Archive News
Fundraising for Tools for Self Reliance
The pupils and co-workers of Camphill School raised £1029 at the Advent Craft Fair at the school, which was donated to Tools for Self Reliance. Donations enable Tools for Self Reliance to ship tools refurbished by their UK volunteers to Africa.
Iain Nisbet, Govan Law Centre, visit on 30 November 2011
Iain again visited the School and updated co-workers and parents in regard to current legislation relating to Children and Young People with Additional Support Needs. The event was well attended by parents from Camphill as well as other interested people.
Visit of Dr Olga Bogdashina, 15 November 2011
Dr Olga Bogdashina, a world-famous expert on Autism, led her second day workshop on Communication Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome. The event was again very informative and all who attended left having had their knowledge in regard to understanding autism strengthened.
Valerie Watts, Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council visits
Valerie Watts, Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council, visited Camphill School Aberdeen on Wednesday 2nd November. During her time in Camphill she was shown around the School, seeing a number of facilities: the schoolhouse, therapy centre and Nature Nurture room as well as semi- independent living accommodation and a residential house. She met with a representative of the Pupil Council and local parent group as well as senior management. Following her visit we hope that our partnership with Aberdeen City will be strengthened.
Mini Conference with Linn Moor School
The first joint conference with Linn Moor School, a local independent school for children and young people with additional support needs, took place on Monday 24th October. About 30 people attended and both schools had the opportunity to share about the services they offer. It was agreed that the conference was very worthwhile and that another will be held shortly with an invitation being extended to at least one other school.
Camphill co-worker to train Grampian Autistic Society staff
Bernhard Menzinger, a senior co-worker from Camphill School Aberdeen, has been asked to train the staff group of Grampian Autistic Society in the understanding of and therapeutic approaches to autism.
Nature Nurture Project featured in the Scottish Government’s 'Go Play Outcome and Evaluation Framework'
On 1st November co-workers from the Nature Nurture Project attended the Aberdeen launch of the 'Go Play Outcome and Evaluation Framework'. They had the opportunity to take part in the creation of this framework and are featured as a case study in the pack. The Framework describes ”what the play sector does, how it makes a difference and how it links to local and national priorities”. It is useful as a means of communicating with stakeholders, as a source of inspiration for project or organisational development and training, and as a support for making applications for funding and reporting outcomes to funders.
Following this, the Scottish Government’s Head of Play visited the project and met some of the children and coworkers involved.
BA in Social Pedagogy (BASP) recognised as an accredited qualification by the Scottish Social Services Commission
Following the Scottish Social Services Commission’s council meeting on 25th October, it was announced that the Commission will keep the BASP on all areas of the register for Scottish Social Service Workers where it was before the review, except in regard to managers for day care for children. We believe this is an important recognition of the value of the degree course run in partnership between Camphill and the University of Aberdeen and of the ongoing work of Social Pedagogy in Scotland.
Neil Gentleman from the Residential and Secure Care Service in the Scottish Government visits Camphill School
Neil visited Camphill School Aberdeen as part of the Scottish Government’s review of the National Residential Child Care Initiative which was launched in 2009. He said, “I was not surprised by your passion and sense of purpose … The facilities and opportunities for young people are clearly impressive … Yours is clearly a well-rooted but forward-thinking service”.
Our Planet
Autumn term 2011 the Pupil Council were busy in its efforts to promote Camphill School Aberdeen as an Eco School. Four topics were chosen for the school to work at: Saving energy, Water usage, Litter and Waste minimisation, and the pupils are working hard so that we achieve our goals and can fly the flag! On Friday 23rd September the eco committee organised a healthy picnic as part of the national ‘One Planet’ day and we all enjoyed food grown and/or prepared on the Estate. We are also hoping to build a greenhouse out of two-litre plastic bottles so please look out for collection points.
Open Day - Saturday 24 September
The Open Day on 24 September was a great success with hundreds of people visiting Camphill. The sun shone and the weather was glorious. It was wonderful to see so many young children and their families enjoying the open spaces and the playgrounds. The Culter Pipe Band played twice and provided a musical backcloth to the activities offered which included a puppet show, therapy demonstration and donkey riding, circus skills, wall climbing and much much more. Local visitor, Pam, said, “It was one of the best afternoons we have enjoyed for a long time.”
Visit of Tom Cowan, Head of Adult Services, Aberdeen City Council
On 20th September Tom Cowan visited the school and was updated in regard to the services offered.
