News & Events

Andrew Byrne (Brother of Paul from Clanabogan Community) has been raising funds for Camphill Clanabogan this Summer by taking part in the Chicago Triathlon!  Andrew completed the Olympic distance event on 29th August.  More news to follow shortly.

If you would like to sponsor Andrew please visit www.everyclick.com/andrewinchicago to make an online donation or alternatively you can send your donation to Maria Kinney, CCTNI, Muir Building, 427 Holywood Road, Belfast BT4 2LT.  Please make any cheques payable to Camphill Communities Trust (NI).  Thank you for your support.

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Pictured above: The Down to Dingle Team present the cheque to Vincent and Liam at Glencraig on 25th August.

A huge thank you to Peter Rafferty, Dervla and Patrick McGrann, Shane O'Neill, Brian Thompson, Conor McDonagh, Tony & Therese Rafferty and John & Rosemary McGrann for their wonderful support.  Thank you also to everyone who sponsored and supported the cyclists.

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Belfast & District Golf Clubs present Fundraising Cheque Our thanks to Tommy Mulholland and everyone at Belfast & District Golf Clubs who recently raised funds for Camphill.  Pictured at the cheque presentation at Shandon Park Golf Club are L-R: Tommy Mulholland, Representative from NI Hospice, Fr Frank Quinn (Shandon Park Golf Club) and Mr David Reid (President of Belfast & District Golf Clubs).

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Peter & Friends Complete 300 Mile Cycle - Down to Dingle

Peter Rafferty and friends have completed their 300 mile sponsored cycle and raised the fantastic sum of £6,106.65p for Camphill Communities NI. A huge thank you to all the Down to Dingle Team and everyone who sponsored and supported them.

29th August         Chicago Triathlon

Andrew Byrne (Brother of Paul from Clanabogan Community) has been raising funds for Camphill Clanabogan this Summer by taking part in the Chicago Triathlon!  Congratulations to Andrew who completed the Olympic distance event on 29th August.  More news to come shortly!

If you would like to sponsor Andrew please visit www.everyclick.com/andrewinchicago to make an online donation or alternatively you can send your donation to Maria Kinney, CCTNI, Muir Building, 427 Holywood Road, Belfast BT4 2LT.  Please make any cheques payable to Camphill Communities Trust (NI).  Thank you for your support.

Dare to be Human in the People Professions

On Tuesday 24^th November 2009 a group of twelve Camphill staff, health and social service and education partners attended the Social Pedagogy Conference in Edinburgh.

The conference was a result of Camphill Scotland's energy and drive to keep the momentum of a national dialogue and to inform stakeholders of the place of social pedagogy in the personalisation agenda by exploring the potential and challenges of human relationships in caring and lifelong social learning and development.

Interestingly, the BA in Curative education which has been developed between Camphill and the University of Aberdeen is shifting towards being called a BA in Social Pedagogy.

Social pedagogy is about social learning, learning in groups, learning through living, learning through daily activities, making ordinary activities shared and enjoyed. There are many people across organisations using social pedagogy but they don't necessarily use that term. They are doing what they think is right by the people they live and work with.

The conferencewas all about sharing practice, working across professional boundaries and true collaboration. There was a huge range of presentations from real experts who had carried out research and had experience of working in the field. It was about the benefits of integrated working for ourselves and the people that we work with. There was a lot of emphasis on personalisation and choice.

Another way of framing social pedagogy is that it's about putting the heart back in social services. There has been lots of changes, some of them for the better but I think some things we have actually lost and the challenge is for us is to try and find some of those things and put them back in to what we are trying to do.

This was a very worthwhile conference to stimulate the conversation around some of the policies and practices which are stifling the very essence of what we do. It was also refreshing to listen to a wide range of contributors who had different takes on the whole area of social pedagogy.

The orchestra from Glencraig played a lovely piece by Liam O'Flynn called: An Droichead (The Bridge)

Liam O'Flynn recalls "I was honoured with a request by Ireland's President Mary McAleese to write and perform a piece of music for her inauguration. The music was based on the theme of her Presidency, An Droichead or Bridges". The President was very touched that this was chosen for her visit.

The President's speech was so warm and poignant, particularly for parents and co-workers, that I thought it would be wholly appropriate to reproduce extracts of her speech in this feature, so that many others would benefit from the powerful words spoken.

It's lovely to be part of Camphill's 70th Anniversary Celebrations! I've never heard  An Droichead played better. It means "a bridge" and for so many people here, Camphill, what it represents, what the whole Camphill Community right around the world means - Is a bridge to Life, a bridge to the fullness of life. It's a bridge to being part of a community that shares each other's burdens and shares its joys. For every single parent here, every family here - there is a moment when you realise that your child is going to live its life coping with the challenge of a learning disability. Where there is a worry, there's a fear that descends and that fear comes from the unknown.

Really, what this place offers, through it's philosophy, it's sense of community and it's sharing is that it transforms that fear and worry of the unknown into the "mystery and awe" of seeing children blossom, flourish and having the fullness of life.

