for Moray Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise and The Findhorn Foundation by Brian Burns Associates in association with Steve Westbrook – Economist December 2002

Introduction

1. This project was commissioned by Moray Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise (MBSE) with the support of the Findhorn Foundation. The study was carried out in 2002 by Brian Burns Associates in association with Steve Westbrook, Economist.

Background

2. The origins of the Findhorn Foundation date back to a community established in 1962 by Peter and Eileen Caddy and Dorothy Maclean in a caravan park on the southern outskirts of the village. Early work included developing gardens that attracted much international interest, and through visitors who had come to learn about the gardens and the principles behind them staying on, a community of like-minded people gradually developed. Educational processes were established by the early 1970’s, and by the 1980’s the Community had grown to approximately 300 members.

3. The Findhorn Foundation was formed as a trust and Scottish charity in 1972, and its trust deed “includes in its objectives, recognising the essential truths of all religions and spiritual teachings… and the establishment of an educational centre to further these objectives. It also promotes the conservation and preservation of the natural world by teaching, example and demonstration of the harmonious relationship between humanity and all other forms of life”.

4. In summary, the role of the Foundation is to practice, teach and demonstrate the links between the environmental, economic, social and spiritual aspects of life through:

∑ Offering educational programmes and courses;
∑ Supporting emerging initiatives within the “community”;
∑ Developing an ecological village.

5. By the 1980’s, the land on which the caravan park stood (the “Park”) had been purchased, as well as Cluny Hill Hotel in Forres, which became the Foundation’s Cluny Hill College, and Cullerne House (recently sold by the Foundation) in Findhorn, whose gardens became the focus for organic vegetable production for the community and its guests.

6. The Eco-Village Project was established in the early 1980’s. Eco-Villages work on the principle of full sustainability, integrated into the natural environment. The Foundation has worked with a number of other organisations within the Community to make the Eco-Village Project a reality.

7. The Park is adjacent to RAF Kinloss, a major military airfield (home of the RAF’s Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft), and the village of Findhorn. Findhorn, once an important seaport, is today a picturesque residential village, whose economy is supported by the spending generated by the Foundation, RAF Kinloss and tourism.

8. The Park is home to many Foundation facilities such as the Universal Hall, related businesses and members of the Community.

9. Forres, with a population of approximately 8,500, is about 4 miles from Findhorn. The town’s economy and character are significantly influenced by the local presence of both the Foundation and RAF Kinloss.

10. A variety of businesses, organisations, networks, etc, have evolved locally through the Foundation, or have been attracted by its presence, and these have been included in our analysis of impact where it is clear to us that they would not have become established locally without the prior establishment of the Foundation. The Foundation is at the heart of a Community which continues to expand and diversify, and this Community now consists of upwards of 450 people, with thousands of friends and supporters throughout the world.

11. New Findhorn Directions (NFD) Ltd is the wholly owned trading arm of the Foundation. The company operates a number of businesses:

∑ Findhorn Bay Caravan Park (also serves the public);
∑ Wind Park (operates wind turbine and distributes electricity at the Park);
∑ Park Energy (bulk purchase of oil and gas);
∑ The Green Room Café (at the Universal Hall);
∑ Gnosis (an IT service business);
∑ Living Machine (water and effluent treatment);
∑ HoCo (Park infrastructure maintenance, development and land sales)

12. Until August 2001, when it was bought out by the community, Phoenix Community Stores Ltd was part of NFD Ltd. The shop is now majority owned by Ekopia Resource Exchange Ltd, together with the managers and staff of the company and the Findhorn Foundation.

13. Another organisation linked to the Foundation is the Findhorn Foundation College, which began operation in November 2001. It provides accredited and vocational training courses previously delivered directly by the Foundation. The College is a charitable company limited by guarantee based at Cluny Hill College.

14. The New Findhorn Association (NFA) was founded in 1999 to bring together the individuals and organisations that form the broad community of interest in Moray with affinities to the Findhorn Foundation.

15. There are a large number of businesses, some NFA members, others that are not, which are related to the Foundation. These include:

∑ Accommodation businesses;
∑ Construction-related companies;
∑ Art and Crafts enterprises;
∑ Printing firm.
∑ Organic Food Production
∑ Other Educational Charities (Newbold House, Ecologia, Nepal Trust)

Study Objectives

16. The study objectives were to:

∑ Identify and quantify the main economic linkages between the Foundation and its wider community, and the economy of Moray;
∑ Identify areas of the Foundation’s activities where changes might be made to enhance its overall economic impact and improve the financial performance of the Foundation as a business;
∑ Review the specific areas of the Foundation’s work that could have wider development implications for the rest of the Highlands and Islands and to suggest ways in which the Foundation’s knowledge and expertise in these fields could be made more widely available.

Work Programme

17. The work programme for the study comprised a number of elements, including:

∑ Discussions with Foundation staff;
∑ Analysis of financial and other data accessed from the Foundation;
∑ A number of surveys:

– a survey of Foundation guests
– a household-based survey of Foundation members
– a survey of businesses and organisations linked to the Foundation, including interviews with staff of businesses which operate as part of NFD.

∑ Key contact interviews with other agencies and businesses from the wider Moray community;

∑ Data analysis and interpretation.

Summary of Economic Impacts

18. The scale of the impacts are significant with the Foundation and associated organisations and businesses supporting approximately 300 jobs (fte) in the Findhorn / Forres area and providing about £3.1 million in household income.

19. The total aggregate impacts (including multiplier effects) of the Foundation and associated organisations and businesses for 2000 / 01 at 3 geographical levels are as follows:

Employment

20. The Foundation has also had a number of cumulative and other impacts, including:

∑ Helping to generate and support new business start-ups, and expansions in Moray;
∑ Helping to broaden the skills base in Moray.

