1. home and garden

The first part of the newsletter is made up of articles, drawings and
photos by current and ex-residents of Laurieston Hall. If there is a loose
theme, then it could be described as snippets of life experienced here
over the last year and that then given some perspective by the views of
people who have lived here and then moved on. It's a miscellany, a pot
pourri, a ragbag of opinion and events that together give a taste of our
community. The second section of the newsletter gives details of the
People Centre events happening here this year.
The artwork for the newsletter
comes from the hands of
Gail, who drew the
front cover, Jude and
Patrick, whilst photos
were supplied by,
amongst
others,
Dave, Wayne, Alice,
Will, Meredith and
Ben. The first section
of the newsletter was
compiled by Lesley,
Patrick and Ben.
2
Laurieston Hall is currently home to 20 adults and 2 children. We
inhabit a large house - whose use we share with the People Centre some cottages and caravans. Each adult pays a rent to the housing
co-op which is run by and for ourselves. For the most part each adult,
family or living group is domestically and economically independent,
but our lives are deeply interwoven so that personal events, actions
and attitudes will often affect the whole group.
Much of what we eat is home produced. The large walled garden is
worked to give us as much fruit and vegetables as time, energy and
the weather will allow. We also keep cows, calves, hens, pigs and
bees all of whose produce we use. Whilst some of us are vegan or
vegetarian others eat meat. We have our own small shop providing a
range of bought-in food.
Our heating is from a range of woodstoves, some of which we also
cook on. We get a lot of our electricity from a hydro system (see
inside for news about this) as well as having solar panels for water
heating and for power. We try to use as little mains electricity as
possible.
It takes a lot of work to keep us functioning in the way we want to live
and we're committed to sharing this work as equitably as possible
and that means trying to take account of each person’s abilities and
meet each person’s needs. We aim to spend about half our working
time on unwaged work for the co-op – we call this 'workshare'. Small
committees oversee the workshare – e.g. finance, garden, cows,
wood. In addition there is a weekly whole co-op meeting which we all
try to attend and where, as elsewhere, we make decisions by
consensus.
The People Centre is a workers' co-op through which we employ
ourselves to organise and host events. If you come to any of these
events you will automatically receive the following year's newsletter
in digital or paper format, or both. If you are not getting your own
copy of this newsletter in either form please see how to receive it
inside the back cover.
middle of a hotspot) and how it eventually will affect our own woods as
well as our wood supply that is bought in. Forestry Commission
embark on a massive operation to cut down large swathes of forest in
the hills around us. The machines are operating around the clock,
changing familiar views, walks and skylines. Each day, the countryside
around us looks a little different.
We have big storms in January and three huge trees come down,
crushing a few sheds in the process. We are lucky in what they do not
destroy. What a massive clean-up operation! Fortunately the maple
misses Steve and Dave who are out watching the amazing windstorm.
I miss the red and orange leaves of the maple….
Our Edinburgh friends the 'Dirty Weekenders' come and help us for a
weekend. We welcome Felicia for a long-stay. Theo is born and Ruby
now has a little brother. Ben and Tamsin are happy but chronically
tired. I go off to Bristol to meet up with my girlfriend Anja who is there
on a training course.
The View from Gail's cottage
A beautiful, sunny autumn day, two days off my birthday. This is such a
time of year for change. Our visitor season is over, and yet, we are
awash with visitors still! They are our long-stay visitors; folk who have
come for several months to live and work alongside us over the winter
and into the spring.
I am just back from dancing in France, as is Blue. Wayne is back from
Venice. Lesley and Richard back from Greece. Chris and Solli are still
in Nepal on their six-week adventure. October is the 'exodus' month
where many of us take a break after the busy People Centre season.
Jude has just left for an unprecedented four months stint down South
to look after her father Dennis. I will miss her.
We spread two trailer loads of dung on the garden yesterday - Ben,
Sylvie, Daniel, Pete, Evi, Alice, Stephen, Dave, Steve, Marion, Sue
and myself. In the late autumn sunshine, we enjoyed each other's
company and energy and felt the true meaning of the expression
‘many hands make light work'. It is always a good feeling; dung spread
for next year and a cover of big black plastic held down with tires
against the wind and rain. Our summer visitors might not recognise the
garden in its winter clothes - so much black plastic! This is done well in
advance of the new growing season, allowing the worms to do all the
work of integrating the dung into the soil.
It is difficult to write this, trying to look back and remembering all that
has happened since last November. It's been a time that has brought
many changes with it. Changes at Laurieston Hall, but also in the
countryside that surrounds us. It has also been a very full year for us,
especially with decision-making.
Last winter, much time and energy is spent deciding if we want to do
the Hydro re-build. As you can see in this Newsletter, we decide to go
ahead. We have power cuts lasting several days and Scottish Power
give us money to eat out. Many of us go as a group to the Indian in
CD. Cathy announces her move back to Sheffield. Will moves to the
stables. There is much discussion about larch disease (we are in the
3
Spring is wet and cold. A neighbouring farmer does harsh
'improvements' on his land. The hare I used to see on my way to CD is
no longer there. She has nowhere to live. The field is much too 'tidy'. I
miss the hare.
Pete and Pat manage to re-build the smoker's hut. We have been
talking about it for years! Cathy leaves in April. We get ready for the
visitor season. We decide to put Wi-Fi in the office. It turns out to be a
most popular move with our visitors. This winter we will try to make the
office a bit more user-friendly!
We decide to move the pig run. Our annual pigs have been put on the
same ground for many years. Dave builds the fence and the pigs
seem happy. In March, the grid connection is agreed for the Hydro and
April sees the formal agreement of the co-op to go ahead with it.
Exciting! A huge project.
Alice moves into Cathy's flat. It is a big change for her and for all of us.
Dave and Stephen start work on Will's old room. This is a time when
there are fewer residents living in the house than ever before.
With such a lovely hot dry summer we enjoy abundance from the
garden: strawberries, raspberries and blueberries; grapes dripping
from the top of the greenhouse and vegetables galore…. very few
plums though, but overall a fantastic growing season.
We host Annie and Gerry's wedding in June. What fun! It can be so
stimulating to do different things. We suffer a chronic shortage of
cheese-makers, and the unusual problem of moths setting up home in
our smoke detectors, causing false alarms. George, Kaca, Anna and
Babs arrive for a month.
I go to visit my family in Canada for a month. It is a long time away and
I miss June maintenance. A grey squirrel is sighted and shot up at
Pete and Evi's. David starts work on what will be his new home in the
Goathouse. We get new neighbours at the Kennels who decide to
remove the stile over the fence that has been there over 25 years. We
send a delegation to speak with them. In the end, a new route is
negotiated around the bottom of our pond.
Past resident Sandy arrives for a too-short visit from Australia. Such a
long way to come! Our July to September run of events is very busy
and mostly fully booked. We struggle at times to cover the work but
manage. Somehow it is easier in the sunshine. After the last event I
work on, I visit Carlingford in Ireland and am ill. It’s the post-season
collapse syndrome.
September maintenance week comes and goes and the place settles
down. The light starts changing, nights drawing in quicker and quicker.
The rain begins again in earnest and we go back to wellies and
waterproofs and Tuesday night potluck suppers.
Gail
4
Hydro Upgrade
We'll be looking for people who are good all-rounders, willing to try
their hand at most things. It won't just be hydro work; there'll be plenty
of co-op work needing covered so that residents are free to work on
the hydro.
We won't expect visitors to milk the cows, but there will most likely be
gardening, cleaning, and cooking. The hay'll still need to be made, and
who knows what else!
Bring an equally versatile friend or partner. It won't be exactly like a
maintenance week, so there may be less socialising in the evenings.
It'll be smaller. You'll definitely get your own room, or one to share with
a friend if you prefer – that's got to be a plus! And we'll be taking
weekends off work – now there's a novel idea.
*** IMPORTANT NEWS ***
As many of you already know, Laurieston Hall Housing Co-op is
planning to substantially upgrade the existing hydro-electric scheme in
the coming year. Richard’s article ‘New Hydro’ on the next page
explains in more detail what the job will entail. It'll be a lot of work! And
it'll be great too; a fabulous, really worthwhile project that will involve
all of us residents, and a fair few visitors as well, along the way – we'd
really appreciate your help!
In order to accommodate this huge undertaking, we'll be running a
somewhat shorter People Centre season; apologies to all those of you
whose favourite week has been forced to miss a year. I fear we'll be
struggling as it is to cope with the ones we will be running. Similarly,
I'm afraid we won't be running our usual three maintenance weeks
either. Instead, we'll be running four work sessions throughout the
year, which will total about 1 2 – 1 3 weeks in all, and we're hoping that
these will be sufficient to cover most of the work. Without the aid of a
crystal ball, it's hard to plan entirely accurately ahead.
During these hydro work periods we'll all be eating together in the
main house. We're not expecting every co-op member to be available
to work each day of every week, but we are hoping that enough of us
will get involved enough of the time to make this project viable. And we
will be looking for some visitor help too; probably around 4 -6 folk at
any one time would be great. We'll be asking folk to come for a
minimum of one week at a time, and hoping that some might be able
to spare the time to come and help for longer stretches. This may
prove to be a tall order! Especially as we're really looking for folk we
already know, preferably people who've been on a maintenance week
or two before, or perhaps who have come previously as a working
visitor. Ex-residents would be perfect too!
Digging out the weir pool of our current Hydro
5
New Hydro
At the moment, the dates are looking like this:
Winter session: 2th-8th February 201 5. We probably
won't need visitor help for this preparatory week, but if
you're interested, let us know anyway.
We started building our first hydro scheme here in 1 981 (the pictures
are from then) and switched it on for the first time in October 1 982.
During the 32 years since then it has generated over 2 million units of
electricity for us, significantly reducing our electricity bills and providing
lots of hot water.
Spring session: it was meant to be three weeks, but
It has been generally very reliable - most years all it needs is a squirt
the dates have worked out a bit weird for this one;
of grease; every other year we clean out the dead leaves from the
looks like it'll be 1 9th-29th April, more like a full nine
forebay tank at the weir. Occasionally there have been break downs…
working days, and it would be best if working visitors
Once an eel got sucked into the turbine and partially blocked the water
could commit to the full period. Some residents will
supply. We have had to replace one turbine bearing and two sets of
most likely be carrying on working right through till the
generator bearings. We’ve had a few small leaks and have learned to
8th May, but unfortunately we won't be able to host
live with them.
visitors during that period, unless they stay on in coMore recently in 201 3/4
op spaces.
the electrics started
playing up a bit. The
generator packed up on
three occasions and had
Summer session: this is the big one, a whopping
to be shipped off to
great six weeks, running seamlessly from an arrival
Glasgow; one or two
day on 7th June-1 8th July. I'm hoping the weather is
switches melted and part
as gorgeous as last summer. Surely there'll be time for
of the control system has
swims...
been
retired.
This
prompted us to think
about a replacement and
Autumn session: the final three week hurdle (we
following a series of
hope) 6th-26th September.
meetings last year, we
have decided to install a
new
bigger
hydro
If you're at all interested in helping us out by coming as a working
scheme.
visitor (see above for eligibility guidelines!) then email me,
[email protected], stating when you'd like to come. I look forward
By replacing the turbine
to hearing from you!
and generator and
putting in a bigger
Evi
Laying the pipe
6
diameter pipeline we
can increase our
generating capacity to
30kW, a bit more than
double our current
power output. The new
scheme will use the
same intake weir and
powerhouse, so the
operating
pressure
head won’t change; we
will get more power by
increasing the amount
of water we take from
the river, hence the
bigger pipe and a new
turbine/generator.
This is a big project for
us to take on, but most
of the work is actually
not that different to what
we have been doing for
years, maintaining and
improving our buildings
and - we’ve built one
before.
All
the
necessary permissions have been confirmed, so we are ready to start
ordering equipment and starting work.
There’s quite a lot of breaking out and reforming concrete, laying pipes
and electric cables, dismantling and replacing components and
making good around alterations to structures. We will do as much of
the work ourselves as we can, hiring in diggers and pipe welders
which we don’t have and hopefully getting help from some of you, our
friends and volunteers.
