Edinburgh taxi drivers hand out nearly 1,700 Easter eggs to kids across the city and at the CHAS Hospice

Edinburgh black cab taxi drivers involved in the annual children’s taxi outing, decided to try to collect 900 Easter eggs to give out to local kids to mark Edinburgh’s 900th birthday.

Within two weeks the Capital city cabbies smashed that target and collected an incredible 1,686 Easter eggs through Easter egg and cash donations to hand out to deserving kids.

Four Edinburgh taxi drivers filled their cabs with the Easter treats and took them along to the City Chambers today, Thursday, March 27, where they were waved off by the Depute Lord Provost Lezley Marion Cameron, to be passed onto special schools, foodbanks and children’s groups across the city, as well as the CHAS Hospice in Kinross.

The Edinburgh cabbies filled up their taxis with Easter eggs before setting off from the City Chambers to give to kids across the city, seen off by Depute Lord Provost Lezley Marion Cameron. | National World

Complete with bunny ears at the City Chambers send-off, Edinburgh taxi driver John Galloway, who is part of the committee behind the annual children’s day out, has been blown away by the public’s response to their appeal.

He said: “I’ve done the outing for 33 years now and I’ve been involved with a good bunch of guys on the committee and every year we try to surpass ourselves.

“Last year we gave out selection boxes at Christmas time, so we decided 900 Easter eggs would be a fitting thing to do for Edinburgh 900.

“The selection boxes were paid for out of funds which cost quite a bit of money, but this time we decided to do our usual begging. We’ve collected an incredible 1,686 eggs. With eggs handed in and cash donations to buy the eggs.

“People have just been fantastic, the support through Facebook etc has been immense.”

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Speaking at the drop-off, Edinburgh taxi ambassador Bob McCulloch said: “We’re here today to have the Depute Lord Provost wave goodbye to the taxis laid up with Easter eggs donated by members of the public and predominantly the cab trade.

“The initiative was started by John for Edinburgh 900, but breached that target in about a week, and eggs are still coming in, with more than 1,700 collected before today.

“It’s really been a great effort by all the black cab drivers and it’s great to give something to local kids this Easter.”

The Depute Lord Provost, Councillor Lezley Marion Cameron was full of praise for the taxi drivers as she waved them off from the City Chambers.

She said: “What it means for us as a city, is it is once again a great example of how our black cab drivers are very community-minded and thoughtful. At Christmas time they donated lots of selection boxes, during the second Tuesday of June every year there is the children’s outing for charity.

“It’s just another great example of the charity and community-minded things that our black cab drivers do to just bring a bit of early Easter cheer to children across our city.”