News & Events

To be lead by environmental consultant and author Graham Bell http://grahambell.org/permaculture/

To inquire or to book a place, contact Laganvalley Permaculture.

Telephone: 07577979057 or email: info@laganvalleypermaculture.co.uk

This timely course will cover all aspects of environmentally and socially productive design.

Including

· Producing food fuel and fibre from the resources you have- window box to broadscale agriculture

· Ecological building and renovations

· Heating and energy production and usage, minimising waste

· How trees, plants, animals, and even fungi matter and can be managed productively in low work systems

· Understanding water and its life giving potential. Aquaculture, water purification and reuse

· Repair of damaged environments

· Why heal and whole come from the same root and how to make that work for your community

• Strategies to value and strengthen local trading and services, with much more.

Most importantly, we will learn how to integrate these systems, by design, into well sited plans. Permaculture [from Permanent (agri)Culture] is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive systems which have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural systems.

It is applicable in a wide variety of contexts, from family homes to schools, businesses, city wastelands, farms and regional zoning.

Cost The course costs range from £545 -£755, depending on your accommodation option (camping and single rooms in cosy accommodation)

The 38th B.R.A. Sponsored Walk took place over the Cave Hill during early April raising a total of £11,155.12p for four chosen charities; Camphill Community Glencraig, NI Cancer Fund for Children, Shelterbox and the School's own Malawi Project.  Heather Semple of the 'Friends of Glencraig' and our Fundraising Officer, Maria, attended a cheque presentation, together with representatives from the other charities, at B.R.A. on 28th June.  The funds will be used to support our new Biomass Heating Project.

We were delighted to welcome Councillor William Humprhey MLA and Margaret McKenzie (former Councillor and High Sheriff of Belfast) to Glencraig for a visit on 25th May.  Camphill Communities Trust (NI) was the chosen charity of the Deputy Lord Mayor and during his term of office he hosted our hugely successfull Fundraising Ball in Belfast City Hall.

Our thanks to Tommy Mulholland and everyone at Belfast & District Golf Clubs who recently raised funds for Glencraig.  Pictured at the cheque presentation, which took place at Knock Golf Club on 19th May, are Maria (our Fundraising Officer) and Tommy Mulholland.

Some 260 guests, including representatives from our four NI Communities, parents, corporate supporters and friends enjoyed a Drinks Reception and welcome music by 'Banter', five course meal and dancing to live band 'Sugartown Road'.

Auction lots, including a painting by leading Ulster Artist Tom Kerr, went under the hammer of Auctioneer, Kieran Harris, raising £3,725 whilst the ballot raised £1,395.

The event has raised just over £12,600 - a big 'thank you' to everyone who helped make this possible.

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A grant of £1,000 from NIE Staff & Pensioners Fund has funded the production of a new leaflet and information banner stands for CCTNI.  Pictured at the launch of the new materials which took place in Camphill Holywood Coffee Shop in December are:

Standing: Alexis Totten (Secretary, NIE Staff & Pensioners Fund), (L-R) Maria Kinney (FR Officer CCTNI), Jacqueline Mitchell (NIE) and Roger (Camphill Holywood Cafe).

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A huge thank you to Liam, Eileen and Didi of Rostrevor Holidays and everyone at Chain Reaction Cycles who raised £1,000 for Glencraig during this year's Irish National Downhill Mountain Bike Championships. Liam is pictured above with Bobby and Noel from Glencraig.

Andrew Byrne (Brother of Paul from Clanabogan Community) has been raising funds for Camphill Clanabogan this Summer by taking part in the Chicago Triathlon!  Andrew completed the Olympic distance event on 29th August raising £1,900! 

Pictured above: The Down to Dingle Team present the cheque to Vincent and Liam at Glencraig on 25th August.

A huge thank you to Peter Rafferty, Dervla and Patrick McGrann, Shane O'Neill, Brian Thompson, Conor McDonagh, Tony & Therese Rafferty and John & Rosemary McGrann for their wonderful support.  Thank you also to everyone who sponsored and supported the cyclists.

The orchestra from Glencraig played a lovely piece by Liam O'Flynn called: An Droichead (The Bridge)

Liam O'Flynn recalls "I was honoured with a request by Ireland's President Mary McAleese to write and perform a piece of music for her inauguration. The music was based on the theme of her Presidency, An Droichead or Bridges". The President was very touched that this was chosen for her visit.