Starting in late February we have scheduled 1 2/1 3 work weeks divided
into four sessions over the spring/summer/autumn, in between People
Centre events, where our focus will be Hydro. These work periods will
be run a bit like smaller versions of our maintenance weeks, with the
Big Kitchen providing all the meals and domestic teams supporting
hydro workers and others working in the garden, on general
maintenance and all the other usual jobs which still have to be done see Evi’s piece ‘Hydro Upgrade’ for details.
The first work session in February will be preparatory; cutting down
trees and moving fences etc. The second session will include repairs
to the weir and intake and modifications to the powerhouse. In the
third session in June/July we will be dismantling and removing the old
turbine
and
generator
and
installing the new
pipeline. In the final
work period in
September the new
turbine
and
generator will be
installed, along with
all sorts of electrics.
We hope to have the
system
tested,
commissioned and
fully functional by
the end of October.
Richard
Infilling the pipe
The intake chamber
7
Next year I hope to be very involved with upgrading the hydro.
Fortunately a fair bit of the work will be happening close to the home
cave – the weir needs some attention and the new pipe and
Scuttling out from a cosy duvet-covered pit, most mornings at around associated trench will pass right by – an excellent arrangement!
6am, (an excellent cure for insomnia) this ageing, somewhat autistic Pete
hermit crab is very routine-orientated. First, feed/light the Rayburn,
grab an empty rucksack and towel and out to poo and ponder,
overlooking the burn, where I once saw an otter. Not sure who was
more surprised. Fill the rucksack with wood, then check the level of the
burn at the weir pool and have a wash. In the autumn, rake leaves off
the inlet chamber screen. The level of water in the burn determines if
the valves in the mortuary controlling the water to the turbine need to
be altered. This job should become redundant once the new hydro is
up and running, hopefully next year, as the valves will be controlled
automatically.
Then it's back to the home cave, a few stretches and breathing
exercises, and then breakfast. Soaked muesli, yoghurt, cream. Which
in summer includes, in order of appearance, strawberries, raspberries,
red/blackcurrants, blueberries, plums (depending on the year), autumn
raspberries and apples. In winter the apples are dried, the soft fruit
frozen, and the muesli sometimes becomes porridge. Coffee and
Birth Announcements
attempt to create what can only be fleeting and ultimately futile order by making lists! Check out computer weather, news, and email. Most
Larissa and Tom's baby
days some clarinet practice. This cave connects by a tunnel with
another cave, and at some point another, very different, and
Rudi Thomas Wheeler
wonderfully exotic, life form emerges from the other cave. We meet in
Born 23rd September 201 4
the tunnel and compare notes on sleep patterns and the coming day.
The Hermit Crab and the Hydro
The routine evolves and changes somewhat seasonally, but is fairly
constant and great preparation for whatever a day in the tidal pools of
life at LH brings. These pools teem with life and, challengingly for this
hermit, emotion... sometimes prompting several scuttlings back to the
safety of the home cave.
Tor and Jo's baby
Otis Theo Whitehouse Pelowski
Born 29th July 201 4
8
Tamsin and Ben's baby
Theodore Ged Wild
Born 1 6th Febuary 201 4
Postcard from...
... the Inter-Communities Volleyball, 4th - 6th July 2-1 4
Dear LH-ers, it's lovely to be back at Berrington Hall again for the
Volleyball weekend. The Crabapple folk are as welcoming as ever.
We've been shown around their re-vamped walled garden and wood
burning stove that heats the whole building. Impressive.
Chris Coates and Kate (she was Catriona when she lived with us) will
be giving a theatrical performance tonight on the topic of communities.
Steve P., David, Tufty, Fliss, Ciaras and myself are all camped
together with bacon rolls on offer despite delicious meals from
Crabapple community. The diet for Moshe, the dog, is not so simple.
He needs a wheat-free diet, of course he does - he lives in a
community. So a hectic race around town ensues to find a supplier.
Volleyball was played, all of ten minutes by myself, teams were
merged to make up the numbers and Monimail/Townhead were
declared winners.
Several teens and
young people here,
and Ciaras is in his
element. Not only are
they upright in the
morning, they are
playing volleyball. I've
not been to a volleyball
weekend for a few
years
and
their
participation is a
welcome change. See
you all soon, love
Alice
9
View from the garden
When in the garden, I rarely look up
and out. I like being contained within
the high walls and having my head
down amongst the weeds, focussing close
up on the world of tiny creatures, particles of
soil and germinating seeds. Here, sitting at the
computer, I shall try for an overview.
We started the year with the loss of two very good
gardeners - Sarah had looked after the greenhouse
crops and the leeks for years and Cathy had been
growing the beetroot, parsnips, runner beans, Brussels
sprouts and turnips. Pat took on the greenhouse crops
and the leeks became a joint effort. Cathy left in the
spring. The sowing of the parsnips was her swansong.
She looked after several crops so she left a big gap, but
fortunately Felicia joined and took on all the orphans.
She's made a great job of them too. The runner beans in
particular have been lovely to look at, inter-planted as
they are with sunflowers and edible chrysanthemum. (Did
you know there is an edible chrysanthemum?)
Ben's dad Rob who has been the prime mover in the
renovation of the propagation house has continued to visit
and look after it. He even took on to fix the leaks in the
adjoining section of the lean-to. This was done on a
Maintenance week and involved Danny (Tamsin's dad) too.
They removed the glass, replaced or cleaned up the glazing bars
then puttied the glass back in again. We have had two good summers
in a row, so the garden crops have been rather better than average
and the good weather lasted on into late October which is my time of
writing. Will picked his last breakfast raspberries just yesterday and I
had two of the last sweetcorn for lunch.
However, it’s always the crops that struggle which stay in my mind.
Like sickly children they demand my attention as I struggle
to understand what ails them. The brassicas - all the
cabbagy things - have done well, but they do mostly have
clubroot, which is surprising as we haven't had much of
that in recent years. I'm almost certain that the spring
broccoli will all keel over during the winter as the roots get
progressively more damaged. Excessive wet and acidity
encourage clubroot but neither of these factors is worse
this year. My best guess and latest theory is that the
compost I used to propagate the plants was infected
with spores (clubroot is a slime mould). So, next year,
rather than use the compost out of the bins where all
the gone-to-seed salad brassicas are composted, I
will use compost out of the turf heaps where all the
more noxious weeds and little of the brassica waste
go. I'll put a bit of extra lime in the compost too and in
the planting holes when I plant them out. Excessive
wet I can do nothing about unfortunately!
The other crop that disappoints is the leeks which
are bolting massively more and earlier than usual.
Sarah tells us that they are at Lothlorien where
she works and in her garden too. We think this
is to do with the cold spell at the beginning of
August which was followed by a very hot
dry period of several weeks that
tricked the leeks into thinking that
they'd been through a winter
and it was 201 5 already.
Nothing to do but eat and
enjoy as many as possible
before they all go, and then feed
the bolted ones to the cows.
10
Now I'm going to sing the praises of two varieties I want you to try
growing, because the more people buy them the more likely they are
to stay in production and they really are outstanding in my experience.
Seed companies, like all other producers of goods, seem obsessed
with innovation so that well-loved cabbages may disappear forever
and one is left trying to find a similar replacement.
Please, if you grow summer cabbage and calabrese try the following
varieties. Minicole is an F1 cabbage which in my experience stands
indefinitely without splitting for the whole season. Marathon calabrese
is also an F1 variety and its outstanding quality is that after an initial
large head - and this year they were enormous - it continues producing
smaller heads on side shoots up until the frost finishes it off. At present
we are still harvesting Minicole cabbages and Marathon calabrese.
The garden is a wonderful productive place because so many
residents enjoy gardening and lots of our visitors seem to like working
in it too. So thanks to all of you who have helped to make the garden
happen this year and thanks too to all of you who have enjoyed the
garden as a place to write in your journal or practice tai chi or hold
your base group meeting, or just as a place to wander in and dream.
Marion
11
A hardworking family
So most of you, I'm sure, think that life at Laurieston Hall is nothing but
weaving yogurt and earnest discussions about how to compost our old
Birkenstocks. Well let me tell you we could give any upwardly mobile,
thrusting urban family a run for their money when it comes to ball
breaking busyness. “Really Ben?” ”Yes absolutely, let’s look at a
typical day in the life of Laurieston’s hardest working family”.
(Editorial note - the housing co-operative in no way endorses either
the patriarchal, parochial assumption that a family is either a
hetrosexual couple or involves children or the competitive, countercooperative assertion that any co-op member or group of co-op
members who may, or may not, define themselves as a 'family' are, or
can be, 'hardest' working).
7am - Sharp heel of small foot pounds into my ribcage. “Wake up
Daddy, IT'S MORNING!” A shrill and insistent voice pierces my fogged
mind.
7:1 5am - Meet Tamsin in hallway, in silent inspection we count the
rings under each other’s eyes as though aging a weary tree. Tamsin
wins, she is clearly more tired. Without asking I know that Theo has
been up at least half a dozen times in the night including at least one
two hour block where he decided that 3am was the perfect time for an
extended bouncing and yodelling session.
7:45am - Porridge on walls, everyone half dressed, wood stove
smoking. Tamsin elbow deep in smelly nappy, Ruby shouting at
Tamsin to renew her bubble mixture forthwith, Ben shouting at Ruby to
take her pants off her head and put them on properly.
8:30am - Tamsin out the door to go to playgroup, Ruby complaining
loudly and threatening to 'disappear' her parents with her magic wand.
Try not to worry about the threat, surely three is too young for Mafia
connections. Stuff Theo in the bouncer, scrub the porridge off the bits
of the house I can reach, drink pint of coffee, start to feel vaguely
human.
9am
- Tamsin
back, I head out
to milk the cows.
Dotty
and
Tinkerbell are in a
far field and I
spend ten minutes
running around in
the sucking mud
trying to herd
them out. Finally
in the milking
parlour, all the
fresh
green
grazing comes out
in the form of three sloppy poos, one of which splashes me full across
the face as I put the cluster on. While I wash the crap off my face in
the freezing water of the standpipe I fantasize about working in a
clean, quiet office doing something boring but surprisingly well paid
with computers.
11 :30am - Finished milking, go home, ditch pooey clothes, put on
clean ones, strap Theo on in sling for nap, stride up and down the
drive while Theo wriggles and pulls out clumps of my chest hair, until
he falls asleep.
1 2:00 - Back home catching up on paperwork before afternoon PCC
meeting, (the management group of the People Centre), I find that if I
balance the keyboard on top of three fat cookery books I can type
(after a fashion) and jiggle Theo to keep him asleep.
1 2:30pm - Theo awake, Ruby back, lunch, egg everywhere. Children
fed, Tamsin and I sit to grab a bite. This instantly triggers bowel
movements in both children. Theo’s poo shoots up his back, as Tam
tries to strip him without getting covered he does his angry weasel
impression, writhing and twisting, determined to escape the
ministrations of the evil wipe wielder. Meanwhile I'm in the toilet with
Ruby whose own bowel movements, whilst more contained than
Theo's can, it seems, only be coaxed forth by animated and
characterful readings of her favourite stories.
1 pm - Everyone poo-free (again) but no time for lunch, Evi arrives to
baby-sit the children (thank God for grandparents) while Tam and I
goto the PCC meeting.
1 :30pm - The meeting has thirty-two agenda items and we've run out
of biscuits. Have we got enough workers to cover the events next
year? Should we stop charging people for sheets or is that too much
modernisation? Who's going to edit the newsletter? Two and a half
hours pass in a blur of caffeine and action points.
4pm - Back home, children muddy and happy, Evi and Eric exhausted
and happy. Start cooking dinner, run baths, coax and clean more poo,
clean more food from walls and floor. “Into pyjamas”, “NO!”, “yes or no
story”, “OK THEN!” Hours pass .....
9pm - Ben and Tam flop into chairs, both children finally asleep in bed.
“What now?”, “Lesley wants us to write an article about our typical day
for the newsletter”, “Oh God, really?” .....
1 0pm - “Wahaaaaaa”. ”That's Theo”. ”Your turn isn't it?”
Ben
12
Before I came to live at Laurieston Hall
Will, Andy, David, Tim, (Oscar), Mark
David Adler and I first met at an anti-sexist mens conference in Bristol
in 1 980. We had both been living communally for a while, and wanted
to set up a rural gay men’s community. Discovering someone else on
the same path was hugely encouraging, and we started looking for
other like-minded men. That conference also gave us our first real
knowledge of Laurieston Hall – Jamie Lupin, then working as the
shepherd at Grobdale of Balmaghie, just up the Gatehouse road, was
also there.
