Camphill Scotland Council
Our governing body is composed of trustees. Each member communities nominates a trustee. Members review their nomination every four years and can make a new appointment at that time. The Chair is also a trustee; the Chair is appointed for a fixed term of four years.
John Richards (MSc; BSocSc (Hons); DipSocWk; CQSW; MBASW; AMADCS) was appointed Chair of Camphill Scotland in August 2022. John’s experience is substantial, and includes:
- Director of Social Services (8 years)
- Director of Children’s Services (3 years)
- Chief Executive of two third sector organisations (5 years)
- International and National consultancy (9 years)
- Interim assignments at tier 2 in two Local Authorities and Isle of Man (7 years).
- 4 years developing services in two 3rd sector organisations
John’s ability to work with front line staff, service users and being able to understand and respond to their needs, is coupled with the skills of working with top flight civil servants and politicians in Great Britain, Ireland, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Russian Federation and Isle of Man.
His first experience with the Camphill movement was with Glencraig in Northern Ireland where his team had responsibilities (from1995 – 2002) for commissioning services from Glencraig. Since 2018, he has been supporting Camphill School Aberdeen, where he is a Trustee. He has also been supporting Beannachar since 2021. In 2019, he visited the Camphill Community Trust, Otse, Botswana, meeting the founder and the director to share thoughts and ideas.
He is also chair of Harom Galamb (Scotland) supporting a nascent service for adults with special needs based in Transylvania, Romania.
He is published in the UK, Europe and Asia.
His main interests include: being with the family, walking, cycling, swimming, reading, theatre and music
I have been at Camphill School Aberdeen since 2005 and I was recently appointed as Executive Director. I have an MA in Dutch employment and company law, a BA in Social Pedagogy and an SVQ 4 in Leadership and Management level 10.
I have been a Trustee on the board of Beannachar for the past 7-8 years. I am a retired GP having worked in the health service for over 35 years and for many years I was responsible for the care of young adults with severe learning difficulties. This experience greatly increased my appreciation of the needs and care provision required, and how a homely environment is pivotal for them to flourish. I feel Camphill provides this in ‘spadefuls’ and I hope my experience will enable me to support the continuing development of the Camphill communities.
I joined the Camphill Blair Drummond community in early 2008 as their Director of Operations. I have over 24 years’ experience in health & social care, with a range of roles in both the private & third sector. Since joining Camphill Blair Drummond, I have had the pleasure in leading the community through a significant period of growth and change. I believe that the knowledge and experiences gained from various roles and my interest in supporting people to realise their potential, will enable me to support the work of Camphill Scotland and the growth of Camphill communities in the future. I am also a trustee for the Camphill Central Scotland Social Fund, Ochil Tower School and Loch Arthur Community. The balance to all this is my wife and three girls who provide a different range of joys and challenges!
I hope that my forty years of Camphill experience together with my fresh outlook can be a positive influence for promoting great practice, embracing diversity and understanding the importance of community. Growing up in Camphill was a privilege in that I was able to share experiences with lots of unique and wonderful people from all over the world. I have also experienced the challenges that are faced in community. This has given me an extensive tool box for responding creatively to change. As one of the registered managers in Tigh a’ Chomainn I have a variety of roles which include cooking as well as office work. However, I am always happiest doing things together with others.
I came to Tiphereth Camphill in Edinburgh in 2018, to finalise the establishment of our Supported Living Service. I have managed a range of care and support services over my career in a range of different settings. I qualified as a Social Worker in 2006 and worked as a front-line social worker for several years before being drawn back to the voluntary sector, where I enjoy the ability to work creatively to effect change and transformation for the people we support.
Between 2010 and 2018 I was a Trustee for STAF (Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum) and oversaw a period of transformation of this membership organisation, which was very rewarding, as well as providing me with sound experience of governance.
The work of Camphill Communities across Scotland is inspiring and really promotes a ‘can do’ attitude, which is very much aligned with my own personal and professional values. In my own time I love nothing more than being outdoors with my family and the dogs, be this up a mountain or by the sea.
I am one of five registered general managers and the HR representative for Newton Dee Village, where I have lived and worked as a vocational coworker since November 2006. I have a BA(hons) in Psychology from the Open University and have been awarded SVQ 4 and an RMA. After four years as a vocational coworker in the Sheiling Schools in Hampshire, I spent several years in the South of France providing holidays for groups of residents and coworkers from Newton Dee and other organisations across Europe. This diverse experience has shaped my passion for developing the intentional community model into the future. I am keen on discovering and developing talent within our community and encouraging delegation and leadership development across all areas.
I live in one of our shared houses in Loch Arthur Community. Before I came to Loch Arthur in 2018, I did my Bachelor’s in special needs education and music education (Sonderpädagogik und Musikpädagogik) in Germany. I came as a short-term volunteer to Loch Arthur but discovered very quickly how rich and fulfilling sharing life in our community is and decided to stay.
Over the last years my role in the community has changed. I took on more responsibility and became part of the group of people that wants to carry Loch Arthur into the future. My main focus is running one of our shared houses. I also work in our weavery and am a member of some of our organisational meetings. I am also part of our cultural group which shapes the cultural life in the community.
I enjoy the diversity that living and working in Loch Arthur brings to my life and the real and meaningful relationships that originate in our way of life.
I joined Simeon Care for the Elderly in March 2021 as general manager. Managing a care home with 23 residents is not a career, but a life choice. I enjoy spending time supporting residents, staff, and our diverse group of international volunteers.
I have over 17 years of experience in health & social care, working with the local authority and in the private sector.
I am looking forward to supporting Camphill Scotland to grow and continue to lead the way with regards to person centered holistic care, sharing my experiences and knowledge whilst learning from Camphill. To keep my feet on the ground I enjoy time with my family and dogs. Oh, and being out cycling, enjoying our beautiful country.
I now have more than twenty years experience in working with adults with learning disabilities. During the first decade I worked for West Lothian Local Authority running a program of leisure and recreation opportunities with a focus on hillwalking, cycling and climbing. During this time I was also a cycling coach for many of Scotland’s Special Olympic Cyclists.
By 2010, having completed a degree in Psychology and a Post Grad Diploma in Psychotherapy I was starting to build up my own Psychotherapy practice, and joined Corbenic Camphill Community for what I expected would be a short time stopgap before moving fully into the field of psychotherapy. Within two weeks of starting at Corbenic I knew my plans were about to change and that this was much more than a stopgap!
The past 11 years have been spent in Corbenic. Initially I joined the community as Estate Workshop Leader during which time I was responsible for creating The Corbenic Poetry Path with the help of the estate team and support from the whole Corbenic Community. During this time I also introduced hillwalking as a weekly activity and the group has now been established for more than five years, enjoying adventures week in week out regardless of the weather.
Over the past couple of years I have moved into the management side of things and for the past year have been in the position of Community Director. Throughout my time in Corbenic it has always felt like much more than a job, to that of being part of a community, and that feeling now extends to the wider Camphill movement.
Governance
Membership is open to Camphill communities in Scotland.
We are registered with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) as a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). Our charity number is: SC024428. Please visit OSCR’s website to view our regulatory information.
Please follow this link to read our latest Annual review.
