Welcome to Beannachar
A Camphill Community providing Training for Young Adults with Special Needs
- Last updated December 2009 -
WE NEED EXPERIENCED PEOPLE TO SHARE RESPONSIBILITY
FOR ONE OF OUR COMMUNITY HOUSES.
PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ELISABETH PHETHEAN
ON 01224 861200
OR BY E-MAIL - SEE CONTACTS
A Day at Beannachar
A video by Martin Saalfrank and Michael Traub
Don't go without checking out our Picture Gallery
Our aim is to create a therapeutic integrated environment, within which the young person can find the support and guidance they need to develop their full potential in maturing from adolescence to adulthood.
Beannachar is situated in countryside on the edge of Aberdeen, two miles from the city centre. There is a large 19th century house, comprising two house communities (Sycamore and Silver Birch) and a purpose-built house, Rose. Further buildings provide workshops for weaving, wood work, candle making, laundry and herb processing, and also additional co-worker accommodation (Rowan and Juniper). A large walled garden, a small farm, a playing field and extensive woodland make up the thirty acres of ground.
We are a community of approximately 70 people: 22 students (residents, who are usually between 17 and 30 years old and stay for periods of between 2 and 10 years); 10 day students, 15 long-term co-workers & employees; 12 shorter-term co-workers and 10 children. Some of the employed people help to run the houses.
Anthroposophy, as pioneered by Rudolf Steiner, serves as a source of constant
inspiration in the way in which we try to live and work together. It provides
a foundation for the care taken in every aspect of our common life, in our
mutual relationships and in our environment. It helps us to perceive each member
of the community, in every situation and in every encounter, as an individual
on a path of learning, and at the same time to recognise and respect that
person's freedom, dignity and right to choose. The concern for individual
development is balanced by an understanding of the needs and rights of
other members, and of the possibilities of the community as a whole.
By balancing the elements of work, home life, personal development, social and cultural interaction within Beannachar and in the local surroundings, we attempt to live a meaningful, wholesome and fulfilling life together. The rhythms of the day, the week and the year alternate times of rest with activity, quieter times with high moments, and this can be seen to provide meaning and a sense of security for all members of the community.
Beannachar Camphill Community
South Deeside Road
Banchory-Devenick,
Aberdeen, AB12 5YL
Beannachar is a member of the Association of Camphill Communities
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