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Home » Communities » Existing » Laurieston Hall

Laurieston Hall

Contact

Sarah

Postal address

Laurieston Hall, Laurieston
Castle Douglas
DG7 2NB

Electronic Mail

enquirylh@gmail.com

Year started

1972

Number of over 18s

18

Number of under 18s

0

Situation

rural

Ideological Focus

co-operative

Legal Structure

fully mutual co-op, under I&PS rules

Open in principal to new members

no

Charge Visitors

yes

Work in Lieu

yes

WWOOF Host

no
Geolocation
E
C

This co-operative of 16 adults is now well into its fifth decade. We live in and around a huge Victorian 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. Living spaces use wood for heating and cooking. A hydro supplies much of our electricity.

From Easter to October we run a varied programme of events (music, dance, self-help, creative, gay, etc.), called the People Centre, which 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 pay a large portion of our rent in unwaged labour for the co-op. This means ideally spending about two and a half days a week doing what we call “workshare”.

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!

There are two ways of visiting us. You can book on a People Centre event during 2016 (for 2017 onwards see below), or you can come on a Maintenance Week, (there are only three per year, so book early to avoid disappointment.)
Information and booking on either is via the newsletter - see below if you would like a digital copy.

We are not currently hosting 'first time' working visitors, nor seeking new members. If this changes, we will let you know.

For other enquiries, or for a digital copy of our newsletter, please email enquirylh@gmail.com

**stop press** During 2017 we plan to take a year off from running the People Centre events, so we can devote some time to looking at our future.

community does not share income community does not require capital from members community has broadband internet access community generates some of its own electricity community uses solar energy community buildings not insulated to a high standard community members use bicycles no systems to encourage carsharing community is accessible by public transport community shares utilities
community has tool-sharing system community has organised systems for recycling community has some kind of ecosewage system community is involved in land management community grows a lot of vegetables animals kept communally no regular communal meals community has policy which restricts smoking community buildings at least partially wheelchair accessible







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