Loch Arthur Camphill Community

Loch Arthur is a land-based working Community which includes men and women with learning disabilities. There are eleven houses in which altogether more than 75 people live, including about twenty-eight people in supported tenancies. There are two farms, a large garden, a creamery where we make our own cheese, a bakery, a weavery, craft workshops and a thriving farm shop and cafe.

Loch Arthur is a shared way of life in a modern rural Community which offers security as well as support for each other through the challenges of daily life. We are committed to the fulfilment of the individual through a diversity of relationships and activities which create authentic social integration. Our working life matters to us because it answers a fundamental need to be useful and active. It offers challenging opportunities for meeting and engaging with other people and it gives us a shared purpose, helping to create a sense of community.

In addition to those with disabilities who make their home here, there are the people with a variety of experience who carry the on-going responsibility for the households, the working life and the general running of the Community. There are also a number of young volunteers who join the Community for a year or so. Each house has its own character and feel, but what is common for all of us is the sense of a place where we belong, where we are accepted, which is warm and welcoming.

Camphill Community farms and gardens have always been committed to organic agriculture, to the welfare of the animals, the quality of the food produced and the health of the natural environment. The particular approach we follow, known as bio-dynamic agriculture, sets very high standards and is a practical expression of our deepest convictions about our place in nature. The estate is 550 acres which includes the 70 acre loch and 60 acres of woodland. We run a mixed organic farm, with a dairy herd as well as beef cows and sheep. Our creamery uses our own milk to produce a range of cheeses and dairy products. Our productive garden sits at the heart of our community and includes field vegetables, greenhouses and a beautiful walled garden. All of our produce is used by the community or sold through our farm shop.
The farm and garden are modern enterprises with plenty of scope for people with disabilities to be involved. Together with our farm shop they make us an active part of the wider local economy. As we all become more concerned about food quality and protection of the environment, these activities constantly develop and are increasingly appreciated.

Our cultural and social life is wonderfully diverse and underpins the life of Loch Arthur, connecting us to others locally. On summer evenings you might find lots of us preparing fruit and making jam but there are a lot of other home-grown activities that take place as well – plays, singing, music, craft and educational groups. It’s not all frantic activity. Going to a film or for a walk with friends are just as much part of life together and so is a quiet night at home.

We celebrate the seasonal festivals throughout the year, which are inspired by Anthroposophy. We gather together weekly to bring inspiration and also quietness to our lives, and we mark the changes of the seasons and festivals in special ways. Being creative together helps us to connect to each other and broaden our horizons. Some of the things we do involve many people and need a lot of organising, and there you feel the excitement of doing something that brings us all together. Other things are more intimate or spontaneous but all these help us feel in touch with ourselves and our friends.

As our life in the Community is based on our experience of living and working together we do not have formal hours. Instead, we aim to create spaces for each other to ensure we all get the time we need as individuals, a couple, or as a family, to relax and recuperate. We also have time away to visit family and friends and see new places. Each Community member supports our work and homelife as well as social and cultural activities. Therefore, life can be full and (at times) demanding but it’s also very rewarding and fulfilling. None of us who live at Loch Arthur gets paid directly for the work we do but are instead supported by the Community in our needs. We do not go without things or without money. The aim is to encourage us all to become more responsible for each other. Could you imagine embracing such a different way of doing things?