Sandra George (1957-2013) was a talented and prolific social documentary photographer and a well-respected community worker in Craigmillar.

Sandra studied Photography at Napier University, Drawing and Painting at Edinburgh College of Art and Community Education at The University of Edinburgh.

She worked extensively as a freelance photographer for over 30 years for organisations and publications such as the Sentinel, the Tollcross Community Newspaper, Shelter, and the Craigmillar Newspaper, and taught photography and other arts skills to people of all ages in communities across Edinburgh. She started working in community development in Westerhailes in the 1980s, and in Craigmillar from the 1990s, and was an integral member of notable organisations like McGovan house, the Thistle Foundation, and the Craigmillar Arts Centre. She was the founder of many successful social action projects, and as Youth Services Manager with Hunter’s Hall Cooperative from 2008, she administered outstanding programmes of youth arts engagement in Niddrie, including the Niddrie Community Youth Group, a charity committed to community education and providing activities for children and young adults from all over the area.

Sandra’s main belief was in community education, and empowering others through new experiences and the arts, and across her career, she captured thousands of photographs documenting the social history of Craigmillar, Edinburgh, and Scotland at large.

Craigmillar Now currently holds Sandra George’s vast collection of negatives, which record arts and community projects across Scotland between the 1980s and the 2000s.

With thanks to Tyler and Jimmy Hewitt, The Heritage Lottery Fund, The National Lottery Community Fund, The University of Edinburgh, The City of Edinburgh Council