The President's speech was so warm and poignant, particularly for parents and co-workers, that I thought it would be wholly appropriate to reproduce extracts of her speech in this feature, so that many others would benefit from the powerful words spoken.

'It's lovely to be part of Camphill's 70th Anniversary Celebrations! I've never heard An Droichead played better. It means "a bridge" and for so many people here, Camphill, what it represents, what the whole Camphill Community right around the world means - Is a bridge to Life, a bridge to the fullness of life. It's a bridge to being part of a community that shares each other's burdens and shares its joys. For every single parent here, every family here - there is a moment when you realise that your child is going to live its life coping with the challenge of a learning disability. Where there is a worry, there's a fear that descends and that fear comes from the unknown.

Really, what this place offers, through it's philosophy, it's sense of community and it's sharing is that it transforms that fear and worry of the unknown into the "mystery and awe" of seeing children blossom, flourish and having the fullness of life.

So from fear to awe, from the fear of what will happen to a child who could be a wonderful member of an orchestra, who has friends, a wonderful life, one who has independence, to the child who has their own story to tell, on their own terms.

Camphill exists because people dared to start out with the love of a stranger. People commit to this vocation, commit to creating this place, commit to creating all the other Camphill Communities which I have become familiar with over the years. I've always known Mourne Grange, when I lived in Rostrevor and over the years I've had the privilege of visiting so many places now, where I know, looking at the faces, hearing the stories, unpacking the stories and indeed, knowing many of the families here today.

You know from their stories of the deep, deep worry and concern that every loving parent has for their child. It's a burden that you're never free of, that's the simple truth of the matter but it's a burden that if you carry the load, boy! It's a lonely journey, a tough and lonely journey. Everything about Camphill says, actually, the journey is shared, the burden is shared and, you know what, when it is shared it opens up so many possibilities. It opens up the possibility for such a range of talents and skills and inputs into the life of the child or a young adult. It meets them on their own terms, they put their talents together with all the other people here and that's where the mystery comes from and where the awe is found.

This is what allows parents to sleep content at night because they know that their child is loved and they know that their child is in a loving, caring and good environment, a place to which they can contribute, a place where they truly matter.

I think the philosophy and existence of Camphill is just marvellous! Anyway just think about it for a moment - what would life be like if we didn't have Camphill? What would it be like for so many families, who rely on Camphill and others like it?

It would be like, just switching off the light on a life. Every child and every young adult, whatever their circumstances , is entitled to the fullness of life, to know what their fullness is , to have it revealed to them and to be part of that revelation - Camphill is dedicated to that.

Thank goodness for those who commit to this vocation, because, no parent would allow their child to come here, to stay, to be educated, to work, to live here, unless they trusted implicitly in the place, unless it had established a loving caring environment.

In every generation, nobody could ever afford to drop the baton and thank goodness that's what's been done here. The vocation has been honoured; it allows parents the joy to move from the fear of the unknown to the awe and mystery. To enjoy their children's lives, to sleep easily in their beds at night, to be contented, because they know their gorgeous and beloved children are so contented in Camphill.

Thank you so much for allowing me to share in this very special day - when the President visits, it's worse than having your mother visit your bedroom!'

Camphill Communities Northern Ireland has recently secured substantial grant funding through the Low Carbon Communities Challenge (LCCC) to help fund the installation of a Biomass District Heating System in Camphill Community Glencraig. After a rigorous application and assessment process Camphill was one of only 20 UK wide projects selected and one of two projects in Northern Ireland to be selected.

The grant, awarded through the Government's Low Carbon Community Challenge, will be spent on a range of green measures which will cut carbon, save money on energy bills, and could even see some communities make cash from generating their own energy - thanks to the Government's new clean energy scheme.

 In addition to the grant funding secured, Camphill will be making a substantial investment in the project and it is envisaged that this ambitious project will be replicated in other Camphill Communities throughout the UK and Ireland and in the wider community.

The Low Carbon Communities Challenge (LCCC) is a two-year research programme designed to test delivery options for achieving ambitious cuts in carbon emissions at community level.

Providing financial and advisory support to 20 test-bed communities, LCCC will enable the development of bespoke local schemes to improve energy efficiency and tackle the wider issue of climate change.

Helping to challenge and shape government policy, and to galvanise and support local action, LCCC will provide vital insights into the technical innovations and social changes required to enable Britain to reach its carbon reduction targets.

