Residential IVS Project at Botton Camphill Community
15th to 21st March 2009
The first IVS project of the year took place at Botton Camphill. A small team of volunteers helped the community with various kinds of agricultural work during the week, as well as getting an insight into what goes on in the valley.
Luckily, the volunteers had lovely spring weather to accompany them as they did visits to local bakeries, fence mending and a whole lot of garden work. Here are some words from the Project Leaders Peter and Shirley Thomas to summarise the week:
For one week in March a long planned Young People’s project took place funded by the Big Lottery’s Awards for All. We went with lots of woolly jumpers, wet weather gear, boots and gloves. We had the most glorious weather all week and instead needed sun cream and shorts. Our group mainly from the UK but with an Irish input too had very comfortable accommodation in the Botton Community in a converted barn. Botton is very large, filling nearly all of one valley and being almost self sufficient – producing dairy products, bread from their own wheat, juice from their own crops and all the veg you could shake a stick at. Everyone walks at Botton, to and from work along the numerous paths. If you stand on the side of the valley at certain times of the day you can observe all the comings and goings – there is a music, a rhythm to it.
Here is an extract from a Young Volunteer’s Learning & Skills Record as part of his e2e course (entry to employment):
James interacted well with volunteers, villagers and co-workers at Botton, a Camphill community in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. He preferred a frequent variety of tasks that would hold his interest. He was polite and diplomatic in relation to the community (eating fish which he hates when invited to lunch) and reserved his queries appropriately for later discussion amongst the IVS group. His life style ideas were challenged and he gained much food for thought. He felt the week had helped him progress towards. becoming an adult.
15/3/09Arrived at 5pm. Briefing by Peter van Vliet of Botton on this Camphill community, the work we would be doing and the importance of agriculture to the community. Peter also pointed out the changes to the topography of the valley that Botton community had brought about by planting trees when they first came in the 1950’s to start a community for adults with special needs. The Macmillan family had given Botton Hall for this purpose. We found where we were to get our milk from at Honey Bee Nest Farm. There was a short briefing given on interaction with villagers.
James won at Scrabble in the evening!16/3/09
Briefing in the use of a garden fork by Alan the Forester. Ben & James prepared the ground for planting trees in the Tree Nursery. Some large boulders to remove. One was very big and took two of us working together.
17/3/09
The first job was stacking logs from a store into large boxes. Worked with Shirley on this and also on planting lettuces. James learnt how to rake a raised bed and how to make the soil crumbly by raking and adding compost. Villagers at High Farm gave us a dozen eggs – some with feathers stuck to them.
18/3/09 – a very warm day
Viewed the cows and was given information about them, breeding, calving etc. Botton farm has a small herd of Ayrshires and Dairy Shorthorn. One shorthorn cow was to calve this week. Safety information was given on tractor use, riding in the trailer and on handling and lifting. James learnt how to chit potatoes. We put 2 tons of Desiree seed potatoes from sacks into small wooden trays and stacked them in a poly-tunnel. We were very glad of the morning and afternoon breaks announced around the valley by a bell. When evening milking started James saw the process from start to finish and helped to put cups back on the udder. Later in the evening we all joined the villagers in the Coffee Shop for their weekly social gathering. Some we had met already but there were many who work in the houses in the week on domestic tasks whom we had not seen. James played UNO with one of the groups.
19/309
This morning the group was given a tour of the village by Peter van Vliet. We were given information about various aspects of the community. In the wood work shop all the heat boilers are fired with wood. This impressed James as did the toy wooden lifeboats made for the RNLI at Whitby. A huge number of products are made in this workshop. We also saw the bakery, the church and the large Joan of Arc hall where preparations were underway for a community play to have its dress rehearsal that evening. 40 people from the community were in it! Later James learnt more about planting trees ( pines and firs). Others worked in the garden preparing a new orchard – quite far north for apple trees but they will be well sheltered from the cold winds.
20/3/09
Instruction was given in techniques of fence posting. The work was putting in posts and very heavy for everyone as they had to be driven in by lifting post rammers over them needing 2 people to each. Especially hard work for a 16 year old! Advice was accepted by James about resting and how to lift effectively and work with others. 2 went to a invitation today to lunch at Hall South, one of the many community houses. We had a visit today from Jac, an IVS member who is making a film about IVS Projects. He joined us in the fields of Stormy Hall Farm amongst the garlic which the rabbits have taken a liking to – hence the fencing to keep them out. James found he had sufficient energy to play volley ball in the evening with some of the villagers.
It is several years since IVS had projects at Botton, the largest Camphill community in Britain. Everyone was very welcoming and keen for ‘outsiders’ to be able to have small share in the community’s life. They have feeling that they are privileged to live in such a beautiful area and want to share this with others. Plans were discussed for a longer project later in the year and another young person’s project next spring.
Peter & Shirley Thomas