Old documentary detailing life on one of Scots most deprived council estates resurfaces

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An old documentary featuring one of Scotland's most deprived council estates has resurfaced online nearly 40 years after it was filmed.The 1984 documentary focusing on the resilience of Edinburgh residents has been a comeback online and is available to watch on YouTube.

Craigmillar: Down But Not Out was originally broadcasted as a Scotland Today Reports special on STV. The film featured interviews with residents, young and old, from the communities of Niddrie and Craigmillar, Edinburgh Live reports.

It focused on how huge social and economic problems plaguing the area were being tackled as filmmakers discussed issues with youth workers, politicians and community activists, such as Craigmillar Festival founder Helen Crummy.Thatcher-era Craigmillar was among the most impoverished communities in Western Europe, with employment rates twice as high as the Scottish national average and a lack of investment in the area.Attempted suicides in the community were three times the Edinburgh average and incidents of violence, theft and fire-raising were alarmingly common in the area in the 1980s.The documentary explained that many youngsters turned to a life of crime and drugs, with no hope of a brighter tomorrow.“It’s a scheme of zombies,” says youth worker Richard D’Arcy in the film.“I’ve never seen nothing [sic] like this and I’ve stayed here all my life.Community activists fought hard to improve conditions in Craigmillar in the 1980s, eventually managing to set up a new library and arts centre, and pushing for regeneration.Councillor and Craigmillar Festival Society co-chairman David Brown is one of a number of voices in the film adamant that Craigmillar’s plight is part of a deliberate local government policy to run the area down