We hosted a series of meetings: in Chorley, where David lived; in
Leeds, where I lived; London and Wales. Usually five or six of us met
over a weekend, and talked and walked and dreamed. Our initial plan
was to raise money and buy somewhere, or else persuade an
organisation to give us somewhere, but fairly quickly we realised both
that that wasn’t going to happen, and that our dreams were pretty
different from each other. We started to look at housing co-operative
possibilities, and semi-rural rather than rural options so we could get
jobs.
By the end of 1 980 we had set up (on paper) our own housing co-op,
Wild Lavender, and been offered short life housing in Chapeltown,
Leeds, at 27 Sholebroke Avenue. We quickly turned it down: it was too
urban, too fire-damaged, and too Leeds. However, we changed our
minds a few months later, feeling that the most important thing was to
start living together as soon as possible.
In May 1 981 we moved in; David, me, Andy, Robert, Jed and Ambi the
cat. 27 Sholebroke was a 6-bedroomed Victorian semi, with a large
back garden, and huge tree lined front garden. Because repairs were
still being done all over the house, we just used 2 rooms, as kitchen
and communal bedroom.
The first few months were great. We worked together on the house,
went to Gay Pride (in Huddersfield that year) together, started to get to
know each other. Mark joined us. But the honeymoon period was soon
over as huge divisions were revealed in almost everything: the way we
wanted to live our lives, our politics, our attitudes to housework, work,
sex …. Looking back, this doesn’t seem surprising, but I think it was
surprising at the time – I, for one, had been full of optimism about our
project, and assumed a bunch of gay men with fairly similar politics
would just easily mesh together. At the house, men argued, moved
out, moved back again (sometimes), and once there was a physical
fight, up and down the stairs, between two of us.
Somehow over the next 6 months we got through this. Two men had
moved out, Tim and a new Mark had moved in, and we had entered a
more therapy-based existence, with lots of meetings and talking about
feelings. We agreed a list of commitments, rather similar to Laurieston
Hall’s ‘Guidelines for Living at LH’, but also in the spirit of the times (eg
“Couples not allowed more than 3 nights per week”).
13
Ruby's Gallery
Over the next 1 0 years, Wild Lavender matured … worked a whole lot
better … was successful … I’m struggling for the right words. Certainly
it became a good place to live, and we had energy to host lots of
meetings and parties, and get involved in outside ‘stuff’. The
Sholebroke house was demolished, but Wild Lavender moved to a
new Leeds house, then to London with a sister house over the river.
In many ways its growth paralleled that of Laurieston Hall (and other
communities): the exciting but difficult beginning, then the settling
down to a tried and tested way of doing things. First David, then a
couple of years later me, left Wild Lavender for Laurieston Hall to
follow our rural dreams. But I look back very fondly on it.
Will
14
Moving On
Last year I realised it was time to move on from the Hall. We weren’t a
good enough fit, Life-at-the-Hall and me, to get married. In many ways
we cruised along very happily together but in others we got on each
others nerves and made each other sad. And too much of my life will
always be far from Galloway: my elderly parents, grown-up children,
precious friends and beloved partner are scattered around the British
Isles and my heart and time were tugged thin by the distances. It was
time to go. So I am back in Sheffield, making a home with Helen and
starting a new chapter of urban life.
In one of my Laurieston Hall joining meetings I remember being asked
“Have you ever lived in a community before?” I knew what was meant
and spoke about the intentional community in Gloucestershire where I
spent my early 20’s and the remote village in Shetland where my
children started school, but my mind went to the many more diffuse
communities I have lived amongst, the workplaces, the choirs, the
neighbourhoods, the networks of friends….. I wondered if I had ever
not lived in a community?
And now….? I am living in a small 1 930s semi in north-west Sheffield,
close to the tram and close to the beautiful hills and valleys of the
Peak District. Enid lives on one side with Phil, her boyfriend (“daft
though really, calling him a boyfriend at my age – I was 70 last week!”).
She’s lived there all her life and knows most of all there is to know
about the area past and present. We feed the birds when she’s away
and she feeds the cat when we are. Keely and John are on the other
side with 1 4 year old Sam (“Would you like a teenage boy?”) and 7
year old Frankie (“Can you look after my sunflower when we go to
Mexico?”). John’s a fireman and Keely’s a florist. Keely’s nan and
granddad used to live in our house until her granddad died and her
nan went into residential care. John’s teaching the boys to split wood
for the wood stove. The chonk …..chonk …… and the ever-growing
wood-piles remind me of another life……….
Helen spends her working days on an allotment with diverse folks
brought together by their discovery that spending time together,
outdoors, tending to soil and plants and sharing a midday meal is a
balm to their fragile mental health. I spend mine doing odd jobs for
people – building a woodshed here and a compost bin there, fettling a
wobbly toilet seat, painting a spare room, digging a few holes for new
shrubs or taking out old ones, putting up shelves, easing sticky
drawers – engaging with people’s relationships with their homes and
chatting over cuppas.
On our non-‘working’ days we march to save the NHS, or busk for
asylum seekers, or write songs for friends with 0’s in their birthdays, or
walk in the hills or dig holes in our own garden, make chutney, and
worry about the porch that’s falling down.
Another place, another life, another community.
Cathy
Postcard from Oz
Can I write something for the newsletter? Yeah sure. But what? Well
I guess I should write about visiting this summer. It had been 8 years
since my last trip back to the UK and I was quite nervous about it.
After so long would it still be like it had always been before or had the
gap been too long? Would things and people have changed too
much? Would I still matter to anyone?
Well as far as people are concerned it really was just like always.
Once I’d arrived in a place I reconnected straight away with my old
friends. As always before there was no sense of years having passed
since last meeting. It felt like there had been no gap at all, we just
picked up where we left off. There are always changes in people’s
lives, and mine, but the relationships remain the same. And there are
always changes at Laurieston Hall (LH) but that too remains
fundamentally the same. This time there were some very obvious
changes.
Firstly the house seemed so empty. Not many people seem to want to
live there any more. I found that strange as when I lived at LH I liked
15
Sandy's garden near Adelaide
living in the house and didn’t want to have to walk home at night to a
caravan up a track. I liked being close to the centre, having people
around. But perhaps I wouldn’t want that any more either. Perhaps I
too need more space around me. And perhaps I would find the People
Centre noise difficult – even if I could have Passion room, which I’ve
always secretly wanted for my own. (But will the People Centre
always be there? That seems not such a dumb question these days.)
But I did find the emptiness sad. The house felt lonely. I mean like it
was lonely for people to fill it. I hope that, one way or another, the
house does get repopulated. Perhaps that will happen in a way no
one can envisage yet.
The other noticeable change was to do with people. There are always
a few people departed and some new ones arrived in my absence, but
there seemed to be different kinds of people this time. Firstly; no kids,
except for Tamsin and Ben’s beautiful two. How very strange. There
have always been kids at LH and it’s such a wonderful place for them
to grow up. I hope that’s just a temporary hiccup. But otherwise most
of the people who were new to me seemed to have less of what I can
only call the Laurieston Hall Ethos, people who only seemed to
connect in limited chosen ways with the totality of LH rather than being
fully part of the collective identity. A long way from the old commune
days where so much was shared and everyone was part of everything
to some degree. But maybe that’s not a bad thing, just different.
One of the things that I’ve always loved about LH is its ability to
change and adapt. That flexibility is what’s enabled it to survive all
these years. But there is no ‘it’ of course. For some reason, despite
comings and goings, the members of LH, collectively, always seem to
carry through that flexibility that allows change to happen. Who would
have foreseen a year before it happened that the commune would be
dissolved? Or that a company would be formed to run the People
Centre?
Maybe now LH is in the middle of another major shift. Maybe it has to
find different ways to be. And maybe that means the individuals
involved can live there in lots of different ways. Maybe some people
can live there with minimal involvement in the collective life of the
place. Maybe it needs to function more like a village. That still
provides a whole lot more community than most people have these
days. I’m just thinking as I write. I have no idea what ‘should’ happen.
But the issue of the aging population has been hovering for a long
time. There are going to be changes. And that’s scary. Luckily for me
I don’t have to be part of all the soul searching and decision making
that will entail. I can just stand on the sidelines and await
developments. But I have a lot of faith in LH’s ability to adapt and
survive. I have faith in the ability of people at LH to let go and change
and allow new things to happen. From the outside, that’s kind of
exciting. What will LH look like in 5 years’ time? In 1 0 years time? In
20 years? No way to predict that. But maybe the future is about
diversity.
So there have been changes and there will be more. But it’s so
reassuring that, overwhelmingly, LH is the same. It’s still the place I
love and feel at home in. Going back, after however many years, feels
as comfortable as putting on an old pair of slippers, except of course
that LH is never entirely comfortable, there’s always a metaphorical
prickle in your sock. But my love affair with LH goes on. I wasn’t there
anywhere near long enough this summer. It’s always a wrench leaving
again not knowing when I’ll be back. But I will be back. And I can’t
wait till next time. And I can’t wait to find out what shape the changes
will take. - From Sandy in Oz
16
Message from the Bee Hives
During the winter of 201 3/201 4
one colony of bees died
through starvation, bad bee
keeping! They had eaten
through their stores much
quicker than I anticipated due
to the mild winter. This was a
painful lesson to learn.
Felicia worked alongside me this past
season, making the job much easier,
quicker and more efficient, two pairs of
eye are better than one. Together we
started feeding the remaining two
colonies with fondant, continuing
until mid March when we switched
to feeding syrup to stimulate an
early spring build up. Plenty of
pollen was being taken in which
indicated that the Queen was laying.
In April we looked through the colonies and marked the Queens,
everything looked good. Throughout May and June we checked
weekly for any evidence that colonies were preparing to swarm and
using the ‘reverse artificial swarm control procedure’ we successfully
prevented any swarming this year, a first for me. In theory, applying
this procedure should have meant we produced four colonies but our
bees don’t read the same text book as I do and we ended up with
three.
The summer was warm and long. We harvested 60 lbs of honey (three
jars for each resident) and the bees have around 40lbs in each hive to
see them through the winter.
Sue
Water Carry On!
As some of you will know, we have three different water supplies here
at the hall. We have mains water, which is metered and expensive if
used frivolously, so that's used mostly for drinking and food
preparation etc. We have spring water which bubbles up in a couple
of places on the hillside behind the house and runs into a big concrete
underground storage tank also up on the hillside. Then for toilet
flushing and other 'non-ingestible' uses, we have burn water with its
characteristic 'weak tea' colouring straight from the burn running
through our property. It is the second of these three supplies that my
story relates to, and it happened during (and after!) our September
maintenance week this year.
The spring water tank and supply is quite old and was the main supply
to the house before mains water became available. Only the main
house has a mains supply, and so many residents rely on the spring
supply for their everyday needs. However, when there are extended
periods of dry weather (not too often here in Scotland I grant you!) the
water table drops, and the springs no longer fill the tank, leading to
loss of water supply to parts of the estate. To avoid this becoming a
regular problem, the clever people who laid on the mains to the house,
also laid a mains supply up to the spring water tank where there is a
stone cistern with a ball-cock valve so that when the level in the spring
water tank drops below a certain point, the tank can be 'automatically'
replenished by the mains water supply. So keeping this tank in good
watertight order is quite important, and every eight to ten years we
empty the tank, clean it out and make repairs to the small leaks that
appear here and there, mainly due to tree roots forcing their way
through into the tank.
I took on the job this year, along with fitting a new filter (a stainless
steel colander) to the outlet at the bottom of the tank. This is a crude
filter, just to help avoid the rare occasions when levels have got very
low and someone at the cottages is surprised by half a decomposed
frog plopping out of their tap into the kettle or glass of water (shudder!)
Emptying the tank should have been easy as it has a plug! But when
17
said plug was pulled – apart from a few bubbles – nothing happened!
So we then knew the outlet drain was blocked and as the tank is a
long way from any power point, I had to set-up a generator to drive an
electric submersible pump to empty the tank!
The problem with
emptying the tank
and doing lots of
work
on
its
interior, is that you
need to turn off
the supply to
people's houses,
which they aren't
too happy about!
