A community of nineteen households in Danby Dale

We share our homes and our lives. The elderly person, the busy working adult and the small child each has their own place within the community, and we are all enriched by our daily interactions.

There are typically around six to ten people living in each household. The household is comprised of two to three people who have a learning disability, one or two Camphill co-workers (with their family or children) and a Volunteer Carer.

The majority of co-workers in the community are registered Shared Lives carers, responsible for providing support services commissioned by the local authority. Volunteer Carers typically spend six months to a year in the community. Everyone is a part of and makes a contribution to the running of the house community and to making it a happy home, and a therapeutic and healing space.

Our social enterprises

Everyone in the community has a contribution to make. The work is meaningful and necessary for sustaining the community. This means we each rely on one another, no matter what our ability.

Some of our work is centred around the households themselves and what it takes to run them, such as cooking healthy meals, cleaning and creating a beautiful home.

We also own and run a local Health Food Shop in Danby, with several community members helping both in the shop and with shop-related projects.

We also have several workshops providing meaningful work for our community members. Find out more here:
Craft workshops
Homefield community garden
Conservation
Breaking Bread Bakery

Fostering personal and community development

We encourage each other to grow and develop personally, and that helps the community grow, too.

We create opportunities for learning and recreation within the community – drama, eurythmy, art, singing – and also foster cultural links with the locality. It is especially important to us to celebrate the festivals of the Christian calendar. We take time and care to prepare these events, including all community members in the planning, and try to bring all our joy and enthusiasm to them.