So from fear to awe, from the fear of what will happen to a child who could be a wonderful member of an orchestra, who has friends, a wonderful life, one who has independence, to the child who has their own story to tell, on their own terms.

Camphill exists because people dared to start out with the love of a stranger. People commit to this vocation, commit to creating this place, commit to creating all the other Camphill Communities which I have become familiar with over the years. I've always known Mourne Grange, when I lived in Rostrevor and over the years I've had the privilege of visiting so many places now, where I know, looking at the faces, hearing the stories, unpacking the stories and indeed, knowing many of the families here today.

You know from their stories of the deep, deep worry and concern that every loving parent has for their child. It's a burden that you're never free of, that's the simple truth of the matter but it's a burden that if you carry the load, boy! It's a lonely journey, a tough and lonely journey. Everything about Camphill says, actually, the journey is shared, the burden is shared and, you know what, when it is shared it opens up so many possibilities. It opens up the possibility for such a range of talents and skills and inputs into the life of the child or a young adult. It meets them on their own terms, they put their talents together with all the other people here and that's where the mystery comes from and where the awe is found.

This is what allows parents to sleep content at night because they know that their child is loved and they know that their child is in a loving, caring and good environment, a place to which they can contribute, a place where they truly matter.

I think the philosophy and existence of Camphill is just marvellous! Anyway just think about it for a moment - what would life be like if we didn't have Camphill?  What would it be like for so many families, who rely on Camphill and others like it?

It would be like, just switching off the light on a life.  Every child and every young adult, whatever their circumstances , is entitled to the fullness of life, to know what their fullness is , to have it revealed to them and to be part of that revelation - Camphill is dedicated to that.

Thank goodness for those who commit to this vocation, because,  no parent would allow their child to come here, to stay, to be educated, to work, to live here, unless they trusted implicitly  in the place, unless it had established a loving caring environment.

 In every generation, nobody could ever afford to drop the baton and thank goodness that's what's been done here. The vocation has been honoured; it allows parents the joy to move from the fear of the unknown to the awe and mystery. To enjoy their children's lives, to sleep easily in their beds at night, to be contented, because they know their gorgeous and beloved children are so contented in Camphill.

Thank you so much for allowing me to share in this very special day - when the President visits, it's worse than having your mother visit your bedroom!

Camphill Communities Northern Ireland has recently secured substantial grant funding through the Low Carbon Communities Challenge (LCCC) to help fund the installation of a Biomass District Heating System in Camphill Community Glencraig. After a rigorous application and assessment process Camphill was one of only 20 UK wide projects selected and one of two projects in Northern Ireland to be selected.

Types of Biomass Heating Systems

The use of Biomass in heating systems has a use in many different types of buildings, and all have different uses. There are four main types of heating systems that use biomass to heat a boiler. The types are Fully Automated, Semi-Automated, Pellet-Fired, and Combined Heat and Power. The Glencraig project will run off a fully automated system. 

Fully Automated

Fully automated systems operate exactly how they sound. Chipped or ground up waste wood is brought to the site by delivery trucks and dropped into a holding tank. A system of conveyors then transports the wood from the holding tank to the boiler at a certain managed rate. This rate is managed by computer controls and a laser that measures the load of fuel the conveyor is bringing in. The system automatically goes on and off to maintain the pressure and temperature within the boiler. Fully automated systems offer a great deal of ease in their operation because they only require the operator of the system to control the computer, and not the transport of wood.

The timeline  

Over the past months a substantial amount of time and effort has been invested by both Camphill personnel and our professional advisors in attending meetings and preparing and lodging the Glencraig application. At this stage a planning application has been lodged with North Down Borough Council and planning approval is awaited. Brian Wilson, MLA and leader of the Green Party has been very supportive throughout the process and we look forward to continuing this partnership as we move forward with the project. Arrangements are currently underway for Arlene Foster, MLA, and Minister of the Environment to visit Camphill Community Glencraig.

It is planned to start the pipe laying and building work by July and March 2011 is the target date for the system to be fully operational, in line with the requirements of the grant. The detailed drawings and plans are available for viewing in Camphill Community Glencraig office. Should you want to know more about the Low Carbon Communities Challenge just log on to the Department of Energy and Climate Change website    http://www.decc.gov.uk/default.aspx

On 2nd February the Ladies of Helen's Bay Golf Club hosted a hugely successful Bridge Drive to raise funds towards the production of a new DVD which will bring the story of Camphill Communities to new audiences across Northern Ireland. The Lady Captain of Helen's Bay Golf Club, Pauline Clarke, said she was delighted with the success of the Bridge Drive held in aid of Camphill Communities Trust (NI). She thanked all who had supported the event and said she was very pleased to present a cheque for £1,000 to help with the very worthwhile work of the Trust.

Speaking on behalf of Camphill Communities Trust (NI) Maria Kinney, Fundraising Officer said "Camphill Communities provide care, support, education and meaningful work opportunities within community settings to children and adults with learning disabilities and those in need of special care.  We are delighted  and thankful to have the much valued support of everyone who attended the event and want to thank in particular the Lady Captain, Pauline Clarke, and all those who helped organise the event for their wonderful support."