So once the tank
was empty and I
could put a ladder
in through the
The Spring water tank
small hatch in the
roof and climb in, I made a temporary bodge! I took off the mains ballcock valve and using some plastic water pipe, connected the mains
supply from the cistern directly to the outlet pipe from the spring water
tank. This meant that everyone's spring water supplies were now
being effectively replaced with mains water and the spring water tank
was empty and could be worked on. This made lots of people very
happy as you can imagine. Not being able to flush a loo or fill a kettle
or wash-up is a real pain to put up with for a whole week. However,
one or two additional problems came about as a result of my clever
'bypass' bodge!
Marion came to find me one lunch time saying “there's a pond
appeared in the flower bed outside the main kitchen” and Blue had
gone home to find water squirting out of a connection on the standpipe at his caravan. Thankfully it was outside! The problems in both
cases were due to pressure. The mains supply being much higher
pressure had found the weak spots. So we had to turn off again, dig
up the pipe in the garden and fix the new leaks before carrying on!
We used ordinary cement with waterproofing additive to fill the holes
left by tree roots, but research told us that where potable (drinking)
water is concerned a special final coat should also be applied, and this
took almost a week to arrive at our stockist. So we didn't get that until
almost the end of the maintenance week. That needed to dry and I
still had to remove the temporary mains pipe and fix the new
colander/filter before I could refill the tank with water. Needless to say,
I ran out of time, and as I had a holiday booked, I went away for a
week leaving the temporary mains pipe attached.
We had lovely dry weather almost all of the Maintenance week and the
week I was away. But on my return, the usual Scottish downpours had
returned, and even though I'd turned off the spring feed to the tank, it
had managed somehow to almost ¼ fill with water. So again I had to
rig up the pump and spend a day emptying it again and rescuing many
frogs and newts that had found their way in during my absence.
Once the new filter was fitted and I'd let the springs start to fill the tank
again, I was happy that the job was at last almost complete. All I had
to do was make sure everyone's water was running okay now that the
spring tank was once more filling with spring water. How simple could
that be? It took at least a day for myself, Richard and Patrick to get
everyone’s supply working again. Some weird air locks had managed
to get into the pipe-work between me removing the temporary mains
pipe and refilling the tank with spring water.
I've deliberately not included in this missive quite a few confusing
underground water taps that have to be operated with a long steel rod,
as even after getting things back up and running none of us are 1 00%
certain how all the plumbing is connected and where the air lock
problems were!
A BIG thank you to all the volunteers that helped with this job and to
Pete and Richard and Patrick without whose many years of almost
understanding our water supplies, I'd have had even more fun with this
job!
Tufty (Dave)
18
The Morning After the Referendum
It was a Friday, mid September and half way through a lovely sunny
Maintenance Week. I cycled into Castle Douglas for my day's work at
the local whole-food shop. I hadn't slept a wink all night, lying listening
to the radio. I was feeling pretty low, and it was all I could do not to
burst into tears. I had this story going round and round my head:
There was this woman, I forget her name, who had lived with her
husband for many a long year. They knew each other well, as they had
grown up next door to one another, and at some point long ago it had
seemed to make sense for them to get together and marry.
She wasn't entirely unhappy with the arrangement. He was a big,
handsome man, and rather pleased with himself. He liked to be in
charge, telling her how much she could spend, and on what. He acted
like all their money was his, when in fact she worked too, and had had
some nice land when they first got together. But together they grew
prosperous, and made quite an imposing couple.
But as the years dragged on, a large part of the woman felt
increasingly unhappy with her situation. She sometimes imagined
leaving him, living life in her own way, and on her own terms. Even
though he always made all the decisions, and indeed, life with him had
all the necessary comforts, she felt that if she could just leave and set
up home on her own, she would manage fine, and perhaps do some of
the things she had always dreamt about, but never had the chance to
try.
It was a hard decision to make. It would take courage. Half of her was
desperate to leave, to make something new of her life. The other half
thought that perhaps it was just easier to do as she had always done
for so many years. After all, life wasn't so bad really. Some of her
friends encouraged her. “Go for it!” they'd say. “You're brilliant, and
you've got so much going for you. He's always bossed you about,
made use of your talents, and then done exactly as he pleases, never
taking your wishes into consideration.” But other friends said they
thought she was crazy to want to leave, and it was unfair of her to
even think about such a thing; how would they be able to even visit her
after that? They thought she was being selfish to even think about it.
When her husband heard of her plans, initially he was pretty
dismissive. He didn't take her ideas seriously at all. Of course she
wouldn't leave; they had far too much invested in each other, and
she'd never manage on her own. She didn't have a clue how to
manage her own affairs, and anyway,
they were happy, weren't they?
But as his partner persisted in her
idea of separation, he was
shocked
and
dismayed.
He
hadn't realised
how much he
had come to rely
on her, and the
money
she
brought in. He
threatened that if
she left, she could
never come back. He
told her he would not cooperate in any way if she tried
to set up on her own. That just made
her all the more determined to leave.
So finally, he promised her that if she
gave up these foolish ideas, he would be
much kinder and more understanding in
the future. He would let her have more
say over what she did with her money,
and let her make more decisions about
her own life. (He drew the line at her
having any say over his life.)
19
Oh, how she agonised over her difficult decision. But finally, in the light
of all his threats and promises, she decided to stay with him. He
seemed very pleased. She thought she'd be relieved to have finally
decided, and she looked forward to the promised changes in their
relationship. But nothing really seemed to be different. Instead, life
now seemed flat, grey and horribly predictable. She had dared to
imagine a new way of living, but now she felt hollow, and disappointed
with herself. Why had she let herself be so intimidated by his threats?
Deep inside she knew she was perfectly capable of living her own life
on her own terms; she was perfectly intelligent, had many skills and
assets, and could certainly think for herself. It was only a matter of
days before her husband started to renege on many of his promises;
he seemed to have forgotten all the pledges he'd made, and he
already had a lot more pressing business to attend to elsewhere.
The woman felt she had no choice now, but to stay and carry on as
before. However she felt a growing dislike of her husband and his
pompous, bullying ways, and at times she was overwhelmed with a
bitter anger at his lack of understanding and his ultimate betrayal. She
started to feel that maybe she shouldn't give up on her dreams. Oh,
and I remember now. Her name was Alba.
Evi
The 'Mossdale Burn'
The ritual of a go-for-it Saturday cycle to the hamlet of Mossdale, talk with Jamie
Shopkeeper about anything, from cats to capitalism, stash the ‘Guardians’ in my
panier and ride home. - Patrick
After a wind-ripped, rain-soaked night
a continuous crunch of beech mast on the drive
is followed by a slick of yellowed ash leaves
flattened to the road's tarmac and
turning to slush under tyres.
A ragged ball in a roadside tree
unfurls into a red kite
and falls away with the wind.
Look, look at the loch – silver, grey, silvers and greys,
patterned as sand by the tide.
Look at the willow-herb
disheveled white feathers stuck to battered straw.
Look, and listen, wind in trees, water over stone.
The weir is drowned, no place for the heron.
Returning, clouds are hurled,
a mess of vapour merging and parting and gone.
A smudge of deep brown in the grass is a young roe
legs crossed, neck thrown back.
No ecstasy this.
All observation, all present,
until I reach the drive again and,
as always, remember my young daughter
turning in too fast and falling,
bare knee torn open on the loose gravel.
The friendly local Eden Festival running 11 th to 1 4th June.
Book now, at www.edenfestival.co.uk
20
Hawk Talk
If you've visited LH in the past year you're likely to have seen Steve
working his bird, Queenie, a fierce-looking raptor with scary rear talons
and a voice as Bowie described Dylan's, “like sand and glue”. I found
out more about her from Steve...
“She's a Harris hawk, an American desert bird. I got her from a
breeder in Falkirk. I bought her as a wild chick, one that had never
been handled. She'd had no association with people other than food
being put down for her through a hatch. That was to stop her being
what's called 'imprinted' - being with humans early in life can,
strangely, make her aggressive towards them. She was 1 0 weeks old
when I got her. I had to send the breeder a photo of the aviary I'd built
and bring a proper traveling box. The guy put leashes - called 'jesses' on her legs and put a hood on her too, told me dos and don'ts and
wished me luck, said ring up if you've got any problems.
At first she was off the wall. She'd attack me. I had to show her who
was boss, literally slap her down two or three times. She was never
going to love me. All I am to her is a food provider – that's all there is. I
control how much she gets. Her flying weight is 2lbs 2oz (1 kg). If she's
more than that - even by an ounce -she'll just go up in a tree and sit
there and won't come when I call. When she comes to the glove I must
give her a bit of food so there's something for her in returning. So for
exercise flying I keep her underweight by an ounce.
When I take her hunting she'll be hungrier, probably down to 1 lb 1 5oz.
I've trained her to go after rabbits and hen pheasants – cock
pheasants are too heavy for her. I trained her by putting a dead
pheasant on a long wire and dragging it across a field for her to chase.
Same with the rabbit. She hunts by eye so recognises the prey's
shape and size. It has to be fairly open – she's not as versatile in flight
as a sparrow-hawk. She grabs and kills with her rear talons, digging
them in just behind the neck. I gut it then and there and give her the
heart, take the rest home and maybe share some with her. She's still
learning to hunt – she's only a yearling and can live to be twelve or so.
21
The hunting season is late September to late January. Out of that time
her main food is day-old male chicks which I buy in bulk, frozen. When
she's in moult in late summer/early autumn there's no flying at all.
When we are out other birds mostly take no notice of her – she'll sit in
a tree surrounded by blue tits and the like. The kites though, if they
see her with a kill, they'll swoop in numbers and that freaks her out
and she'll fly off and they get the kill. They're just being opportunist.
I've always had birds. When I was 1 5 I took a kestrel chick from its
nest, illegally. That got me started and I always had birds after that. I
used to breed barn owls and snowy owls for the RSPB. They'd take
them and release them up north. I don't think it's cruel to keep a bird.
She's not native. In the wild Queenie might survive, but she'd only do
what she does here, that's kill when she was hungry and then sit in a
tree till she needed to kill again.. She gets a lot of freedom. I take her
down the caravan sites of a night and highlight the rabbits with a torch
and it's fantastic to see her chase and dive under a wagon after the
rabbit. I have a love for her even if she doesn't have any for me!”
Patrick talking with Steve P
Books and the Man
I read about 50 books a year. Nearly all are
recent publications. I keep a list of them in the
back of my diary. Sometimes on looking at the
list I'll see a title and its author and wonder
“what the heck was that about”? Perhaps this
shouldn't surprise me as I sometimes can't
remember the title of the book I am currently
reading.
So, some more numbers; of the 38 books read so far this year – that
doesn't include books begun, then discarded, or books dipped into for
information - 30 of them were novels, the rest a miscellany dipping into
astronomy, food, psychology, travel, etc. Of the novels 1 0 were written
by women, but only one of the assorted bunch was. 20 of the books
came from the library, 11 were lent by friends, 3 given to me as gifts
and 4 I bought from charity shops.
Most weeks I read the ‘Guardian Review’ that I get on a Saturday. It
looks at 30 or 40 books a week in varying degrees of detail. That’s
about 2000 books a year. Of these I'm attracted to about a quarter of
them enough to want to read them - 500 books. Oops.
I really like the library system. It's possibly more than that. I think it
might be love. I know, I know, I could order online, or download into an
electronic device or trawl eBay and the like, and have any book I
wanted instantly or next day for just a few quid. But for me the library
is the one. It always has been. I'm a loyal kind of bloke. The library is
free, classless, broad-minded, warm and, certainly of late, not afraid to
innovate and meet more needs by installing computers and
photocopiers and the like. Also, by largely relying on what it has in
stock, it helps solve my problem of narrowing 500 down to 50. I do
order books from the library especially those of a new author I really
like, but it's the chance choice that I like best.
Castle Douglas's library is a quirky-looking red sandstone building
sitting by itself surrounded by flowers on the edge of a car park and a
short walk from the bus stops and shops. I go there every time I'm in
town. I go to the 'Recent Arrivals' section first - I found Martin Amis's
latest the day after I'd read its review. If there's nothing I fancy there
then I scan the shelves, dismissing initially by familiarity – I've read it –
or by cover – yes, I am prejudiced enough to know that to some
degree I can judge a book by its cover. Recently I was selecting by
foreign-sounding author and thereby looking for books in translation.
Last year I concentrated on those starting with M or Mc or Mac –
there's a fair few of those up here. Nowadays I'm having a binge on
Irish/male/eloquently moving – the likes of John Banville, Sebastian
Barry, David Park and Colm Toibin.