Ellon Rotary Club
On Monday 13 June members of Ellon Rotary Club attended a talk and tour of Camphill with refreshments in Camphill House. The Rotary Club has recently donated many tools to the Tools for Self Reliance Workshop.
Celebrate Aberdeen
Many thanks to Marga, John T, Sam, Nico, Fatima, Scott McW, Danica and Pupil Council members, Steven W, Klae and Callum, plus his mother and sister, who volunteered to represent Camphill School Aberdeen in the parade on Saturday 11 June. We were part of a parade of 130 voluntary organisations who according to Annie Lennox are the "real heroes of the world!"
BP Visit
On Thursday 9 June a large group of BP employees, superbly organised and managed by Steve Johnston, Laurence’s Dad, worked tirelessly throughout the whole day renovating parts of the sensory garden, building six ‘green wood’ benches with Justin for the Nature Nurture woods and beautifying the front of Camphill House.
'Discovering Camphill' voted a great success
The 'Discovering Camphill' conference and book launch on 17 May 2011 was voted a great success by those who attended.
Around 100 medical professionals, educationalists and academics from seven UK universities, officials from nine UK local authorities, representatives from special needs' charities and politicians attended the one-day conference, based at Camphill Hall, on Camphill’s Murtle Campus in Bieldside, Aberdeen.
Following a short stage performance (pictured below left) by pupils from classes 9 and 12 at Camphill School Aberdeen, the conference was opened by Kate Skinner, who outlined her “voyage of discovery” from mother of a Camphill pupil to Chair of Camphill Scotland.
Then Thom Garfat (above right), senior lecturer at the School of Child and Youth Care at Riverson University in Toronto, took the lectern.
Thom Garat spoke of the ‘Circle of Courage’ which reminded us of the basic human needs of ‘belonging’, ‘mastery’, ‘independence’ and ‘generosity’. “When you feel you belong, you feel you are of value”, he explained and went on to add that “mastery is more than just competence; it is knowing you can meet the challenges.”
Mastery, he added, meant 'meaningful doing’, whereas, he felt, so many programmes mean doing nothing. “In Camphill people are always doing something!”
Thom Garfat talked about the “extraordinary act of generosity” that leads people to come to Camphill and dedicate themselves to working with others. Acts of generosity, he explained, stimulate the pleasure centres of the brain and receiving generosity enhances the feeling of belonging.
Looking at the recent moves in care, he said that the push on 'normalisation' sometimes sentences people to isolation. He asserted that “one size does not fit all at Camphill”, adding, "everyone is treated as an individual and has an opportunity to make choices”.
He concluded by saying: “In the end I didn't wonder why there are so many people here, I wondered why there are so few”.
Mark Smith (below left), lecturer in social work at the University of Edinburgh, regretted that these days social workers were more likely to talk about 'limited liability'. He asked what has gone wrong? Answering his own question he pointed to “barriers rather than boundaries, neoliberalism, managerialism, focus on bottom line”.
He regretted the enormous proliferation of legislation and guidance and railed against buzzwords like “empowerment” and “personalisation”.
“We become linked to each other through contractual agreements, rather than anything deeper”, he believed. “Care has become circumscribed by so many rules and regulations”.
“An ethic of care is a practice, not a set of rules and regulations”, he added, urging a focus on responsibilities and relationships rather than rules and rights.
“We need to start thinking differently. We need to start thinking what is 'a good life’”, Mark Smith concluded.
Professor Pete Stollery (below) talked about the BA degree course in Social Pedagogy, which is run by Camphill in partnership with his faculty in the University of Aberdeen. He welcomed this co-operation and said that the two organisations were already talking about further co-operation.
During the conference the Discovering Camphill book was launched. Edited by local education consultant Robin Jackson, the Discovering Camphill book brings together contributions from scholars and experts in various disciplines to examine the way Camphill works with children, young people and adults who have special needs.
The conference came 70 years after the first Camphill community opened its doors to children with special needs at Camphill House in the Milltimber area of Aberdeen.
Camphill in Aberdeen featured on STV
As a preview for the 'Discovering Camphill' conference, STV carried a feature on the work of Camphill in Aberdeen on their evening news bulletin on Monday, May 16.
To view the report you can watch the news bulletin on the STV website. To view the Camphill report zoom forward to 11 minutes 49 seconds.
Co-worker raises money for earthquake and tsunami victims
Following the devastating magnitude 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan on March 11, more than 26,000 people have been reported dead or missing.
