Craigmillar Festival Society

The Craigmillar Festival Committee was established in 1962 by a mothers group at Peffermill Primary School, on the south-east side of Edinburgh. The Festival celebrated local talent with the support of local councillor Jack Kane. Kane became councillor of Craigmillar in 1949 and he served as the first chairman of the Craigmillar Festival Society, remaining its honorary president until his death in 1999. In the 1960s, Craigmillar was one of the most socioeconomically deprived public housing estates in the East of Edinburgh. Helen Crummy, a local mother, asked the headteacher of Peffermill Primary School if her son could have lessons to learn to play the violin. Reportedly, the school replied, "It takes us all our time to teach these children the 3Rs, far less music." Crummy joined the Peffermill School Mothers Club and she wanted to showcase that the Craigmillar children had talent to develop and decided to put on a festival. As a result of this success, the annual Craigmillar Festival was created and it was central to transforming the area's local and art and music scene. == Growth and development of the Craigmillar Festival Society ==

In 1969, following the introduction of the Urban Aid Programme by the British government in 1968, Craigmillar Festival Committee gained official recognition, charitable status, and changed its name to the Craigmillar Festival Society (CFS). The CFS started with five paid neighbourhood workers, who would be a point of contact for advice and support in the Craigmillar community, and they also made referrals to social services, for example. One example of a popular initiative led by the CFS was the Bingham Belles. == Achievements ==

Many artists, politicians, and researchers came to Craigmillar, either to see or become involved in the community activities. The CFS is thought to be an inspiring influence in the creation of similar national and international community initiatives. These include: The Easterhouse Festival Society, Notting Hill Carnival, and also in the work of Neil Cameron and Reg Bolton in Australia. Craigmillar Festival Society helped create many things, amongst them The Mermaid Sculpture by Pedro Silva, The Gentle Giant Sculpture by Jimmy Boyle, The Bill Douglas Trilogy, and in particular "My Childhood" (funded by British Film Institute). The Craigmillar Festival Society was the recognised leader in the production of The Community Musical theatre productions, where professional actors worked very closely with local people. In effect, since 1962, local people came together and produced well over 100 productions. From 1973's first Community Musical "The Time Machine", 1974's "Castle, Cooncil & Curse, 1975's "Time and Motion Man", 1976's "Willie Wynn", 1977's Culture Vultures" and 1978's "Oh Gentle Giant", to the 1980s with "Shoo", "For A' That & A' That", "Dampbusters" and "Watch It", the 1990s and "Fit For Heroes", "Kicking Up A Stink" and "In Your Dreams" and the more recent "Grease Niddrie Style". All included songs such as "Craigmillar Now", "When People Play Their Part", "Arled Bairn", "Candy Barrie" and "He Promised Me". Many local people who began performing in Community productions went on to become successful professional performers, among whom are Alice Henderson and Johnni Stanton, who went on to form their own companies, but most notably, Faye Milligan (The Steamie), and James (Micky) MacPherson, who created the award-winning Edinburgh film company Plum Films . The Craigmillar Festival (and CFS) were the subject of the documentary Arts: The Catalyst, The Craigmillar Story (2004) produced by Plum Films and directed by Simon Hynd. Commissioned by the Craigmillar Communiversity and funded by the Craigmillar Partnership, the film uses archival footage from the BBC and interviews with local people including Helen Crummy. The documentary developed out of the success of the Arts: The Catalyst, Craigmillar Exhibition at The City Arts Centre in 2004. The documentary was well-received and won The 2005 Saltire Society short documentary competition at the 2005 Edinburgh International Film Festival. The society also has links with Professor Eric Trist and The Tavistock Institute, Billy Connolly, Richard Demarco, Anne Lorne Gillies, Joan Bakewell, Michael Marra, and Bill Paterson. == Legacy and Recognition ==

The work of the CFS has been globally recognised, with distinguished commentators making reference to it. These include: • The Social Impact of Participation in the Arts Seminar, 1997 at The House of the Art Lover, Glasgow, organised by Scottish Arts Council, chaired by Seona Reid, Director. • Donald Campbell (Cities of the imagination/Edinburgh, 2003, Signal Books) • Eric Trist (New directions of hope, 1979) • Eric Trist QWL Quality of Working Life and the 80's (The Closing Address to the International Conference on QWL and the 80's, Harbour Castle Hilton, Toronto, 30 August – 3 September 1981) • Rafael Ramirez (The Beauty of Social Organization, Accedo, Munich, 1991) • Alan Barnett (Community Murals, The Peoples Art, 1984, Associated University Press) • George McRobie (Small Is Possible, London: Jonathan Cape, 1981 — this is part of the E. F. Schumacher Small Is Beautiful trilogy) • Alison Jeffers and Gerri Moriarty (Culture, Democracy and the Right to Make Art, 2017) • Kenneth Calman (Arts The Catalyst, Craigmillar Communiversity Press, 2004) • Charles Landry and Franois Matarasso (Art of Regeneration, Comedia, 1996) • David Harding, Head of Environmental Art and Sculpture (1985–2001), Glasgow School of Art. (Art with People, AN Publications, 1994.) • David Harding (Arts The Catalysts, Craigmillar Communiversity Press, 2004) It has also been compared to The Peckham Experiment and Bromley by Bow Centre and The Healthy Living Centre concept. In recent years, The Bromley by Bow Centre has taken up The Communiversity concept to develop its education programme. == Disbandment ==

In 2002, the CFS was disbanded and the final annual Craigmillar Festival occurred in the summer of 2002. In 2021 episode for the BBC Scotland show 'Our Story' journalist Mark Stephen speaks with those involved in the CFS and explains that the funding ended and each project was syphoned off into individual programmes, and they each fought for access to the same funding. == 'Craigmillar Now' ==

The legacy of the CFS lives on in the form of 'Craigmillar Now', an arts and heritage organisation developed in 2020. Founder Rachel Cloughton explained that "the project aims to preserve and celebrate the area's pioneering history and create a resource that is locally led and nationally significant." The Craigmillar Festival was revived in 2021. == See also ==