Novels – usually so-called literary fiction - are my favourite
entertainment. Books require just eyes and imagination. The author
has done his or her work, now the characters and locations are mine
to visualise. I can pick them up and put them down at will. A book can
go in my pocket, be held up in bed. It releases its story, retains its
narrative, can be referred back to quickly and easily. It has physical
limits – if I start a story I know it will have an ending – but the power of
the narrative may spread way beyond the pages.
We can live with someone for years and never truly know what they
are thinking whereas a novel largely succeeds by the empathy we
have for its characters so that we willingly feel we are inside their
person, that we are them. This can work even for those characters we
don't like. It's possible - if the author will allow it - to leap from
character to character and be in them all and thereby see the whole
story, something impossible in real life. My life here at Laurieston Hall
is enhanced by giving the attention I
give to a novel to the people I live
with, except that there is no
conclusion, messy or otherwise, and
so far as I know, no omniscient
narrator. I remain just one of the
characters and sometimes even my
own actions surprise me.
Patrick
22
Annie and Gerard's Wedding
As with all of the Laurieston Hall children, the Hall is a very special
place for me. I was born in the big house and some of you reading this
might know me as a Kid’s Club worker or occasional visitor on
maintenance weeks. So when my partner Gerry and I got engaged on
Hogmanay night of 201 2/ 201 3, we very quickly started thinking about
whether a Laurieston Hall wedding was a possibility. He’s from
Dumfries and Galloway too, has been to the Hall many times and is
very fond of the place. There was no doubt that this was the perfect
place for us to tie the knot.
For a lot of reasons though Laurieston Hall isn’t the most wedding-y of
places. Few people who currently live there are married and they
never rent it out as a venue – despite the huge amount of money they
could make doing this. The exception to this is when ex-residents ask
very, very nicely and they feel compelled to say yes despite claiming
after each wedding they’ve hosted that it will be the ‘last one ever’.
So they agreed once again and so it went ahead last June. We had
our ceremony on the lawn with Erica, who used to live at Laurieston
Hall and knew us both growing up, as our wonderful humanist
celebrant. Later on we had a scrumptious Mexican feast made by Ben
and Chris with some dishes made by Tom and Pav - also former
ressies who now live in the village. Then in the evening we had live
music, DJs and dancing till late. A local pub did a brilliant job of
running the bar and even some miserable west coast weather decided
to brighten up for the day.
Like a lot of people getting married these days we did away with many
outdated and often sexist traditions like the all-male line-up for the
speeches or the father of the bride ‘giving her away’. Having a
humanist ceremony helped enormously with this as the format is
completely flexible and it is expected that the couple will choose
elements that they’re comfortable with.
We also adopted some things that might not come to mind when
people think of weddings but that definitely fit the location, like football
and volleyball before dinner and a sauna the next day. Some of our
photos as a couple were taken in front of the wood sheds and at one
point when it all got a bit overwhelming, I went and made myself a nice
Barleycup (also known as ‘the nectar of the gods’ or barley crap
depending on how one feels about this most hippyish of drinks).
We are of course super grateful to everyone who worked so hard and
made it such a special day for us. It was incredibly generous of the
residents to let us use their home for our wedding and the core team in
particular put a huge amount of work into making sure everything ran
smoothly. It was an occasion we’ll never forget: from the pre-ceremony
anticipation to the tequila sorbet, and from the sunlit lawn to the
sweaty dance floor.
Annie Wild
23
Annie, Erica and Gerard
Wayne's Page
Ralph the Elf
This is the story of Ralph the Elf,
Who makes his home on my book shelf.
Reading poetry, the live long night,
Seeing the words, with his fairy light.
Fairies Call
A thing that did me enthral,
Was an invitation to a Fairy Ball.
Pixies and Gnomes, Fairies and Elves,
All came to the ball dressed as themselves.
An orchestra of Leprechauns played a tune,
This all took place in the month of June.
Some were dancing while others ate a meal
I remember thinking that this was for real.
There was a banquet of delicious berries and fruits,
Served by Trolls dressed up in their very best suits.
To drink there was some Parsley wine,
Served in Golden Beakers that were so fine.
All in all it was a merry sight,
As pretty little Glow Worms lit up the starry night.
Then at the very crack of dawn,
I awoke in my bed with one big yawn.
I was pleased to have been invited to the Fairy Ball,
And I will listen again for the Fairies call .
He can quote Browning, and Shakespeare too,
Recites Walt Whitman the whole night through.
Poe when his mood is macabre and dark,
Eugene Field, when he flies like a lark.
On my book shelf, there lives an elf,
Who to me is known as Ralph.
Who loves poetry with all his heart,
And from my book shelf won't depart.
He has become an ingrained part,
Of my poetry collection there in the dark.
Reading continuously with his fairy light,
Reciting poetry, night, after night.
Author unknown
Bernard Shaw
24
The Beech Tree by Yael
Music and
Dance week
make our bike
shed beautiful!
25
26
This section is all about the People Centre workers' co-op, the events being run here at the
Hall, and how to go about booking for them. On the back cover is a calendar summary of the
events. Information regarding our Hydro project is in the front section of this newsletter.
Last season….
Was a good one! It was HOT and SUMMERY, and many of you enjoyed endless
forays down to the loch for swimming and boating as well as the huge amounts of
veggies and fruit from the garden…yum yum.
There was much singing and dancing and general holiday-style merriment, as well
as some more focussed community building events. Many events attracted higher
numbers, which can give us all a buzz and at the same time, put our systems to the
test. Hopefully you, as our visitors, are not aware of those times when we are
stretched a little further than is comfortable! We take pride in our ability to run our
domestic systems smoothly and without a fuss.
All of our events in 2014 ran, which is nice as we don't like disappointing anyone.
Some events run only once every two years, like Harmony Singing. We sadly saw the
last Homespun Fun week. Thank you to those who came and enjoyed it over the last
few years. We are also taking a break in 2015 from hosting our two smaller ECC
weeks.
There were two other good-byes this year as well; Cathy moved back to Sheffield
early in 2014, and by the time you are reading this, Felicia will have moved to
France! We miss them both.
Onto 2015…..
BREAKING NEWS! A MOMENTOUS CHANGE HAS BEEN AGREED
We will now be providing sheets for everyone! No more lugging your own up here,
or trying to remember to put sheet money in the red tin at the end of your event.
Hurrah! Also on the subject of costs, we have had to put up our basic rate a wee bit
as the minimum wage, among other expenses, keeps going up. Hopefully this won't
affect folk too badly as someone pointed out that it has gone up about the cost of a
latte and muffin at a name brand coffee shop….
We are welcoming one brand new event this year which is an Easter Harmony
Singing week led by Kate Howard. If you failed to get onto Harmony in 2014,
perhaps this is the event to go for!
We are running a shorter season in 2015 in order to create time, space and energy
for us to re-vamp our Hydro. There are articles about this elsewhere in this
Newsletter. So although to you our calendar of events may look a bit 'thin', there are
around 13 weeks of Hydro work taking place around all of the holiday events.
Hope to see you in 2015!!
27
About the People Centre
Our workers’ co-op, Laurieston Hall People Centre, exists within the greater resident
community of Laurieston Hall Housing Co-op. The People Centre is our major source
of collective income and it provides many of us with our main paid employment. We
pay ourselves at minimum wage and in general manage to choose the work that we
enjoy best. A small management group co-ordinates the business.
We have a Victorian mansion set in 135 acres, most of which is woodland, plus
grazing for cows, pigs, hens and bees, and a large walled kitchen garden. Laurieston
Hall sits in an area of rolling countryside, of forest and farmland dotted with lochs. A
few miles to the north are the high hills of the Southern Uplands, while to the south
is the Solway coastline of sand, rocks, cliffs and caves. For those who seek solitude
or wildness, it can be found a few yards from the house.
Charges & Booking
You will be hosted by the in-house resident-run workers' co-op: the Laurieston Hall
People Centre. Some events are home grown and some are brought here by
organizers from outwith the community. There will usually be a sliding scale of
charges, or a bursary or concession fund, depending on the event.
In all cases charges quoted cover everything you might expect: accommodation, use
of People Centre facilities, meals, drinks and snacks. They also include tuition fees,
the cost of children’s supervision where relevant, and VAT. One of the ways we keep
our costs down is by asking all our visitors to help with domestic work for about –
on average – an hour each day. There is also an opportunity to join us in our
community work (maybe gardening or bracken bashing).
If you bring a camper van or tent to sleep in we offer a reduction of between £21
and £45 depending on which rate you pay. If you stay in a B&B locally you will get a
reduction of between £32 and £56.
See page 29 ‘Paying for your event’ for more details. Please bring a cheque or cash
– we do not have PayPal, credit or debit card facilities.
Please see page 30 for the Booking Form. Some of the events, particularly ones with
a Kids Club, book up very quickly. Book early if you are asking for a small room, and
we will advise you of what is available. Deposits are nonrefundable. If an event must be cancelled for some reason,
we will inform you at least two weeks before the event is
due to start and your deposit will be refunded.
If you require a restricted diet or indicate you have special
needs, you will be contacted by a member of our domestic
team to ascertain whether or not we can accommodate
you.
Facilities
Sleeping accommodation is mostly in shared, single sex rooms for 4-10 people. The
rooms are not ensuite or centrally heated. There are some smaller rooms for people
with young children or special needs. We provide all bedding, including from this
year sheets!
For people with impaired mobility we have
one ground floor bedroom (sleeps 4) with
wheelchair access and close to an
accessible shower and toilet. All other
ground floor rooms are wheelchair
accessible.
When the weather is good the lawn, fields
and woods are lovely, but please also come
prepared for wet weather, with waterproofs
and wellies if possible. You may find the
building colder that you are used to. So bring a woolly sweater or fleece! Other good
things to bring: a hot water bottle, torch, midge repellent and sun screen. There is
table tennis, snooker and pool, table football, pianos, fancy dress, a large lawn, an
outdoor volleyball court, a wood-fired sauna by the pond close to the house and a
loch. Our nearest town, Castle Douglas, is 7 miles away. Mobile phone reception is
improving, but you may need to rely on the payphone in the house. The phone
number is 01644 450263. There is wired and wireless internet access available in
the house.
Camping & Laurieston Hall Tents
We encourage you to camp, especially if you cherish your privacy, as our few small
rooms are often reserved. If you are camping, you share the same facilities as
everyone in the house, but cross the lawn to go to bed!
We also have roomy, waterproof tents all of which comfortably sleep two adults, or
two adults and a child. We put them up and kit them
out with mattresses, pillows and pillowcases, and
camping blankets for extra warmth. You must
bring your own sleeping bag or duvets. The
reduction only applies when you bring your
own tent. If you wish to book a Laurieston Hall
tent, please indicate on the booking form.
28
How to get here
Indicate on your booking form
(page 30) if you would like to be
offered a lift. You will be put in
touch with anyone who's offering
one that may be helpful to you.
We want to encourage car sharing
where possible. There are coaches
to Castle Douglas from London,
Nottingham, Birmingham, Preston
and Manchester, and a bus from
Stranraer. There are coaches to
Dumfries from Glasgow and
Edinburgh. Dumfries (25 miles
away) is also the nearest railway
station, with buses from there to
Castle Douglas, from where we
can pick you up.
For local travel information see:
www.swestrans.org.uk
Laurieston is about 7 miles NW of Castle Douglas, in Dumfries and Galloway, SW
Scotland. By road you can get here from the south or east via the M6 and A75, and
from the north via Ayr and New Galloway on the A713.
Arrival and departure
We ask that you arrive between 5pm and
6pm on the day your event starts. If you are
bringing a tent, it's fine to arrive at 4pm to
set it up. Supper is usually at 6.30pm. Food
can be saved if you arrive later – please let
us know. Events end after breakfast on the
departure day. We ask you to vacate the
bedrooms by 10am and be away by 11am. If
you are travelling by public transport, please
contact your domestic organiser BEFORE the
arrival day as it helps us sort out lifts from
Castle Douglas. If you cannot do so, please
phone 01644 450263 when you know the
time you are arriving in Castle Douglas. It
helps us if we know in advance how many
people need a lift.