Many survivors have lost their properties and jobs. Many are still living in evacuation centres.
Ikuka Chiba, of Camphill School Aberdeen, is from Sendai, the nearest major city to the quake.
“I experienced one of the great earthquakes there as a child and it remains as the first memory in my life,” she says.
“I have been considering how I should relate myself to this event and decided to make a thousand origami cranes during the summer term and to call for fund-raising for my challenge.”
Origami cranes symbolise recovery, long life, hope and peace. Legend says that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes will have their wish come true.
Camphill School Aberdeen co-worker is a keynote speaker at a UK national conference on Social Pedagogy, 31 March 2011
Vibeke Alfred, who has lived and worked in Camphill School Aberdeen for more than 30 years, addressed over 150 delegates from across the UK. The title of her talk was 'Social Pedagogy and Camphill Essentials'.
Camphill School Aberdeen co-worker teaches in Russia, March 2011
Birgit Hansen had another visit to Russia where she lectured to students studying curative education on the Ita Wegman Seminar, which is accredited with Moscow University.
Red Nose Day, 18 March 2011
This year saw Camphill engaging more fully than ever before in Red Nose Day. Children, young people and co-workers joined together to do something funny to raise money for children in need: each class prepared to come dressed up to school that morning. Some people came wearing something funny on their heads, some were dressed all in red and some came to school in their pyjamas. One youngster prepared a ‘magic show’ for the occasion and one co-worker ran from Culter all the way to Banchory and back before breakfast! It is fair to say that everyone made a good effort. Many asked for sponsorship and this was supported by families and friends as well as co-workers. With all the brilliant support, together we managed to raise more than £200! And whilst doing something funny, everyone enjoyed their red nose school morning.
Camphill School Aberdeen co-worker teaches in India and Pakistan, February 2011
Angelika Monteux, formally the joint Director of the BA in Social Pedagogy, returned from another journey to India where she teaches on a three-year Social Pedagogy seminar. Following this she visited a new village community for adults with additional support needs where she offered her services as a consultant helping the co-workers develop and deepen their work.
Visit by Iain Nisbet of the Govan Law Centre, 24 February 2011
Camphill hosted a visit by Iain Nisbet from the Govan Law Centre. More than 60 people attended this event with the vast majority being parents new to Camphill. More than 20 of these new visitors toured Murtle Estate and I could imagine some will be pursuing placing their children in Camphill. Many were simply amazed at what they saw; the breadth of our provision and our social pedagogical way of working. Iain gave an important contribution to the theme of parents’ and children's rights and so, all in all, it was an excellent day! We are planning to host similar events on a regular basis.
Multicolour Camphill workers raise £2,000 for Java volcano survivors
DONORS PAID TO SUGGEST HAIR COLOUR FOR GROUP
People in Milltimber and Bieldside may be doubting their eyes after this weekend as a group of eight from Camphill School Aberdeen go about their business with multicolour hair, plus two with pink beards.
The fundraising stunt is all in a good cause as the money raised will go to help survivors of the Mount Merapi volcano eruption on the island of Java. The group offered friends and colleagues a chance to vote for the hair colour of their choice, in return for a donation. Between this and previous fundraising efforts they have collected more than £2,000.
On Saturday (February 12) the colourful transformation will take place. The result will be eight different coloured hair styles – pink, “smurf blue”, bright blue, burgundy, blond and black, plus two pink beards. The volunteers who will be sporting this multicoloured look are Oliver Roschke, Tobias Hensel, Michael Fichtner, Philipp zu Hohenlohe, Steven Watt, Aye Maung, Danica Ondrusova and Frank Wenner.
Oliver Roschke explains how the idea came about:
“In November I was contacted by a friend from Indonesia about the volcano eruption on the island of Java. The explosion of Mount Merapi started towards the end of October and continued with increasing violence until the end of December.
“Authorities say that the eruptions are the strongest within the last 140 years and left 500 people dead and more than 400,000 people had to be evacuated from their homes.
“I spent part of my summer holidays in this area and enjoyed the hospitality and warmth of the people as well as the simplicity of their lifestyle. Many people invited me and my friends to their homes and treated us like members of their own family. It seemed so natural to them to share what they had with us strangers and to makes us feel at home.
“Now many of the people there are in a desperate situation; they lost their homes and they neither have sufficient food supplies nor medicine. So our idea was to raise awareness of their plight as well as to raise some money to offer physical support.”
