Connecting through community: My weekend at Meadows Festival

Rachel, student ambassador at the Meadows Festival. Blog title: Connecting through community: My weekend at Meadows Festival

Exploring connections, fostering engagement, and celebrating the small moments. Student Ambassador, Rachel Kulp, reflects on how the Meadows Festival showcased the power of community.

The Student Ambassador Scheme is a student employment programme which brings together undergraduate and postgraduate students to support University activities.

The Meadows Festival is a community festival that happens in the green space of the Meadows each summer. It’s full of free, hands-on family activities.

At the festival, we shared how local communities can explore the University’s buildings, resources & research, events and exhibitions and discover how to help turn local connections into meaningful action for people, place and planet.

Braving the rain, finding connection

Messages on the tree, meadows festival I’ve been working as a Student Ambassador for a little while, and the best part about being a Student Ambassador is that I get to meet so many cool people.

That’s why I jumped at the chance to work with the Social Responsibility and Sustainability Department’s booth at the 2025 Meadows Festival. I worked both Saturday and Sunday, and I’m so happy that I did.

When I first arrived on Saturday, it was pouring rain. I thought that the rain meant that nobody would come to visit our stall.

Still, we had so many people come by and ask detailed questions about the University of Edinburgh’s sustainability and community commitments.

I had so much fun passing out wildflower seeds, talking about our climate goals, and our community action plans.

Edinburgh Local

Sustainability at the University

Rooting exhibition

Our stall was part of the University of Edinburgh’s “Rooting” exhibition, which explores how people, places, and the planet are interconnected.

We invited festival-goers to think about these connections through two creative and hands-on activities:

The Whac-A-Mole Food Systems Sustainability Challenge helps people reflect on how individual food choices link to wider global food challenges, from carbon footprints to food justice. It’s playful but prompts serious thought.

The string mapping tree asks a personal question: What makes you feel rooted in your community? Visitors used string to connect themselves to things they value – like shared meals, local green spaces, or cultural events – and together, we created a visual web of community values.

The Rooting exhibition runs until 15 November 2025, and is in the University’s main library, open to the public.

Rooting exhibition

I loved asking people to connect leaves on our tree, which represented different things that make you feel connected to your community. While it was so wonderful to hear everyone’s feedback, I think my favourite was hearing a little boy who had just learned how to ride a bike get excited about seeing cycling paths on our tree.

Sunshine, stories, and shared spaces

On the second day, the sun came out, and so did most of Edinburgh. Sunday was a whirlwind!

I was busy from the second I walked up to the booth until we packed down the tent at the end of the day.

It was so awesome to hear just how many people have been positively impacted by the University’s efforts to give back to the community.

I spent a few minutes talking to an older gentleman who has been using University spaces to host his society meetings. It was so cool to think that the buildings where I have class are also spaces that can have a positive impact on their neighbours.

Community Access to Rooms

A bee, some sugar, and a crowd of supporters

Bee at Meadows Festival I think my favourite part of the whole weekend was an insect visitor I had!

One of the women who stopped at our booth had found a bee who wasn’t doing so well. She passed the bee over to me, and I let him sit on my hand for most of the day on Sunday.

I gave him some water and some sugar, in the hopes that he would perk up. While he was with me, I got to show him off to so many people.

People of all ages were so excited about my bee friend and took some wildflower seeds with them in the hopes that we could all facilitate some more bee habitats.

Everyone’s excitement and investment in the health of the little guy was so heartwarming to see, and I think he really made an impact.

The bee did eventually feel a little better and fly away all on his own. He flew away, very dramatically, in front of a crowd of young boys who were certain I was going to get stung. I think that our bee friend had a flair for the dramatic.

Biodiversity: A nature positive University