Lives In A Landscape

In a 1930s art deco building on an industrial site in Edinburgh's Craigmillar estate, a group of evangelical travellers meets every Sunday and Thursday in the Life and Light church. Alan Dein meets Violet and other members of the church as they mingle with former heroin addicts, and joins them and Pastor Alister as they go 'witnessing' on Craigmillar. Once a thriving community, today Craigmillar lies two thirds empty, with promised re-development on hold. For the last twenty years Craigmillar has been in a constant state of flux as one housing project after another has been flattened and entire neighbourhoods moved from one end of the estate to the other. In contrast, the travellers' site has been isolated from Craigmillar's ever changing landscape. Through their church they have created a bubble in which to live. It's a small pocket of life, pretty much self contained and contrasts greatly with the fragmented estate next door. Venturing into the heart of a housing scheme rife, so say the travellers, wit