This article was previously published in One Earth magazine Vol 7 Issue 5 Winter 1987.

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19 years ago the Findhorn Trust (as it then was) built a community centre so that its members could cook, eat and play together in comfort. The building was extended in 1971 and has stayed the same size ever since.

The community however has not. We have been talking about building another extension to suit our growing numbers for years now. Plans have been drawn up -­ some more ambitious than others. Swimming pools, tennis courts, saunas, jacuzzis and penthouse suites have glittered in our dreams and reluctantly been surrendered. The Hanging Gardens of the Findhorn Foundation are still just over the horizon.

One of the most exciting experiences for us all in this 25th anniversary year has been to watch all these dreams finally take a practical form. Andrew Yeats, a young award winning architect from Manchester, England, came to visit the Foundation last winter. He has drawn exciting proposals for many of the projects for the more permanent buildings which will house the Foundation and the community growing up around it over the next few years. His work has already graced the pages of One Earth (Vol 7, Issue 1).

One of these designs was for an extension to the community centre. We broke ground on June 17. The project has blazed ahead under the tutelage of Guy Thorvaldsen and the rest of the building department and aided by the guests who have participated in the newly formulated Building Programme. The building now stands at eight and a half metres (26 feet). It is sheathed in plywood, is about to be clad in timber and roofed with copper, the floors are currently being laid, and this December we expect to celebrate Christmas Dinner in greater comfort than for many a year past.

The view over the Bay from the upper level is magnificent. The centre post supporting that floor has been sculptured by an extended member-Tom Buhler – from a huge Scots pine taken down at Cluny Hill. Completion is expected early next year, but it will no doubt be used for dancing during our Birthday celebrations this November!

SOUNDING THE NOTE

With the CC extension, building has begun again in earnest at the Findhorn Foundation, and this project is only the beginning! 1988 promises to be full with the prospect of more barrel houses, new accommodation for members as well as the first Time Share unit.

The task of at long last replacing our vintage but dilapidated caravans in favour of ecologically and spiritually sound dwellings is a daunting one. We have 124 residential caravans in The Park, at least half of which the Foundation is responsible for maintaining. With that in mind we want to sound the note to Extended Members and Friends of the Foundation with building skills to return and help us with this exciting new step.

We need skilled carpenters, masons, builders and tradespeople to join our Building Department, either for a few months or a few years. We are also looking for architects and engineers and semi-skilled and unskilled folks who want to help and learn.

This project is about much more than just replacing caravans with houses. It is about more than building structures. What it is really striving to be is an expression of the magic and spirit of this place; a real and living demonstration of how people can live and work in harmony with each other, the planet and God. If you feel drawn to join us on this project for any length of time, or to participate in the Building Programme please write directly to:
John Talbott
Planning Department
Findhorn Foundation, The Park
Forres, Moray IV36 OTZ