirkyard. We wish to extend a huge thank you to them for their vital support.

Making Lasting Impressions: Greyfriars Kirkyard Community Learning and Interpretation Project is a two-year project which takes a co-ordinated approach to balancing enjoyment of the graveyard as a well-loved community resource and greenspace, as well as a visitor attraction.

Founded in 1562 with land gifted by Mary Queen of Scots, Sir Walter Scott described Greyfriars as ‘the Westminster Abbey of Scotland’ in recognition of the significance of those buried there and its role in nationally-important events. Located within the Old and New Towns World Heritage Site, Greyfriars Kirkyard is at risk not only from weathering and erosion but also from limited resources, over-tourism and a lack of awareness of its value as a local green open space.

Making Lasting Impressions aims to give fresh perspectives on the value of Greyfriars Kirkyard to communities today by involving a wider range of people with this heritage site. Specialist staff, including Edinburgh World Heritage’s Graveyards Development Officer, Dr. Susan Buckham, will work collaboratively with young people, homeless people, Edinburgh’s Polish community, locals and heritage volunteers, to create new interpretation to share what makes this graveyard so special. The project will make use of tools such as cutting-edge technology and game-playing to make interpretation accessible and engaging.

Through engaging with the diverse local community around Greyfriars Kirkyard, the project aims to build awareness, capacity, lifelong learning and heritage skills to ensure that Greyfriars can be enjoyed for many generations to come.

Find out more about Greyfriars Kirkyard on our Graveyards page where you can download the trail and explore some of key figures in Scottish history.