Staff
Main Areas of Responsibility at Chisholme:
Principal – Peter Young
He studied Archaeology and Anthropology at Cambridge, and Ottoman Turkish at Oxford. Later, he worked as a psychiatric nurse and for a time ran his own building company. He has been involved with Beshara since 1974, was a student of the first six-month Course in 1975 and has served as Principal of the Beshara School since 1984. He has published articles and given papers on the subject of the Unity of Existence, as well as lecturing and supervising courses
internationally for the Beshara School. He is married and has four children and currently three grandchildren!
Building Maintenance - Geoff Flowers
Geoff Flowers I am a 52 year old ex roads and highways civil engineer, now maintenance manager at Chisholme and summer motorcyclist. I live in lovely Lotties cottage a red tin hut, named after one of it’s previous occupants - with wife Jili and our red dog, called Claude. Trying to keep Chisholme running and not to become a grumpy old man is definitely a full time job.
Administration - Lyn Cullum
Lyn Cullum Lyn completed the two six month courses in 1984/5 and subsequently worked in administrative positions with the School, the Beshara Trust and then in a Fine Arts business and latterly in personnel work with Social Services Department. She returned to Chisholme House in the spring of 2004, working in the garden, then as Housekeeper and since October this year as Secretary. She enjoys theatre, singing and writing amongst other things.
Kitchen – Anthony Mulligan
Anthony is an actor and a jazz drummer. He has worked in a butchers, done some baking, but no candlestick-making. He finished the first six-month course in march 2007 and was very pleased to be invited to manage the kitchen here at Chisholme House. He experiences the kitchen as a place of nourishment, transformation and a special place of service.
Housekeeper – Hiroko Apthorp
She was born in Japan and lived in the UK since 1987. She studied fine art in London and Surrey, and also worked in a local playgroup in Oxford before doing the six month course in 2005. Since then she has worked as the assistant Housekeeper and from this October as the Housekeeper. She is married and has two children, Miwa and Haru.
Estate – Ben Young
I am a qualified dry-stone dyker and countryside manager. I’ve been living at Chisholme and working on the estate since 2004 with my wife, Laura, and baby daughter, Freya.
Garden – Merijn Schepens
I am Dutch and I finished Steiner School and came to Chisholme House as a WWOOFer (Willing Worker on an Organic Farm) - keen to practice and increase my gardening skills. I keep on learning new things everyday, both from the spiritual education and the garden. At some point I am sure to do one of the courses.