Food Matters
We hope to meet all your food needs while you stay with us. All the food is
vegetarian and freshly-prepared in the Big Kitchen – in which you can lend a hand
by signing up on the jobs rota. We supplement both the organic and standard-grade
ingredients that we buy in with produce from our garden when the crops are in
season and abundant. And you'll be able to snack throughout your stay too. The urn
is always hot, and there are a variety of drinks, breads, cereals, oatcakes and
spreads, fruit (and sometimes biscuits) all available on a serve-yourself basis
throughout the week.
Breakfasts are buffet-style with a range of cereals, breads, sweet and savoury
spreads, rice and oat cakes, fruits and yoghurt, juices and a selection of hot drinks.
Ground coffee is available to purchase for those not wanting instant. Lunch is at
1.00pm. This could be a freshly-prepared soup with seed rolls or baked potatoes, or
maybe a macaroni cheese bake, all served with a selection of salads. Dinner at
6.30pm is a more substantial and leisurely meal. There is both a main course and a
pudding. Your event may provide an earlier Kids Tea for younger children. Please see
the notes specific to your event.
Our walled garden is a source of pride and joy to us, and we invite you to have a
wander about. You may be eating those flowers, herbs, carrots or onions later in the
day! If you’re keen to join us in gardening work, let your Domestic Organiser know;
they may be able to arrange for you to be able to help. Signing up for the
Community Work slots often means helping residents with their garden crops.
Restricted Diets are for those folk who require an alternative to our normal fare.
Our meals are likely to include wheat, dairy (cow) products, soya products, nuts,
seeds and spices. You must tell us your dietary needs at the time of booking. You
will be contacted by a Domestic team member to talk through your request.
• Please do not assume that we will remember your details if you have been on
previous weeks.
• Unfortunately we cannot cater for people who have severe (life-threatening) food
allergies.
• We will not produce meat meals for you, nor can we allow you to prepare meat
dishes.
• Requests need to be confirmed by phone with the resident Domestic Organiser.
Any food allergies, intolerances, strong aversions or dietary regimes you are
following must be checked with those taking your booking. We have much
experience producing vegan and/or wheat-free alternatives to our dishes. However,
time limits our capacity to produce more than a few alternatives to each meal.
Requests for restricted diets may need to be accommodated within the existing ones
that the cooks have planned for.
29
Children, Young People and the Kids Club
Five of our events for 2015 welcome children and young people, with the added
feature of organised activities in our kids club for children between the ages of 3-13
(see further on for information about teenagers.). The events which have a kids club
are indicated on both the page that describes the event and on the back of the
newsletter, indicated by the KC mark.
General Information
The kids club runs for five hours a day and is based mainly in its own well equipped
room though additional indoor space is negotiated when needed (rain!). In good
weather the children are usually out-of-doors.
There is plenty of space for children of - all ages to - play just outside the house,
where there is a sandpit, swings, and climbing frame, as well as snooker, table
tennis and table football in the Games Room. And of course there are the woods, the
loch and the sauna. The team of kids club workers (who are usually resident in the
Hall during the event) are not trained professionals. However, they are all
enthusiastic, experienced at working with children, knowledgeable about the Hall
and grounds, including the loch and sauna, and are well known to us. To oversee the
smooth running of the kids club, a resident domestic organiser who is working on
your week will be supervising and liaising between the club and parents & children.
The minimum age for children to be in the kids club is 3. If your child is 3
or even older, we ask parents or carers to be prepared to accompany their
child(ren) in the kids club if it seems necessary, to help them settle or if
they need the extra support. This would be negotiated with the kids club
workers during the week. If you come with a 2 year old, please don’t feel
disheartened or excluded; you will be welcome to participate in the kids club
activities. We just don’t want unaccompanied 2 year olds as it means pretty much
one to one attention from a worker and puts a strain on the club. Parents or carers
of any age kids can attend the kids club activities at any time.
There will be a meeting for all parents, carers, children and teens on the first
morning. The kids club workers will be introduced and the guidelines for the running
of the club explained to all. From week to week the activities vary according to the
interests and skills of all concerned. Depending on the numbers and ages of
children, we may divide the group by age, ability or interest for specific activities.
Planned activities are posted daily in the main hall, so that parents can anticipate
what clothing etc is required for the next session.
A couple of events (Women Singing and LHP) have our simple ‘Kids’ Tea’ meal at
5:30pm. The meal is prepared by a resident cook and is supported by a couple of
folk signing up on the rota to assist during the meal. On events where everyone eats
supper at 6:30, we endeavour to enhance the meal with childfriendly
food. We also try to include child-friendly food for the lunch meal. There is always
fruit, bread, oatcakes, spreads and cheese available if your child is hungry inbetween
meals, and the kids club provides snacks. If your child requires something other than
what we offer, then please bring their favourite foods with you.
The kids club takes responsibility for your children only during the five hours it
operates (10:00 – 12:30 and 2:30 – 5:00, though some events may vary; hours
coincide with adult workshops).
Children may opt out of any session so long as both the parent/carer and kids club
workers have been informed and they are being supervised by the parent/carer. We
need to know beforehand if you are bringing a child with any special needs, as we
may need to adjust our quota of workers to children.
The rate children pay on a week is based on their age when here. There is no
charge for children not yet one year old. Children 1-4 are charged at quarter of an
adult
rate; children aged 5-11 are charged at half of an adult rate and young people 12-16
are charged at three quarters of an adult rate. Those over 16 are charged as adults.
Please see page xx for more information on paying for your event. Places in the kids
club are limited, so please book early to secure a place. You will be contacted with
either a confirmation of your booking or be told that you are on a waiting list.
Teenagers
Over the past few years we’ve been running ad hoc Teens Teams for young people
(ranging from 13-18 year olds), offering a variety of activities at more flexible times
to suit the needs of the teens. Teens activities are not guaranteed on all weeks with
young people, in the way kids clubs are, and depend greatly on what age groups
come to an event and who we employ to work with them. This loosely defined
setup suits us and seems to suit
the teenagers (some days they
take part, some days they
don’t). So if you’re visiting the
Hall with teenagers, there may
or may not be organised
activities for them. Of course,
teenagers are also free to join in
with some of the adult
workshops, or just hang out in
Games Room if they prefer. We
also offer study space if needed,
and evening TV access.
30
Please do not bring children with infectious illness, however much
you were all looking forward to being here. This includes flu,
sickness and diarrhoea. Dormitory accommodation and sharing
facilities means that bugs can spread very rapidly, and can put a
terrific strain on an event. German measles/rubella and other
childhood illnesses can have serious implications for any woman in
the early stages of pregnancy. Also, some children are NOT
vaccinated.
PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU ARE NOT SURE WHAT TO DO.
Baby and toddler equipment
We are fairly well set up for having younger children visit; we have high chairs for
babies and a booster seat for toddlers, numerous potties, baby baths, and a
changing mat with shelf. There is also a sink in the laundry suitable for bathing
babies and toddlers.
We have travel cots, cot bedding and plastic undersheets, two baby monitors (they
only work in certain parts of the house), a couple of pushchairs and buggies, and a
backpack or two. We have a twin tub washing machine for visitors’ use and oodles of
hot water, sinks and washing powder, but our automatic washing machines are not
available to visitors (except in emergencies). We do not have tumble driers.
Please ask your Laurieston Hall organiser if you need any of these things, or
anything else that might make your stay with young children easier.
Paying for your event
Please take time to read this section carefully before arriving. For many
events we give a choice of three or four rates at which to pay (with a reduction if
you are camping in your own tent, or staying locally). You decide which rate you pay.
For many events there will be time set aside during the event to pay the balance of
what you owe. A Laurieston Hall organiser or facilitator will help you through our
payment system. The nearest cash machines are in town, so do try to remember
to bring cheque book or cash with you! It is helpful if you can calculate
beforehand at which rate you’d like to pay.
• The lowest rate is a concessionary rate, subsidised by us and by the people who
pay at the top two rates. It doesn’t cover the cost of your stay, and is intended for
those on minimum benefits. How we see it is: if you are on a minimum benefit like
Job Seeker’s Allowance, or the basic state pension, and you don’t have a well paid
partner, then this is the rate for you. It is for people struggling to get by with very
little income, and not for everyone on a benefit. For example if you are retired and
31
on a pension, then you need to consider the amount of your pension (and your
partner’s income, if appropriate) to decide what rate is right
• The next-lowest rate is for those of you who are low waged, or on better than
minimum benefits. It is a roughly ‘break-even’ rate, and doesn’t generate any
surplus for us towards the improvements we try to make each year.
• The next-to-highest rate is for people on an average wage. If you have a pension
which is equivalent to an average wage, this would be your rate too.
• The highest rate is for those of you on a higher wage.
Other events have a choice of two rates or only one rate, as we have arranged with
the event organisers.
We don’t determine which rate you should pay. Only you know your individual
circumstances. Also, children and teenagers don’t necessarily have to pay at the
same rate as their parents/guardians. For example a father who is on Job Seekers
Allowance might pay at the lowest rate, but he might bring children whose
millionaire mother pays for them at the highest rate. We take it on trust that you will
pay what you think is appropriate and can afford. We anticipate that you will come
for the full time your event runs. If you decide to come late or leave early,
you will still be expected to pay the full cost, as otherwise your place
could have been taken by someone who was able to be here throughout
the event.
Why do events have different rates?
The rates vary because of the differences between events. Some are homegrown,
organised here with leaders not requiring much payment. Some are organised
externally by leaders whose commitment and professionalism is part of the
attraction. Some are adult only and others encourage children, for which there are
added costs in Kids Club workers and kids teas. Sometimes a volunteer team will
facilitate, other times tutors will work for a fee. Some events last seven days, some
less. Some have meals prepared without visitor help, so we employ extra cooks.
Some events simply pay us a flat fee per person while operating their own sliding
scale.
The ‘cost’ box on your event page shows how much of each rate you pay goes to
course leaders outside Laurieston Hall as tuition fees and administration. The
remainder of what you pay covers all the food, accommodation, administration,
facilitation, ceilidh band, resident led workshops and kids club.
The minimum number of participants for any event is 15 (or 20
for events with a Kids Club). If we don’t have this number of
bookings three weeks before the start, the event will almost
certainly have to be cancelled. In which case you will be
contacted at least two weeks before that start date, and your
deposit will be returned to you. See individual event ‘More
information and how to book’ for contact details.
Choice of events - If possible, especially for weeks with a Kids
Club, please indicate if you’d like to come on another week if
there’s not room on your first choice.
Deposits - If your deposit is sent directly here to Laurieston Hall
People Centre, it is non-returnable (except under exceptional
circumstances, by negotiation). If your deposit is sent to an
outside organiser, elsewhere, please check the event details to
see what applies to that event.
Restricted diets - All the food provided is vegetarian. If you are
vegan, please let us know on the booking form. If you have
other restricted dietary needs or allergies, you must
contact the organiser of your event, (even if this is not
your first visit) , so we can decide whether we can meet your
dietary needs before confirming your booking – see ‘Food
Matters’, page 27. We can only accept a limited number of
restricted diets, in order of booking, so book early to be sure.
The ‘Newsletter?' question - This is to ask in what form you
would like to receive your Laurieston Hall Newsletter. Either a
paper copy in the post, a digital copy (via email) or both. We’d
like you to choose whichever is best for you. Please bear in mind
that our newsletter is our only form of advertising other than
word of mouth, so we love it when a paper copy is passed around
your friends, or if you forward the digital copy to them.
Sending the booking form - Unless your event page gives
separate booking details, send this Laurieston Hall People
Centre booking form with an SAE and a deposit of £50 for
each adult and £30 per child (cheques to Laurieston Hall
People Centre Ltd) to:
(name of event), Laurieston Hall People Centre Ltd, Laurieston
Hall, Castle Douglas, Galloway DG7 2NB Please note: Our
buildings are not fully wheelchair accessible. If you have any
mobility difficulties, please contact your event organiser to see
how we may help.
32
Dance - a - Rama
Saturday 4 April - Saturday 11 April
Cost: The cost of the event is £515 (low income: £451) of which
This is a fun week for people who mainly like to
dance Ballroom and Latin in same sex couples.
The rhythms being taught this year are Rumba,
Cha Cha , Samba Waltz, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz.
£298/234 goes to Laurieston Hall People Centre
The daily routine of morning and afternoon
classes at three levels of experience (beginners,
improvers and advanced) begins and ends with
warm up and cool down exercises.