The group from Camphill started their fundraising with an open stage night at Camphill with musical performances, poetry, dancing and other entertainment. They raised several hundred pounds, but felt they wanted to do more. Which is where the hair dyeing idea was dreamt up.
Issued on behalf of Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire
by Ken McEwen Public Relations
Camphill to feature in three-part radio documentary in Korea
Camphill Aberdeen communities are to be featured this week (December 1-3) in a series of three radio programmes looking at the work of the Camphill communities in Aberdeen.
Commenting on the programmes, Eunmi Lee, the producer for the Korean Broadcasting System, said:
“We wanted to visit Camphill so that we can hear more about the lives in the communities and the philosophy. We also wanted to know how Camphill has been successful to make many communities all over the world.
“We visited some places for people with learning disability in Korea because we would like to know what difficulties they have now and whether there will be any possibility to start a Camphill in Korea.
“In short, many Koreans are interested in starting a community for people with special needs like Camphill. The radio programme will give them some ideas, motivation and inspiration.”
Laurence Alfred, co-ordinator at Camphill School Aberdeen, said:
“It is an honour for us to be asked to participate in such a documentary and is another indication of how Camphill Aberdeen is seen in high regard internationally.
“Increasingly the work of the Camphill Aberdeen charities is being used as a model. Last year we had a visit from Korean Television who used Camphill Aberdeen as a model in a special report on the role of welfare communities. Prior to that we hosted a delegation from Romania.
“More recently one of our senior co-workers has just returned from a lecture tour in India while another has been invited to return to Russia where she lectured last year.”
The Korean radio programmes are to be broadcast over three days on December 1 to 3.
The Camphill Movement, which takes its name from the original community that opened at Camphill House in the Milltimber area of Aberdeen, now extends to 100 centres in 23 countries.
Issued on behalf of Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire
by Ken McEwen Public Relations
Visit by Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council
The Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council, Sue Bruce, visited in September 2010.
Unique partnership enables University of Aberdeen to launch Scotland’s first degree in social pedagogy
The University will launch the first degree programme in Scotland in social pedagogy today (Monday September 6) through a unique partnership with the Camphill School Aberdeen.
Social pedagogy is a holistic professional activity integrating elements of care, education, therapeutic and creative activities in the work with children and adults with complex needs, acknowledging the importance of relationship and social interaction in promoting healthy development and life.
The new BA in Social Pedagogy has grown out of the curative education programme at the University and will enable students to combine their academic studies with practical experience at Camphill.
Camphill School Aberdeen, in Bieldside, Aberdeen, offers an inclusive, comprehensive and holistic approach to education, care and therapy for 88 pupils with complex special needs ranging from deprivation to autism from the age of three to 19 years.
Thirteen students, from 12 different countries, will embark on the new BA and most will work as volunteer co-workers in Camphill.
Norma Hart, senior lecturer in the School of Education, University of Aberdeen, said the unique partnership between the University and Camphill will provide a rich and varied learning environment for students.
“Students will live and work at Camphill while they are learning – the programme is based on the apprenticeship model but with a sound academic background.
“This enhances the experience for students and enables them to put their knowledge into practice, benefiting from both the Camphill and University experience.
“The residential community setting means students are very well supported, generally, and receive a lot of one-on-one attention.”
The BA in Social Pedagogy draws on social care, but also incorporates aspects of the knowledge skills values and attitudes of teaching, therapeutic work and craft work.
Mrs Hart added: “This integrated holistic approach to working with vulnerable individuals is a particular strength of the programme.
“While preparing students for relevant professional qualifications in the UK, its significance also extends beyond the UK as it allows students to enter into worldwide network of practitioners in the field of work with vulnerable individuals who are trying to approach their practice from a holistic perspective.”
The launch of the new course comes as Camphill is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its foundation in Aberdeen. The Camphill pioneers, who had been planning a community providing education and support for children with special needs, were welcomed into Aberdeen as refugees.
The links with the University of Aberdeen go back to those early days, as the university principal Sir William Hamilton Fyfe was one of the first trustees. From Aberdeen, Camphill has extended internationally to encompass 100 centres in 23 countries.
For further details of the course visit www.abdn.ac.uk/education/courses/basp
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For further information:
Joanne Rostron
University of Aberdeen
Telephone 01224 272013
j.rostron (at) abdn dot ac dot uk
From Jane Riach (a parent)
"Just to let you know that I am back after successfully reaching the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. Almost 19000 feet of it!!! It was such a wonderful experience and I will treasure every minute of it.
