Botton Village

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Botton is a small village in North Yorkshire, England which is mainly a Camphill Community for people with learning disabilities. It was formed in 1955.^[1]

It has a population of 300, approximately 150 of whom are adults with learning disabilities. All of the people who live in Botton live in large houses with one or more house parent. There are five biodynamic farms located around the village. The "Villagers" as the adults with learning disabilities are called, work on these farms with the help of "Co-workers" who supervise their work on the farm.

In the village there are many different workshops where villagers make products which are sold to the public via a number of outlets. There are also three shops: a gift shop, for visitors, with items from both Botton and other Camphill villages; a village store, which is the village food shop; and a shop called the "Mother Shop" which sells stationery and toiletries. There is also a "Coffee Bar" where the villagers and co-workers congregate in the evening to chat and play board games.

Botton Village received the Deputy Prime Minister's Award for Sustainable Communities in 2005; the award cited the community's dedication to the ethos of sustainability and mutual respect, as well as their concrete achievements in these areas.^[2] Also in 2005, the village featured in a Channel 4 documentary entitled Botton, the strangest village in Britain.^[3]

[edit] External links

• Camphill Village Trust Communities: Botton Village, North Yorkshire. Accessed 2008-03-14.

[edit] References

1. ^ Jan Martin Bang, "Camphill Ecovillages", Proceedings of the Seventh International Communal Studies Conference: Communal living on the threshold of a new millennium: lessons and perspectives., International Communal Studies Association, (June 25-27, 2001) pp. 249-257. Conference proceedings.
2. ^ "The Deputy Prime Minister's Award." Learning Disability Practice 9.2 (March 2006): 26(1)
3. ^ The Strangest Village in Britain Channel4.com