In the evenings there is an optional opportunity to dress up in
costume expressing a suggested theme and to show off your newly
acquired dance skills. For the night owls there is often more dancing in
the Billiard room.
More information and how to book:
To book contact John H enry, telephone 020 8452 8865 or 07941
399061 or email [email protected]
John will be booking a coach from Carlisle to Laurieston Hall and
Last year was not sold out, so please do enquire about places on the
week when you get the newsletter.
back again. You need to book a place on the coach with him.
Some restricted diets are catered for. Please check with John
Henry before booking.
The excellent teachers are: Nick Miles, Torben Doose and Wonnita
Olafisoye
Music: Jacky Logan
33
World Harmony
Saturday 11th April - Saturday 18th April
A new week to Laurieston bringing an amazing collection of the best
world and UK music leaders together under one roof. This will be an
inspiring and uplifting week with non-stop singing and dancing. Come
prepared to be moved and challenged and to take home a wealth of
musical riches to your choir or community. As you will be learning
music from source, much of what we’ll be learning will be by ear with
sound files and notation available.
We’ll be singing as a big group with time to break into smaller
specialist groups. There will also be a daily lunchtime Shape Note sing
with new and old compositions.
Kate Howard
Kate founded Harmony Week as well as many popular weeks at
Laurieston Hall such as Choirs week and the much loved Women
singing week. She was classically trained but swiftly moved into left
wing politics which lead her into setting up many of the UK’s first
community choirs. She was a long time performer with Northern
Harmony and a teacher on their travelling summer camps called
Village Harmony. Here she built up singing connections in many
countries and is delighted to bring some of those wonderful singers
back home to Scotland. She has a big heart and powerful voice and
will lead a longer piece of music throughout the week as well as the
popular morning warm up sessions.
Ali Burns
Ali Burns is a songwriter and arranger who
loves to write for community choirs – songs
with lush beautiful harmonies and simple text
that are easy enough to learn by ear but
satisfying and special to sing. She is particularly
interested in songs that mark special events
and rights of passage in our lives. Many of her
songs have found their way into the repertoire - and hearts - of
singers across the UK, and increasingly the USA and Australia. Her
work is published by Faber, Sing Up! and Oxford University Press. As
well as teaching her songs on this week she will be facilitating a
simple songwriting for choirs workshop: giving participants ways into
devising text, tunes and structures and ways to develop their work.
Bongani Magatyana
Bongani
is
a
professional
singer/music
director/composer/theatrical
producer living in Gugulethu
Township in Cape Town, South
Africa. He was born in Cape Town
in a township called Old
Crossroads; his father was a selftaught choir conductor in the Old
Apostolic Church. Bongani's father
taught him how to read and write
tonic solfa music notation at a very
young age, and young Bongani
dreamt of becoming a church choir
conductor, too. Today he conducts a
120-voice OAC choir himself, and
his
folk-inspired
choral
compositions—popular pieces for
South Africa's major choral
competitions—are sung by choirs around South Africa and
internationally. Currently Bongani teaches at the Zolani Centre in
Langa Township, leads an educational musical theatre company, and
continues to compose music in a variety of genres, bringing vibrant
performances to communities across Cape Town.
34
Brendan Taafe
New to Laurieston, Brendan hails from
Brattleboro in Vermont. He has been
leading singing workshops around the
world since 2004. Drawing from the deep
well of traditional American song and
bringing a wealth of original compositions,
many steeped in the Shape Note, American
and African American traditions, Brendan
has travelled twice to Zimbabwe to work
with choirs there and collect material from
the Makwayera tradition and shares these
songs in his workshops. These songs, with
their infectious rhythms, are a joy to sing.
Brendan is the director of The Bright Wings Chorus and also of Turtle
Dove Harmony, an organization that creates singing retreats for adults
and teens. He also works with Village Harmony and has taught in
England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, Holland, Bulgaria,
Canada, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, and throughout the U.S.
Cost: £430 (conc), £440, £450, £460 of which £249 goes to
Laurieston Hall People Centre.
Georgian government (1995) and is the recipient of Georgia’s
prestigious President’s Order of Merit Award (2009).
He currently directs the Supruli Ensemble in New York City, the Bard
College Georgian Vocal Ensemble, and sings in a family trio with his
two young sons. Carl leads workshops and also offers private
instruction in Georgian vocal ornamentation, Georgian stringed
instruments (chonguri, panduri, chunir) and Georgian language.
Carl Linich
Poughkeepsie native Carl Linich has been a
scholar, teacher, and performer of
traditional Georgian polyphonic singing
since 1990, and is a member of Trio
Kavkasia. After being introduced to
Georgian vocal polyphony through the
Hudson Valley’s own Kartuli Ensemble, Carl
eventually went on to live in Georgia for
about 10 years. He speaks fluent Georgian
and has led numerous singing tours in
Georgia since 2001, as well as many
workshops in North America and
elsewhere.
In recognition of his work to promote and preserve Georgian folk
song, Carl has been honored as a Silver Medal Laureate of the
35
More information and how to book:
To book on this event please send a deposit of £100 made
payable to ‘Harmony Week’ and to: Harmony Week 2015, C/O
Sarah Kleppsattel, Strathyre,Laurieston, DG2 2PW
For more info do phone Kate on 01848 200043 or email on
[email protected]
The Gay Gordons
Scottish Country Dance Week
Saturday 9th May – Saturday 16th May
Cost: £330, of which £252 goes to Laurieston Hall. This includes
The Gay Gordons, London’s Scottish Country Dance Club for the LGBT
community, their friends and supporters, present their seventh annual
week of dancing at Laurieston Hall.
The week is aimed at intermediate/advanced dancers and will not be
suitable for beginners. A good working knowledge of all formations
including corners, reels of 3 and 4 etc., and most of all the ability to
understand verbal instructions is required.
Join us for two hours of dance teaching each morning, improve your
steps, formations and phrasing, learn new dances and re-visit old
favourites. You don’t need a dancing partner, as there will be plenty of
opportunity to dance with everyone, as a leader or follower. We are
non-gender specific.
Afternoons will be at leisure when you can walk in the beautiful
grounds, swim in the loch, have a sauna, sign up for group activities,
take a rest or go further afield in the surrounding area.
There will be dances on some evenings and a couple of themed nights
organised by the whole group, including a cabaret and a games/party
night. Feast on fine vegetarian food, friendship, laughter and fun.
There will be a limit of 24 places making 3 x 4 couple sets, therefore it
is important that participants commit to the FULL week.
The cost per person includes food, accommodation, dance instruction,
but excludes travel costs. One of the ways Laurieston Hall keeps its
costs down is by asking all of the visitors to help with domestic work
(rota jobs). All jobs are overseen by a resident and on average take
about an hour a day.
36
a £78 leaders/admin fee.
More information and how to book:
For more information and booking details visit
www.gaygordons.org
Loving Men XIII
Saturday 16st May – Friday 22nd May
Cost: £460, of which £219 goes to Laurieston Hall. This covers all
costs for the week. Assistance for men on low incomes is available
from the Loving Men Bursary Fund (see www.lovingmen.org for
details)
"Loving Men was a remarkable week for me. I emerged with
many wonderful memories and a new found confidence in my
body, heart and mind."
The week enables you to:
Immerse yourself in a different kind of living & loving for 6 days
Make connections with like-minded others
Develop skills to take back into your life in the art of intimacy,
friendship and forming meaningful relationships
And have some fun!
There’ll be many opportunities to stretch your comfort zone and gain
personally from the respect, care and love of other men.
“Thank you for a fantastic and varied event. Loving Men gets
better and better.”
More information and how to book:
Bookings for Loving Men XIII will open in mid-January 2015.
See www.lovingmen.org for details or call 07592 610925.
Loving Men at Laurieston is a once-a-year adventure for gay and
bisexual men who want to develop more intimacy in relationships.
This will be our thirteenth year – lucky for some!
37
Women Singing
Saturday 23rd May – Saturday 30th May
Cost: £270 (concessions) / £325 / £395 / £460 of which £284
This week is for women who love to sing together. We share a rich
variety of genres, themes and styles from folk to pop and blues, and
songs from around the world.
As always, there will be a team of some of the best Natural Voice
facilitators (www.naturalvoice.net) who are very experienced at
running workshops and creating a fun, warm and encouraging space
to sing in. Whatever your singing experience, Women Singing
welcomes you. We sing mostly a cappella, harmony music, and we
teach by ear. There are several chances to revisit songs and polish
them up throughout the week.
Children are also very welcome and will be cared for and entertained
by the capable and inspirational Kids Club (some KC workers are
veterans of the week themselves) and there is also creative provision
for ‘tweens’ and teens.
The week has several
regular activities.
Bring
your instruments (all levels
welcome) to be part of the
amazing scratch band.
Other evening
events
include a ceilidh, a dress up
and sing along film night,
and of course the perennial
cabaret!
The evenings
offer a host of opportunities
to perform, share songs,
poems, stories or just to sit
back, relax, and enjoy
what’s going on.
goes to Laurieston Hall People Centre – please match your
payment band to your income level. For Kids Club see page 30
Kids Club places tend to get booked up very quickly!
There will be a market mid week, so please bring along CDs, books,
arts and crafts items to sell or swap. Although the schedule is busy,
there’s always time to enjoy the unique atmosphere and environs
offered by Laurieston Hall; swimming in, and boating on, the loch,
afternoon walks in the woods, and experiencing the fantastic
Laurieston sauna (and freezing dunk pond!) – to name but a few.
Women Singing has a website: www.womensinging.org.uk. The
website is a valuable resource and holds all sorts of practical
information to help you plan for the week. Although Women Singing
Week offers singing workshops for women, taught by women, the
event itself is not a women-only space; there are male residents, kids
club workers, boys and young men, who form a valuable part of the
Women Singing family.
Women Singing is a week of marvelous music making in great
company and glorious surrounds; the perfect combination for a
relaxing and inspiring start to the summer!
38
How to book:
Go to www.womensinging.org.uk and download booking form, or
contact Polly: [email protected] / phone 0114
255 7395.
Enquiries: contact Lynda: [email protected] / 0114 266
2378
Laurieston Hall Production
Thursday 23th July – Thursday 30th July
Cost: £254 (conc), £287, £353, £419. Children pay a proportion
based on age. Kids Club see page 30. Kids club places tend to
get booked up very quickly!
LHP is our annual holiday week, the
week that's all about enjoying
Laurieston Hall; its facilities, its
beauty and its people. However
this year is different; Laurieston
Hall community is rebuilding its
hydro electric scheme, the
communities biggest project in
many years, so this year LHP will
be entirely devoted to digging
trenches.
Just kidding! LHP is a holiday for all of
us so we'll be downing tools (well most
of us) to welcome you, to walk, read,
dance, chat, eat, play and relax as usual.
Last year we...
Beachcombed and cricketed on the beach at Mossyard with our hand
made picnics, began the days with mindful yoga, stretching and Tai
Chi, ended the days raucously with dancing, mafia-ing and quizzing,
learnt to make pickle, sourdough and cheese and wanged our wellies
in the Lauriewealth Games.
This year we will...
The sun will shine on demand, we'll walk, cycle, play, perform, rest,
recuperate, BBQ, perform, knit, learn to make and and do, compete
on our (hopefully) brand new pool table, eat and make merry.
Looking forward to seeing you all in the summer!
39
More information and how to book:
Please use the booking form on page 32.
Send non-refundable deposit cheques (£50 per adult and £30
per child) payable to Laurieston Hall People Centre Ltd. to :
LHP, Laurieston Hall, Castle Douglas, DG7 2NB.
For more information contact Ben Wild, telephone 01644 450659
or email [email protected]
Music And Dance Week
Friday 31st July – Friday 7th August
of beauty, (see photos). All these people will be coming and offering
workshops and projects again this year; fancy swinging through the
air in Lycra tights, or helping create a large outdoor artwork?
As usual workshops will be timetabled between 10.00am and 12.30am
and between 2.30pm and 5.00pm, with extra sessions springing up
informally in between times. We provide ‘Kids Club’ activities for those
aged between 3 to 13 years and scheduled for five hours a day to
coincide with workshops, plus a ‘Teens Team’ to organise informal
activities for 13 to 18 year olds; these are ad hoc in nature and not
confined to particular hours.
As always Music and Dance Week will be a medley of delights and if
you haven’t experienced one then you’re missing something special.