"I have raised just over £4,100.00 for the new therapy centre. This has gone way over the original target I had of £2,500!!"
Fantastic efforts; well done and thank you!
Fund raising
Katy Wood, Beth’s sister, has raised £700 by taking part in a tandem skydive from a plane by ‘jumping’ 11,000 feet.
Camphill pupils refurbish Aberdeen community garden - work carried out as part of Duke of Edinburgh Award
Pupils from Camphill School Aberdeen, which provides education and support for children and young people with special needs, carried out refurbishment work at the Ross Watt Community Garden in the Culter area of Aberdeen as part of their activity for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Four final-year pupils – James Jay, Conor Reid, Samuel Scott and Charlie Walker, all 18 years old – were improving the gardens and the play area, as well as starting work on a new walkway and seating area in the wooded section of the garden. This part of the work was particularly hard as it involved removing large boulders from the route.
In total there are nine pupils from Camphill School completing their Duke of Edinburgh Award, which involves voluntary work, physical activity and an expedition. On Tuesday and Wednesday (June 15 and 16) the pupils took part in the expedition element of the award scheme, which involved them spending two days and one night in remote countryside.
One of the pupils, Conor Reid, explained why he had decided to volunteer for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards:
“I thought it would be an opportunity for my last year at Camphill School Aberdeen. It has been a lot of hard work, but it has also been good fun.”
Issued on behalf of Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire
by Ken McEwen Public Relations
Camphill students receive Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society Awards
Nine pupils at Camphill School Aberdeen, which provides education and support for children and young people with special needs, are to receive awards from the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society recognising their achievements in horticulture.
The achievement awards, to be presented by the society’s president George Anderson MBE (well known for his regular appearances on BBC Beechgrove Garden), recognise 80 hours of work per student in the garden on the Camphill Campus of Camphill School Aberdeen.
During their time in the garden, the students have to undertake 20 different tasks, including seven core horticultural tasks. They also have to achieve three personal goals while working in the garden.
This is the third consecutive year that a number of of students working in the Camphill School Aberdeen garden have qualified for the award.
The students who will be presented with their awards are: Aaron Fairweather (16), Laura Crawford (17), Daniel Sim (17), Brandon Baker (18), Ben Gibson (18), Steven McDonald (18), Charlie Walker (18), Scott McWilliam (19), Jack Stewart (19).
Commenting on the students’ success, Ian Futter of Camphill School Aberdeen said: “At Camphill School Aberdeen we believe that working in the school garden is an important element of our therapeutic programme. It is an opportunity for the students to learn at their own pace, while enjoying fresh air and appreciating nature.
“For some students this award can be a stepping stone to a formal qualification whereas for others whose special needs make existing qualifications inaccessible it provides recognition of their individual achievements.
“Our aim is not to train students to become gardeners, but rather to use the garden as a venue for learning valuable social and work skills. The individual goals of the award make this possible.”
Camphill School Aberdeen has around an acre of garden space at its Camphill Campus, about half of that is within the old walled garden of Camphill House.
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Open Day
The School held its Annual Open Day on Saturday 25th September from 2-5pm in Camphill Estate. The fun day included the official opening of the new Therapy Centre alongside traditional favourites like the donkey riding, face painting, craft activities, home baking, BBQ, therapy demonstrations, puppet show and much more.
Two large donations mean that our target of raising £100,000 towards the cost of the new Therapy Centre on Camphill Estate has been reached. Our thanks go to the Wooden Spoon for £50,000, The Robertson Trust for £43,000 and to countlesss others who made this possible.
Aberdeen man aims to raise £1000 for Camphill on Lairig Ghru hill race
Dave Thompson (42), from Cults in Aberdeen, is in training to take part in the gruelling 42km Lairig Ghru hill race on Sunday, June 27. Apart from the sheer challenge of finishing, Dave is aiming to raise £1,000 for the Camphill Newton Dee community.
Dave Thompson, Business Development Manager with Capita Health Solutions in Aberdeen, has competed on this race twice before – so he does know the challenges he will face. But he describes his last attempt two years ago as a “nightmare” and found it very difficult to finish the course. That, he says, was the spur to try again this year.
The Lairig Ghru race route takes contestants from Braemar, climbing to more than 2,000 feet on the boulder-strewn trail through the Lairig Ghru mountain pass. The finish is in Aviemore.
Commenting on why he wants to raise money for Camphill Newton Dee, Dave Thomson says:
“I live quite close to Newton Dee and I am a regular visitor at the store and café. I think what they do there is tremendous and I really want to do something to help and support them.
