Volunteering at Chisholme

Getting involved

To get involved, write to the secretary. Skilled and unskilled help welcome.

Dome building

There is a short video of the completion of the dome of the retreat on Youtube,

The Gift of Time and Expertise

Volunteers are a vital part of life at Chisholme. The School could not have been built, nor now be maintained without the support of many dedicated volunteers. Working in Chisholme as a volunteer can be a great way to connect with one's self and with others sharing a common aim.

Most people make a contribution to their keep were possible. However, Chisholme is happy to welcome a limited number of volunteers at any one time, who are willing to work in exchange for free board and lodgings.

Chisholme is a registered host with WWOOFers (Willing Workers On Organic Farms: www.wwoof.org.uk)

To find out more, or to apply to work as a volunteer, please write to the secretary@beshara.org or phone +44 (0)1451 880 215.

Below is an overview of the areas of work open to volunteers; click on the blue headings for more details:

The Organic Garden includes a large walled vegetable garden right next to the lake, several poly tunnels and extensive flowerbeds.

Estate and Forestry work means caring for young trees, timber extraction for fire wood, dry stone walling, fencing, maintaining roads and footpaths and much more.

Building and Maintenance: A number of major and minor building projects are ongoing or proposed, and both skilled and unskilled help with these is most welcome.

Kitchen: Great care and attention is given to the preparation of every single meal. Help in the kitchen is always very welcome.

Hospitality: Chisholme is open to visitors all year round. The house and Steading need to be kept clean, tidy and welcoming at all times.

Whether you are skilled or unskilled, feel strong or prefer more gentle work, there will be something you can participate in.

Chisholme is first and foremost a school. It has a spiritual focus. The best way of being at Chisholme is by participating fully in all the school has to offer. Volunteers are welcome to join in courses running throughout the year. Course fees in such situations can be waived, according to circumstances.

Beshara Symposium 2010

Much help will be needed this coming spring and summer to prepare for the Self-knowledge and Global Responsibility Symposium proposed for September 2010. This will include a number of building projects to improve the accommodation and infrastructure. A course in yurt-building is also proposed for the coming summer period.

The Organic Garden

Part of the estate contains the walled garden with herbaceous borders around its edges and poly tunnels for early growing of crops. Although the garden does not aim for self-sufficiency, huge amounts of vegetables are grown from early spring until the first autumn frosts. The work inside the garden involves preparing the soil for planting: weeding, digging, manuring and composting. Later comes the planting out of young seedlings, watering, caring and harvesting. For those with a love of flowers there is plenty of work to be done maintaining the colourful herbaceous borders both in the walled garden and in front of the main house.

There is also a good number of chickens, ducks and geese which need to be cared for.

Chisholme is a registered host with WWOOFers (Willing Workers On Organic Farms: www.wwoof.org.uk). You can hear what past wwoofers thought about the place in volunteer testimonials.

The Estate, the Forest and Firewood

The Chisholme Estate comprises approximately 170 acres/70 hectares in a setting of outstanding natural beauty. The land encompassed in its boundaries is diverse and varied in its flora and fauna.

Since 1998 the estate has been involved in a reforestation programme. Over 18,000 trees have been planted. They are growing well but require regular attention. Two weeks are set aside in April, around Easter, and volunteers of all ages are invited to come and participate in what is always a very vigorous and enjoyable time.

In the spring of 2009, a new log-burning boiler was installed at Chisholme with grant-help from the Energy Savings Trust Scotland. It generates hot water and heating for the house and Steading. As a consequence, forest management for timber, and long-term storage of logs are now part of the day to day work on the estate. And as always there is dry stone wall repairs, fencing, path clearing and upkeep, and in the summer, a never ending cycle of mowing and strimming!

Building and Maintenance

Building work and maintenance are ongoing, especially in the areas of energy conservation and insulation. Skilled and unskilled help is needed also in all areas to do with the school's infrastructure, equipment and services, day to day running repairs, checks on fire alarms, lighting, vehicles, tools and workshop, plumbing, etc.

The Kitchen

This is what a former kitchen manager had to say:

"Cooking here at Chisholme is a joy, an extraordinary education, and true, real fun. The kitchen sweeps you up and carries you along and you cannot easily escape. As you care for it, clean it, create apparent chaos, bring back order, it does the same for you. It cleans you, creates chaos, and puts you again in order. The prospect of peeling and chopping a mountain of onions, cooking Christmas dinner for 60, or making enough yoghurt for the whole school may seem impossible and terrifying at first. Very quickly however, you see that the food cooks itself – all you have to do is be present. The help comes. Having cooked here for a year I want to say how grateful I am for every single moment of it and how, by asking to carry this service out in love, the most simple of tasks can be the most beautiful thing in the world."

Hospitality

Housekeeping at Chisholme means first and foremost preparing and taking care of guests, which involves room preparation, laundry, flower arranging and being in a friendly and welcoming mood. The public buildings need to be kept clean, the dining room prepared for meals, and there is always some mending, ironing and sewing to do.