Activities are many and varied, as well as all the usual Laurieston
ones; candle-lit circle dance, themed ball, ceilidh, cabaret, disco,
afternoon at the seaside picnicking and swimming in the sea, loch,
sauna, walks, volleyball, barbeque, games and dressing up, we also
sing (everything from Mozart to Taize), dance (everything from
Argentine tango to American square dance) and play music
(everything from Vivaldi to Rock). Not all regular participants are
adept; there’ll be beginner’s sessions so don’t be put off if you feel a
bit of a novice.
There have been some surprising new editions to the week too. For
the first time last year Charlie and Haylee came bringing circus toys
and Haylee’s trapeze. They led workshops and wow-ed us with their
expertise at their mesmerising fire show (including guest appearances
from other participants). Stuart led afternoon composition sessions
and his partner Katharine headed up a team of inspirational graffiti
artists; using spray paint they transformed our bike shed into a thing
Some workshops and activities are already in place, others get
planned along the way. There are no paid tutors on the week;
workshops draw on the interests and skills of participants. Exactly
what happens depends on who comes and what they want to do, so
when you book please write something about what music, dances,
songs, instruments, etc. you might bring and what activities and
workshops you might like to take part in, initiate or lead.
40
Cost: £248 (conc), £281, £347, £413. Children pay a
proportion based on age. Kids Club see page 30.
I’ve been facilitating Music and
Dance Week for years, it’s been
lots of fun but I think I may be
ready to hand the week on to
someone else to organise. Music
and Dance Week 2015 could be
my last; I want it to be really
memorable. All you old friends
who have become regulars over
the years and all of you who are
thinking about coming one day
but haven’t done so yet, come
and enjoy Music and Dance
Week 2015 with us. It’s a great
week for everyone, friendly and
welcoming;
you
could
confidently come alone or bring
your granny, your teenager or
your newborn with you.
Lesley
41
More information and how to book:
Please use the booking form on page 32. Send non-returnable
deposit cheques (£50 per adult, £30 per child) payable to:
Laurieston Hall People Centre Ltd. To: Music and Dance,
Laurieston Hall, Castle Douglas, DG7 2NB.
For more information contact Lesley at:
[email protected]
Co–Counselling Family Friendly Week
Saturday 8th August – Saturday 15th August
Cost: £294 Standard rate. £284 Lower rate. On both rates £279
You must have completed a Co-counselling Fundamentals course
before attending this event.
Co-counselling is a self-help system of personal growth usually
involving two people who work together, each taking turns at being
the client and being the counsellor. Co-counselling skills are taught on
a 40 hour experiential course (‘Co-counselling Fundamentals’).
In addition to giving you co-counselling skills, successful completion of
the course gives you access to local, national and international
networks. Residential co-counselling events - such as this one provide an opportunity for co-counsellors from all over the UK (and
often from other countries too) to meet up as a community. All are
welcome - from beginners who have just completed the Fundamentals
course to long-standing, experienced members. Children and
teenagers are most welcome on the Family Friendly Week. You don’t
have to come with a family: adults with and without children will be
equally at home here.
The event will be made up of a rich variety of workshops on diverse
themes - all offered by fellow-participants. Along with this are a range
of other attractions, all in the beautiful environment and atmosphere
of the Laurieston Hall community: music, dancing, swimming, sauna,
woodland walks, bonfires. The week usually features a cabaret too organised by participants. Whether you want to do lots of personal
development work, or bask in the co-counselling culture in this idyllic
setting, or both, is entirely up to you!
If you are interested in becoming a co-counsellor, or are just curious
to know more, the UK CCI website (www.co-counselling.org.uk) will
give you general information or direct you to any Fundamentals
courses in your area.
42
goes to Laurieston Hall. Reduced rates for children. Kids Club
see pages 30. Kids Club places tend to get booked up quickly.
More information and how to book:
Please use the booking form on our website www.cocolh.co.uk
rather than the form in this newsletter.
Please send your form with a deposit of £50 per adult / £25 per
child to:
Co-Counselling at Laurieston Hall, 8 Worchester Road, Swinton,
Manchester M27 9RP
Cheques should be payable to 'Co-counselling at Laurieston Hall'.
A limited number of bursaries are available to those in financial
need. Please indicate on the booking form if you would like to
apply for a bursary.
For more information :
Website: www.cocolh.co.uk · Tel: Emily Turner 01904 206 107 ·
Email: [email protected]
ECC at 30
A celebration of 30 years friendship between ECC and the Laurieston Hall Community
community, among other things ...... the number of activities is limited
only by the time, and the range of ideas that participants bring with
them, or develop during the week.
On the week you will also have the chance to get to know a small
group of men better by taking part in a daily 'base group', where you
can reflect on your experiences day by day.
This year is very special for us, as we celebrate our friendship and
collaboration with our hosts at Laurieston Hall over 30 years.
We plan a week long party to remember the past, celebrate the
present, and together plan for the next 30 years.
Saturday 15th August - Saturday 22nd August
The Edward Carpenter Community is a group of gay men committed
to looking at alternative ways to come together in a friendly and
supportive environment; one in which they are able to engage in a
variety of activities which promote creativity and personal growth and
well being. Initially formed of small groups of men mainly from Leeds
and London, it has developed into a nationwide network of friendships
and its membership now numbers around 1,000. There has been a
long succession of residential weeks, first at Laurieston Hall only, and
more recently also at other venues, where participants experience a
week's life as part of a community. Many still regard Laurieston as our
'spiritual home', a place where we have always been welcomed.
On previous weeks the programme has included: dance, walks,
discussion groups on gay related topics, massage workshops,
swimming in the loch, volleyball, saunas, music-making, body painting,
cabaret, disco and ceilidh evenings, workshops on developing our
43
• We will look at photos, and
memorabilia of the period, and share
our experiences, honouring our
achievements of earlier years, and
reflecting on the changes which have
affected gay men.
• We will celebrate the present with a
special birthday party and evening
entertainment
• In our ongoing project 'ECC at 30'
we are looking at ways that the ECC
can develop in order to continue to be
relevant and attractive in a world very
different from that of 1985. We will invite all participants to share in
this discussion - new ideas are always welcome.
Together with our regular workshops, and especially with new energy
and ideas you bring, we should be able to create an event which is a
highlight of the ECC and Laurieston calendars.
The Facilitators
Tim Allister
Tim recently retired and lives on the
Wirral. He has participated in four gay
men's weeks since 2009 and helped
organise the Laurieston 2014 July Gay
Men's Week with Alistair Brown and
Robert Montgomery. He's looking
forward to getting together with the
team to help another event underway.
His interests include health promotion,
LGBT history, the history of slavery
and environmental protection. He
enjoys dancing, cooking, music and
walking in wild remote places.
Cost: On the Edward Carpenter Community sliding scale, of
which £239 goes to Laurieston Hall People Centre.
Jon Homer
Jon has attended many gay men's weeks over 25 years, and has
helped to organise four events, he is particularly looking forward to
this celebratory week; he has an interest in promoting the well being
of gay refugees in the UK, and in helping to create a network of
regional ECC groups. He has a lifelong interest in music, singing and
dance, which he enjoys sharing on events, and a love of nature in its
many forms.
David Wray
David lives in Birmingham and has been attending ECC events at
Laurieston Hall for the past 12 years. He has helped to organise and
facilitate a number of the July/August ECC weeks at the Hall. He says
'Laurieston Hall has so many happy memories for me and to celebrate
30 years of association with the people at Laurieston Hall will be
fantastic. I hope to bring to the week love, hope for the future, fun
and excitement'.
More information and how to book:
Available on our web site where there is more information about
us, what we do, how much it costs and a booking form.
www.edwardcarpentercommunity.org.uk
44
Song and Dance
Saturday 22nd August – Saturday 29th August
This year Sophia Hatch (www.sophiafreedancer.co.uk) will offer a big
mix of Circle Dances – both easy and more challenging, traditional and
recent, some with the band and some with recorded music.
It was great to have so many keen dancers in 2014 and we danced
outside quite a bit with the good weather which was wonderful (apart
from the worms!) But many thanks to Stephen for the bubbles as we
danced to the air element!
As well as the first night with a few arrival dances with the band,
Sophia will be offering 4 sessions of dances in the week covering each
of the 4 seasons and as ever an evening of Eastern European dances
with our in-house band, and she hopes that John will get you singing
some of the songs too.
There will be another “Electric Gipsy/party” night with an interesting
mix of gipsy Romanian dances from Eastern Europe and an eclectic
mix of world wide music (including Pop) to dance to a variety of Circle
Dances AND croon
along to! Bring your
gipsy skirts and gear.
Sophia will offer again
an introductory session
in
the
Alexander
Technique and further
short guided sessions to
remember
how
wonderful it is to lie on
the floor in a mindful
way releasing your
muscles!
John Luff says: “As your Royal Correspondent, I like to keep you up to
date with the all the latest happenings and I am excited to tell you
that Laurieston Hall has been chosen as the venue for the Grand Royal
Ball next August entitled “The Glass Slipper Ball”. It is of course a
Court secret, known only to myself and perhaps the entire tabloid
press, that the Crown Prince Charming intends at this Ball to choose
his future bride from amongst the ladies present. This information has
caused much fluttering in the hearts of all princesses around the
Courts and Royal Houses of Europe (not to mention a twitch in their
fathers’ pockets, who know a good financial investment when they see
one). I am reliably told that princesses as far away as Ruritania and
Pomerania are already applying their face packs and praying to their
fairy Godmothers. Nearer home, our local penniless Laird, Baron
Hardup and his two, not so beautiful daughters, are also making
preparations (May the Gods help them!) Not only that, but as I passed
through the front Hall this morning I came across our maid, Cinderella,
who was cleaning the fireplace, and she too had a dreamy look in her
eyes. Will all this madness ever end I ask myself. Anyway as your
Royal Correspondent I will ensure that you all receive an invitation to
our Glass Slipper Ball. Hope to see you there.”
45
Yvonne adds: “Song and Dance just gets better and better. I love the
way the singing and the dancing are slowly coming together, with
great turnouts and enthusiasm for both, as our skills improve from
year to year.
Once again, I will offer sessions featuring Scottish songs and my own
'Songs of the Earth and Heart'. There will be plenty African choruses
too, and pop songs galore, as well as spirituals, and lots of chances to
make it up as you go along, and get off the tune!
The Keen Group will meet daily, as ever, and I'll run a session for shy
singers near the start of the week - in Sunny Room, with a glass of
wine - just to oil those vocal cords and confidence muscles.
Again this year we have Laurieston's very own 'Prince Charming'
Stephen to help facilitate all your offers of workshops, and not
forgetting Song & Dances 'Fairy Godmother' Helen providing the much
requested morning Taizé.
Cost: £271 (conc.), £304, £370, £436. Children pay a proportion
based on age. Kids Club see page 30.
More information and how to book:
Please use the booking form on page 32. Send non-refundable
deposit cheques (£50 per adult, £30 per child) payable to
Laurieston Hall People Centre Ltd to: S&D, Laurieston
Hall, Laurieston, Castle Douglas DG7 2NB.
For more information contact Stephen Brown 01644 450 528
or [email protected]
46
You automatically receive the
If you would like another copy of this
newsletter for two years after
newsletter, either please send two
attending an event.
first class (or three second class)
stamps to:
Laurieston Hall People Centre Ltd is
People Centre (NL)
a worker's co-op, registered in
Laurieston Hall
Scotland. Registered number 2596RS
Castle Douglas
DG7 2NB
Or goto www.lauriestonhall.org.uk
to download our newsletter as a PDF
document.
47
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
LAURIESTON 2015
HALL
PEOPLE
CENTRE
LTD
Events Calendar
April
July
Sat 4th – Sat 11th Dance-a-Rama
Thurs 23rd – Thurs 30th LHP (KC)
Sat 11th - Sat 18th World Harmony August
May
Fri 31st July – Fri 7th Music and
Dance (KC)
Sat 9th – Sat 16th Gay Gordons
Sat 8th – Sat 15th Co-Counselling
Families Week (KC)
Sat 16th - Fri 22nd Loving Men XIII
Sat 23rd – Sat 30th Women
Singing (KC)
June
No People Centre events
Sat 15th - Sat 22nd Gay Men's
Week
(Edward Carpenter Community)
Sat 22nd – Sat 29th Song and
Dance (KC)
(KC means Kids Club)
48