Specifically, the programme will help government understand the potential role of communities in the transition to a low carbon future, and the systems, infrastructure and governance required to make this future a reality. It will also help to establish positive models for community action, and enable the sharing of ideas, stories and information to inspire other communities to launch their own low carbon initiatives.

The Low Carbon Communities Challenge launch event took place on 8th February 2010 in London.  Joan Ruddock, Minister for Climate Change, attended the event and met the community representatives. Martin Sturm, Vincent Reynolds and Geoffrey Weir represented Camphill Communities Northern Ireland. Since the official announcement, the Camphill project has received substantial local and national press coverage and featured in numerous publications and websites.

Camphill Community Glencraig plans to install a Biomass District Heating System, using locally sourced wood. Calling on the experience and expertise gained through the installation of the first Biomass District Heating System in Ireland, installed in Camphill Community Clanabogan in 1998, in partnership with the South West Colleges, Omagh, this scheme has excellent potential to be replicated in any semi urban community wherever wood is locally available as a sustainable fuel source. Total oil displacement for the Glencraig scheme alone is projected in excess of 253,000 litres of oil = 640 tonnes of carbon per annum and will help the community achieve a two thirds reduction in energy consumption.

Biomass heating systems refers to the various methods used to generate heat from biomass. The systems fall under the categories of direct combustion, gasification, combined heat and power (CHP), anaerobic and aerobic digestion.

Benefits of Biomass Heating Systems

The use of biomass in heating systems is beneficial because it uses agricultural, forest, urban and industrial residues and waste to produce heat and electricity with a very limited effect on the environment. This type of energy production has a very limited effect on the environment because the carbon in biomass is part of the natural carbon cycle, while the carbon in fossil fuels is not, and adds carbon to the environment when burned for fuel. Historically, before the use of fossil fuels in significant quantities, biomass in the form of wood fuel provided most of humanity's heating, as well as providing our first renewable energy resource.

Biomass Heating in Our World

The oil price increases since 2003 and consequent price increases for natural gas and coal have increased the value of biomass for heat generation. Forest renderings, agricultural waste, and crops grown specifically for energy production become competitive as the prices of energy dense fossil fuels rise. Efforts to develop this potential may have the effect of regenerating mismanaged croplands and be a cog in the wheel of a decentralised, multi-dimensional renewable energy industry. Efforts to promote and advance these methods became common throughout the European Union through the 2000s. In other areas of the world, inefficient and polluting means to generate heat from biomass coupled with poor forest practices have significantly added to environmental degradation.

Types of Biomass Heating Systems

The use of Biomass in heating systems has a use in many different types of buildings, and all have different uses. There are four main types of heating systems that use biomass to heat a boiler. The types are Fully Automated, Semi-Automated, Pellet-Fired, and Combined Heat and Power. The Glencraig project will run off a fully automated system. 

Fully Automated

Fully automated systems operate exactly how they sound. Chipped or ground up waste wood is brought to the site by delivery trucks and dropped into a holding tank. A system of conveyors then transports the wood from the holding tank to the boiler at a certain managed rate. This rate is managed by computer controls and a laser that measures the load of fuel the conveyor is bringing in. The system automatically goes on and off to maintain the pressure and temperature within the boiler. Fully automated systems offer a great deal of ease in their operation because they only require the operator of the system to control the computer, and not the transport of wood.

The timeline  

Over the past months a substantial amount of time and effort has been invested by both Camphill personnel and our professional advisors in attending meetings and preparing and lodging the Glencraig application. At this stage a planning application has been lodged with North Down Borough Council and planning approval is awaited. Brian Wilson, MLA and leader of the Green Party has been very supportive throughout the process and we look forward to continuing this partnership as we move forward with the project. Arrangements are currently underway for Arlene Foster, MLA, and Minister of the Environment to visit Camphill Community Glencraig.

It is planned to start the pipe laying and building work by July and March 2011 is the target date for the system to be fully operational, in line with the requirements of the grant. The detailed drawings and plans are available for viewing in Camphill Community Glencraig office. Should you want to know more about the Low Carbon Communities Challenge just log on to the Department of Energy and Climate Change website    http://www.decc.gov.uk/default.aspx

Currently the Camphill Community Glencraig website is Under development.  But keep an eye for all the latest developments and updates. New content will be added daily.