“The ethos of Camphill and Newton Dee is that everyone brings to the community different abilities, which they use for the benefit of those around them. The community is therefore bound together by the support, which each individual gives and receives.”
Newton Dee, one of seven charities within Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire, is home to some 200 people of whom around half are adults with special needs. Newton Dee is currently celebrating its 50th Annversary as an adult community.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of the foundation of Camphill in Aberdeen. On June 1, 1940 a group of young refugees opened the door of Camphill House in Milltimber, Aberdeen, to children with with special needs.
From those early days in wartime Aberdeen, Camphill has now grown to encompass 100 communities in 23 countries. In the Aberdeen area more than 700 people live and work in Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire charities.
• Dave Thompson’s fundraising page on Just Giving is at http://www.justgiving.com/Dave-Thompson0
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Issued on behalf of Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire
by Ken McEwen Public Relations
Childhood health in the spotlight
Dr Marga Hogenboom of the Camphill Medical Practice will be talking about Childhood Illness as the last in a series of five talks looking at different aspects of the work of the practice.
One of the GPs at Camphill Medical Practice, Dr Hogenboom will be giving practical advice for parents. She will examine what to do when a child becomes ill, when to contact the doctor and she will also discuss some of the natural remedies that are available.
Sponsored by the Friends of Camphill Medical Practice, the talk takes place on Tuesday, May 25 at 7.30pm in the Newton Dee Café, on Old Ferry Road, Bieldside, Aberdeen.
Camphill Medical Practice, located on the Murtle Campus of Camphill School Aberdeen in Bieldside, provides NHS primary care services to the local community along with the intensive professional care required by the children and adults in Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire communities in the Aberdeen area.
Camphill Medical Practice is a former winner of the Innovative Practice Award and the Quality Practice Award, both presented by the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Admission to the talk is free and refreshments will be served afterwards.
ends
Issued on behalf of Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire
by Ken McEwen Public Relations
Feet will take a pounding as Stuart aims for Camphill cash in Sunday’s Edinburgh Marathon
Stuart Probart, from Kincausie Estate, Maryculter, near Aberdeen, is in the final stages of his 100-mile training for Sunday’s (May 23) Edinburgh Marathon.
The 45-year-old teacher is the veteran of eight marathons, including Amsterdam in October 2009 and Edinburgh last year. He has worked out that, in the 26.2 miles of the Edinburgh Marathon, his feet will slam into the tarmac 52,000 times.
“All this pounding makes my feet sore,” Stuart says. “It also hurts the ankles, legs, knees, hips and so forth. At about 20 miles my body’s store of glycogen fuel will run out. Runners whose bodies have not yet learned to burn fat will often hit the wall at this point. Then there is the hobbling around for several days after the race.”
Why is he putting himself through this? For Stuart, it is not just the challenge of completing the race, he is using his entry to raise funds for Camphill Medical Practice and its ExHale programme, designed to tackle hypertension (commonly known as high blood pressure).
“Hypertension is a health condition which affects at least 12% of the Scottish population,” Stuart explains. “This condition leads to a heightened risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, alongside uncertainty and worries, possible loss of control over oneself, feelings of despair and reduced self image.
“The ExHale programme is delivered jointly by the NHS and charity arms of Camphill Medical Practice. The programme offers powerful tools to help strengthen your sense of self and control over your life. The ExHale project is not funded by the NHS and so it relies on patient contributions and fundraising and donations to offset the running costs.”
Camphill Medical Practice, one of seven charities within Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire, provides NHS primary care services to the local community along with the intensive professional care required by the children and adults in Camphill communities in the Aberdeen area. The medical practice is a former winner of the Innovative Practice Award and the Quality Practice Award, both presented by the Royal College of General Practitioners.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the foundation of Camphill in Aberdeen. On June 1, 1940 a group of young refugees opened the door of Camphill House in Milltimber, Aberdeen, to children with with special needs.
From those early days in wartime Aberdeen, Camphill has now grown to encompass 100 communities in 23 countries. In the Aberdeen area more than 700 people live and work in Camphill Aberdeen City and Shire charities.
• Stuart Probart’s fundraising page on Just Giving is at http://www.justgiving.com/Stuart-Probart
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Tuesday 8th December - UK Minister for the Disabled visited Camphill School Aberdeen and saw for himself ‘the work of the last 70 years’. He met senior co-workers, and members of the Council of Management, Pupil Council and Parents’ Group.
