Laurieston Hall
This co-operative of around 25 people of all ages is now well into its fourth decade. We live in and around a huge Edwardian main house, with its walled garden, stables and cottages, surrounded by 135 acres of beautiful woods, pastures and marshland which stretch to a loch in the north. Trees we planted are now being coppiced. Living spaces - communal kitchens, one-person flats, family homes - use wood for heating and cooking. A hydro supplies much of our electricity.
From Easter to October a programme of events (music, self-help, creative, gay, etc.) brings up to 70 extra people a week. We grow as much fruit and vegetables as we can, keep cows, pigs, hens and bees, and do most of our own maintenance. All of us work part-time for the co-op for free. Issues that affect everybody come to a weekly co-op meeting in which decisions are made by consensus. Co-operation is our common ideology; under that umbrella we lean this way and that, are generally better at dealing with tomorrow than next year, are supportive of each other as individuals as well as co-op members... and we try to have a good time!
If you want to know more or find out how to visit, please send an A4 stamped addressed envelope plus two first-class stamps (loose) for a copy of our newsletter.
