Community in the City Conference - Thursday 18th March 2010

“It was great to meet different people and hear about where they live and work. At lunch time I asked other people what they had been doing and they had been to see the puppet show in the Puppety Workshop. They said it was great fun. I’d like to be part of the next conference”
Magnus MacIver, Garvald Edinburgh Member

“Thank you very much for inviting us to the Garvald conference. I enjoyed the biodanza very much. I would like to try that again sometime.”
Lisa Watt, Blair Drummond

For the last 10 years there has been an annual Day Conference for all the Camphill Communities and organisations working out of Social Therapy in Scotland and these have taken place at each of the communities in turn. Previously it was not possible to stage an event of this size at Garvald Edinburgh, but with the creation of Orwell Arts a few years ago, we felt that we could finally host the Conference and welcome everyone to Edinburgh for the day.

This was the first time that the Conference had taken place in a city setting and we decided to make this our theme. Our aim was to give delegates a taste of life in the city at Garvald Edinburgh and an opportunity to try some activities that we offer that they may not have had the chance to experience before. It was also an opportunity to see old friends and make new ones and to look at the similarities and differences in our communities so that we could learn from one another.

On 18th March, sixty delegates arrived from all over Scotland. They came from as far afield as Aberdeen, Dumfries, the Borders, and Perthshire, and, impressively, everyone arrived on time! We began with an African call and response song led by Royston, before five Garvald members gave a power point presentation to everyone about the community at Garvald Edinburgh and all the different things that people do.

“In the presentation I told everyone how Garvald started in 1969. I talked about Jack Reed and the community houses at Merchiston, Napier, and Newbattle. I explained how things have changed and how lots of people now live in smaller flats at Merchiston Avenue, Slateford Green, and in the Outreach service”
Magnus MacIver, Garvald Edinburgh Member

“I spoke about my work the Large Joinery Workshop at Gorgie, the other activities that we do, and I talked a bit about the Ceilidh Band that I play in. I really enjoyed doing the presentation. It made me feel like I could speak in front of lots of people”
James Brown, Garvald Edinburgh Member

“I read out my presentation to everybody. I felt proud. I told them about my work in the Weaving and Glass Studio and also about my gardening job with Enable Scotland at Woodhall”
Julie Whitson, Garvald Edinburgh Member

After the applause for the presentation, delegates were split into groups and were given tours of Orwell Arts and Gorgie Road. There was also time to introduce themselves in discussion groups and to watch Yasmin Fedda’s award winning film “Breadmakers” about Garvald Edinburgh’s Bakery. In the time honoured tradition of these day conferences, delicious food was an important and regular feature of the day. There were scones baked in our Confectionary available in the morning, a hearty lunch (with apple crumble for pudding) and freshly bakes cakes and biscuits during the afternoon.

For the afternoon activities delegates had been asked to indicate their preferences from a range of options and were then split into groups to experience either artistic glass work, Biodanza, the Mulberry Bush Shop, Tools for self reliance, or a puppet show by the Garvald Puppetry.

“Me and Alison showed some people around Orwel Arts. I showed them my work in the Glass Studio. I liked having my photo taken and chatting with everybody! In the afternoon we did Biodanza in the Orwel Arts dining room. I showed people what to do because I have done it before. It was good!”
Elisabeth Halliday, Garvald Edinburgh Member

There was a great atmosphere in the Puppetry and the Garvald Puppeteers were on particularly good form that day. When the phone rang during the performance of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’ (Somebody had forgotten to switch it off!) James Alison, playing the part of the giant, took it in his stride and ordered his wife to answer it – to the great amusement of the audience!

“In the afternoon I was the narrator for the Puppet show, Jack and the Beanstalk. It was really good. I liked it!”
Jane Dyer, Garvald Edinburgh Member


“There was such a feeling of mutual appreciation and the audience joined in really well”
Swantje Siebke, Puppetry Workshop Leader

“I enjoyed my day at Garvald. I liked the tour showing us how the tools are fixed.”
John Ruzzak, Blair Drummond

At the end of the day we came back together at Orwell Arts to share our experiences of the day and to sing the African song together again. There was a real buzz in the room and a wonderful sense of community amongst all of us. Everyone had a chance to have their say and this rounded off a tremendous day of sharing and celebration.