Tag: Craigmillar Now

New exhibition celebrates the life and legacy of Edinburgh photographer Sandra George

This summer, the City Art Centre will present Start from the Level, the largest exhibition ever staged of the work of Sandra George (1957–2013).

Start from the Level is produced in partnership with Craigmillar Now, an arts and heritage centre based in Craigmillar, who hold Sandra’s collection in their community archive, and is part of the Edinburgh Art Festival.

Opening on 27 June and running until 27 September 2026, the exhibition brings together photographs spanning more than two decades, many of which will be shown publicly for the first time. Drawn from Sandra’s extensive archive, the exhibition offers a powerful portrait of Edinburgh’s communities and explores themes of identity, activism, motherhood, belonging, and social justice.

Born in Nottingham and raised between Jamaica and the UK before settling in Edinburgh, she became widely known for her work as a community organiser and advocate. Alongside this, she developed a prolific photographic practice, documenting everyday life across Edinburgh and beyond from the late 1970s through to the early 2000s.

Through her lens, she captured both intimate personal moments and wider social movements, creating a remarkable visual record of the city and the people who shaped it. Her photographs are united by a deep sense of humanity and a commitment to representing people with dignity, openness, and care.

The exhibition takes its title from Sandra’s own words: her desire to “start from the level people are based”. This guiding principle informed her work throughout her life, resulting in an extraordinary body of photography that remains as relevant and resonant today as ever.

Culture and Communities Convener Margaret Graham said: “Sandra George’s photographs offer an invaluable record of Edinburgh and its communities, seen through the eyes of someone deeply committed to social justice, equality, and human connection.

“This landmark exhibition celebrates not only her extraordinary talent as a photographer, but also her lasting contribution to the cultural and community life of our city.

“We are proud to bring this important body of work to audiences and ensure that Sandra’s legacy continues to inspire future generations.”

In addition to the exhibition at City Art Centre, a special outdoor presentation of Sandra’s work will be displayed on street-side billboard and poster sites across Edinburgh from 22 June for three weeks in partnership with BuildHollywood.

Featuring photographs taken throughout the city, the displays will appear in Fountain Park, Teviot and Meadowbank, bringing George’s images directly into the public spaces she documented.

Find out more on the Culture Edinburgh website.

Community Cinema screenings across the city

City Council supports Community Cinema Hubs Project

granton:hub is leased to announce details of the Local Cinema film programme taking place across community hubs in Edinburgh.

The Local Cinema film programme has been funded by the City of Edinburgh Council via the Creative Community Hubs Network, which brings together eight building-based hubs who are engaging with their local communities in creative ways across Edinburgh.

This is the first shared creative programme produced by the hubs network to date, in a pilot project entitled the Community Cinema Hubs Project that is hoped will be extended more widely across Edinburgh into the future.

Check this link for the full programme: https://www.whalearts.co.uk/community-cinema-hubs-project/

Please contact screening venues directly for more information and to reserve tickets for all other individual screenings.

granton:hub will be showing The Old Oak (Ken Loach, 2023,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o198HdWc998)

on Thursday 30 November (7pm).

An eventbrite booking link will be made available later on in October. There will be limited spaces due to the capacity of the venue.

Fort Kinnaird donate to local charities

Picture – Chris Watt Photography 07887554193 info@chriswatt.com www.chriswatt.com

Two Craigmillar-based charities and a Greenydykes foundation have benefited from a £5,000 donation from Fort Kinnaird.

Thistle Foundation, The Venchie Children and Young People’s Project and Craigmillar Now have all received donations as part of the centre’s ongoing commitment to supporting the local community.

Thistle Foundation, founded in 1944, supports people in Scotland living with disabilities and long-term health conditions such as Parkinson, ME, chronic pain, the long-term effects of COVID-19, and mental health conditions.

The charity offers a range of wellbeing support including 1:1 coaching and courses, that support people to lead good lives and achieve what matters most to them. Thistle Foundation also supports people living in local communities in and around Craigmillar in Edinburgh through Thistle Outdoors, Connecting Craigmillar and their gym situated at their Centre of Wellbeing.

The donation from Fort Kinnaird went towards supporting Thistle Foundation’s health and wellbeing service and a big Thistle Thank You to the amazing team of volunteers that help the charity to support people locally and nationally.

Picture – Chris Watt Photography 07887554193 info@chriswatt.com www.chriswatt.com

Some of these volunteers are part of the Thistle Outdoors team, delivering cycling sessions in Saughton Park which take place each Thursday, providing a range of adapted bikes, including trikes and side-by side-cycles, for people to enjoy for free while meeting with friends or new people. 

The Venchie Children and Young People’s Project supports more than 200 children every week from in and around Craigmillar. It runs activities ranging from breakfast and after-school clubs to holiday sessions and parent/toddler groups which will be supported through the donation.

And Craigmillar Now, an arts and heritage space, will use the funds to continue hosting a year-round programme of creative activities including artist residences, workshops and exhibitions.

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “These charities are all doing vital work in the area, and we’re pleased that we are able to show our appreciation for this through these donations, which we know will have a direct positive impact on people in our community.”  

Picture – Chris Watt Photography 07887554193 info@chriswatt.com www.chriswatt.com

William Oviatt, Heat of Income Generation at Thistle Foundation said: “We are extremely grateful for this very generous donation from Fort Kinnard.

“It is with thanks to donations like this that we can continue to support people living in local communities across Edinburgh and throughout Scotland.”

For more information on what’s on at Fort Kinnaird visit: 

https://www.fortkinnaird.com/

Fort Kinnaird gives back to the community with charity donations

Fort Kinnaird has donated £5,000 to help some of the charities and organisations most impacted by the pandemic across the capital’s Niddrie and Craigmillar areas.

The local grassroots charities have each received £1,000 from a dedicated fund set up by Fort Kinnaird owners British Land and were selected due to the key role they play in supporting the local community.

Venchie Children & Young People’s Project, Thistle Foundation, Craigmillar Now, Richmond’s Hope and Caring in Craigmillar are among the charities to receive support from Fort Kinnaird.

Venchie Children & Young People’s Project provides play, recreation, and issue-based youth work to school children from across Niddrie, with access to activities including drama club, residentials, and breakfast and after school clubs.

Thistle Foundation is a charity supporting those with long-term health conditions and disabilities, enabling them to live independently in their own homes, while Craigmillar Now brings the local community together through art with a host of different exhibitions throughout the year.

Richmond’s Hope provides support for children and young people dealing with bereavement by offering a safe space for children to work through their grief, helping them to preserve memories of their loved one, explore their feelings, and provide them with coping strategies for handling their loss.

Caring in Craigmillar is a charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for vulnerable older people with complex care needs, preventing them from becoming isolated and encouraging community integration.

Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “The past 12 months have been an incredibly challenging time for local charities who have seen funding disrupted by the pandemic. Our commitment to our community has never been more important, and I’m so pleased we can support some of those organisations that need it most.

“The chosen charities do such amazing work across our immediate local communities of Niddrie and Craigmillar and we hope our donation goes some way in helping them to continue to do so.”

This initiative is part of Fort Kinnaird’s wider programme of work in the community which included the launch of its Giving Box installation, designed to encourage visitors to make small donations while at the centre to help support local organisations.