Help needed

Jethro Flowers is currently responsible for maintenance at Chisholme and is looking for an assistant. He writes:

"I am looking for someone who is reasonably fit and healthy, but most important must be caring, enthusiastic and willing to learn about the maintenance of the school."

Forestry Fortnight

Every April since 1998 Chisholme has been involved in the development of the Millenium Forest for Scotland. Each year, in response to an invitation to continue and maintain this project, visitors from far and wide have donned their wellies and set to work on our future forests.

The School provides full board and lodging (vegetarians catered for, but any other dietary requirements will need to be discussed with the secretary beforehand) in exchange for your involvement, which might encompass other areas of the estate, garden or even helping out in the kitchen, as you may wish.

The Different Areas of Work

Working at Chisholme gives the opportunity to immerse yourself, and be in service to, the education which permeates every aspect of life in the School. Whether you are skilled or unskilled, feel strong or prefer more gentle work, there will be something you can participate in.

Current Building Projects

The Beshara School is unique in its conception. It is a school that is not tied to any particular teaching or spiritual path, that does not require any ordination or initiation, and that is open to anyone, anywhere, who requires it.

All educational establishments now require Home Office approval in order to be able to offer places to students who require visas (see above). To get accreditation we have to fulfill certain criteria: for example, the accommodation has to meet the new fire safety regulations and be of a satisfactory standard. The Steading, although charming and remembered with affection by most of you, needs a lot of attention to meet these standards (decoration, upgrading of rooms 3 & 4, extraction system for the ablution block etc.etc.). The Main House needs at least one bathroom upgrade, work on fire regulations compliance and making good. Many of these jobs have already been started & I have also started insulating and fireproofing the attic.

There will be an inspection of the premises sometime within the next month or two, as part of the accreditation process, so this is a matter of some urgency.

In the past, when a rapid response to a sudden need has been required, gathering a team for a quick push has always done the trick. September, after the Gathering, and before the Winter Courses begin, is the ideal time for this.

Therefore, I (on behalf of Chisholme and the Beshara School) warmly invite as many of you as possible to come for whatever part of September you can manage, bringing what skills and tools you can. Also, if you can think of any other people who could help, perhaps you could extend this invitation to them.

Further:

As a response to spiraling fossil fuel costs and more importantly in honour of our duty of care and respect for our world we have applied for a grant from the Scottish Government to install a log boiler to take care of our heating. This grant (of £99,000 +) has been provisionally approved, but they expect us to take steps in efficient use of energy (i.e. insulation etc) and also we need to prepare housing and wood storage as soon as possible.

I envision a rolling team of builders and decorators working through September to get as much as possible done by the first of October.

If you can help, or have any questions, please either ring or email Chisholme on 01450880215, secretary@beshara.org. Or ring/email me direct on 01450880674, dapthorp@yahoo.com.

I very much look forward to hearing from you.

David, a Builder, 2007/08

The Garden and the Estate

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

The Organic Vegetable Garden

Part of the estate contains the walled garden with herbaceous borders around its edges and polytunnels 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.

Chisholme is a registered host with WWOOFers  (Willing Workers On Organic Farms; www.wwoof.org.uk). For more information, please contact the secretary@beshara.org or phone +44 (0)1451 880 215.

You can hear what past wwoofers  thought about the place in: Testimonials; Garden

New Woodlands

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. Staking has to be checked, some young trees need their protective sleeves removed and others need extra protection against deer browsing and rabbit gnawing. Two weeks are set aside in April, around Easter, (see Forestry Fortnight) and volunteers of all ages are invited to come and participate in what is always a very enjoyable time.

There is also the ongoing maintenance of the estate - dry stone wall repairs, fencing, clearing and felling, path clearing and upkeep, and a never ending cycle of mowing and strimming!

About the kitchen

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 the last 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.

Mary Anna, Kitchen manager, 2004

The House

There are many particular jobs involved in the housekeeping at Chisholme. 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.

These are all aspects in the continuous education whereby we may learn to work in real awareness of the beauty which is expressed in everything around us.  As the forms are not separate from the truth, but rather the truth is completely present in the forms, the work is extremely pleasurable, though sometimes challenging, and we strive to serve appropriately and with love.

Maintenance

Jethro Flowers, who is currently responsible for maintenance at Chisholme, is looking for an assistant. He writes: I am looking for someone who is reasonably fit and healthy, but most important must be caring, enthusiastic and willing to learn about the maintenance of the school.

This involves anything to do with the school’s infrastructure, equipment and services, such as: two diesel generators providing electricity for the school, the water, gas and fuel supplies; day to day running repairs, checks on fire alarms, lighting, vehicles, tools and workshop etc. The list is virtually endless, but so is the help available, if asked for. An interest and willingness to learn about how things work and the way things are done here, but mainly a love and care for the school and its continuing maintenance are the prime requirements.

Anyone interested in helping out short or long term can contact me by phone or email. Of particular help would be knowledge of, or skill at electrical or plumbing work. The work can be very challenging in all sorts of ways but also very rewarding – at least I find it so.

Jethro Flowers – Maintenance Manager