Work, learning & creativity

Workshops & Day Opportunities

Work is an important part of life at Camphill. It helps people develop their full potential, sense of responsibility and dignity, and it is what helps our community thrive.

A rhythm to the day

Meaningful Work, Every Day

Each household follows a similar daily structure, and this rhythm of the day is shared by Camphill communities everywhere. Our workshops range from arts and crafts, weaving and ceramics to performing arts, the gardens, an artisan bakery and our newsroom.

What people make is sold in our café, at fairs and in exhibitions; the food they grow and bake is eaten in the café and our homes. Workshops are open Monday to Friday, on a paid placement basis, for participants: the people who live with us, and people with learning disabilities and autism from the wider community.

Workshop session in progress
Finished work from the workshops
Participants working together
Our workshops

Find Out What Happens in Each Workshop

Photo from the Arts and Crafts workshop

Arts & Crafts

Felting, printing, mosaic, jewellery and more, for every ability.

Photo from the Pottery and Ceramics workshop

Pottery & Ceramics

Designing products with clay, natural materials and glazes.

Photo from the Weavery workshop

Weavery

Traditional looms, stitching and spinning flax we grow on site.

Photo from the Performing Arts workshop

Performing Arts

Drama, music, creative writing and backstage skills in our own theatre.

Photo from the Gardens workshop

Gardens

Organic growing in our paddocks, polytunnels and raised beds.

Photo from the Newsletter and Journalism workshop

Newsletter & Journalism

The Camphill Chronicle, and reporting from across the city.

Open to the public

Our Café and Bakery

Two workshops you can visit: the bakery bakes for the café and for customers, and the café team serves the public every weekday.

Café team serving customers

Camphill Café

Food preparation, food safety and customer care training in our public café, open Monday to Friday.

Fresh bread from the bakery

Bakery

Artisan bread and sweet treats, baked by participants for the café, our homes and bread orders.

A finished Tools for Self Reliance box
Tools workshop

Tools and Upcycling

Our Tools Workshop refurbishes donated tools to the highest possible standard, around 1,000 every year, for Tools for Self Reliance, and turns tools and scrap that cannot be restored into new things, from guitars to garden furniture.

Day opportunities

Interested in a Day Opportunity Placement?

Our workshops are open to adults with learning disabilities and autism from across Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire, not only the people who live with us. Here is how a placement works.

Who It Is For

Adults with learning disabilities or autism who would enjoy regular, purposeful work in a supportive team, whether they live at Camphill or in the wider community.

What a Placement Involves

One or more days a week, Monday to Friday, in the workshop that suits you best, with a taster visit first. Placements are charged per day and are usually funded by your local authority after an assessment by a social worker. For enquiries, email [email protected].

How to Get Started

Tell us a little about you, or the person you support, using the form. Our workshops lead will be in touch to talk it through and arrange a visit.