Summary of Social, Educational, Cultural and Environmental Linkages and Impacts

21. The Findhorn Foundation Community has had a range of beneficial impacts in Moray, including:

∑ Attracting a significant resident population to Moray at a time when many parts of rural Scotland are losing population;
∑ Supporting and helping to sustain services and community life in Findhorn and Forres;
∑ Helping to diversify educational provision in Moray through its support of the Moray Steiner School;
∑ Establishing facilities such as the Universal Hall, which provide a venue for a range of cultural events and activities of interest to a wide audience, including people outside the Findhorn Foundation Community;
∑ Introducing and helping to promote sustainable development policies and practices in Moray;
∑ Creating and supporting innovative development approaches and mechanisms in the social economy (eg. Ekopia Resource Exchange).

Strengths of the Foundation, Associated Businesses and Organisations, and Opportunities for Development

22. The listing of the strengths and opportunities below provide a focus for a consideration of the economic and social development role of the Foundation and associated businesses and organisations – both in terms of their current role and potential.

Strengths
∑ The skills and entrepreneurialism of certain permanent community members.
∑ The Foundation’s good reputation amongst its current / recent market.
∑ The Foundation’s large constituency (witness the number of names held on the Foundation’s marketing database).
∑ The Foundation community’s ability to create new micro businesses.
∑ The Foundation’s ability to attract residential guests and other visitors to an area without a significant tourism profile.
∑ The Foundation’s significant financial and physical asset base.
∑ The development and implementation of innovative projects (eg. Eco-Village Project and Ekopia Resource Exchange Ltd).

Opportunities
∑ Increase guest numbers at the Foundation when its facilities are under utilised (winter).
∑ Increase residential guests’ length of stay in the Highlands and Islands (and hence their economic impact).
∑ Explore ways of benefiting from increased community-based interest in renewable energy across the Highlands and Islands.
∑ The delivery of courses / programmes off-site throughout the Highlands and Islands.
∑ The development of consultancy work opportunities linked to the various community economic and social development programmes in the Highlands and Islands (and with the region’s major employers).
∑ Increased interest in eco-building throughout Scotland (eg. the proposed development of approximately 200 ecologically friendly houses in Aviemore).

Recommendations

23. The recommendations set out in the study, taken together, are geared towards:

∑ Increasing the economic and social benefits of the Findhorn Foundation and the wider Community across the Highlands and Islands;
∑ Improving the financial viability of the Foundation.

24. The recommendations are presented as a series of proposed action points, as follows:

(1) Production of a brochure which fully explains the Findhorn Foundation Community, including its activities and services.

(For dissemination to the general public and business community)

(2) The development of a communication programme targeted at improving local and regional awareness and understanding of the Foundation.

(This could involve targeted distribution of the brochure noted in (1), talks to business groups, and other activities.)

(3) Development of links with tourism operators (eg. accommodation providers and guiding companies throughout the Highlands and Islands).

(This could involve the development of packages and supporting promotional material which link participation in one week programmes at the Foundation with 1 week holidays in specific parts of the Highlands and Islands.)

(4) Development of a circuit of venues across the Highlands and Islands that could host courses / events delivered by Foundation staff and Findhorn Foundation College staff (also courses at Outdoor Centres, etc).

(5) Development of consultancy work, including work based on the community’s renewable energy experience and skills in managing conflict, etc.

(6) Development of links between the Community’s eco-building work and proposed eco-building projects in the region.

(This would involve appraising the potential match between the skills and capacities of the eco-building cluster within the Community, and current and future market opportunities in the Highlands and Islands.)

(7) Through the Moray Arts Strategy, maximising the use of the Universal Hall (improving facilities where required), and creating a new Arts Centre to promote all aspects of the visual arts.

25. It is recommended that a joint Foundation / Moray Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise (MBSE) Business Development Manager post should be created to formulate and implement a 3 year business support programme for the Foundation and its associated businesses and organisations.

Confidential
for Moray Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise and The Findhorn Foundation by Brian Burns Associates in association with Steve Westbrook – Economist May 2002

Findhorn Foundation : Economic Impact Assessment

Contents

Section 1.0 : Introduction

Section 2.0 : The Foundation and Associated Community

Section 3.0 : Surveys and Other Fieldwork

Section 4.0 : Economic Impact Analysis

Section 5.0 : Social, Educational, Cultural and Environmental Links

Section 6.0 : Conclusions and Recommendations

Appendices:

Appendix 1 : Guest Feedback Survey – First Six Monthly Report

Appendix 2 : Guest Feedback Survey – Findings

Appendix 3 : E-mail Survey of Foundation Guests – Questionnaire

Appendix 4 : E-mail Survey of Foundation Guests – Findings

Appendix 5 : Business Surveys – Questionnaires

Appendix 6 : Bed and Breakfast Operators Survey – Questionnaire

Appendix 7 : Bed and Breakfast Operators Survey – Findings

Appendix 8 : Household Survey – Questionnaire

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Background

1.1 The origins of the Findhorn Foundation date back to a community established in 1962 by Peter and Eileen Caddy and Dorothy Maclean in a caravan park on the southern outskirts of the village. Early work included developing gardens that attracted much international interest, and through visitors who had come to learn about the gardens and the principles behind them staying on, a community of like-minded people gradually developed. Educational processes were established by the early 1970’s, and by the 1980’s the Community had grown to approximately 300 members.

1.2 The Findhorn Foundation was formed as a trust and Scottish charity in 1972, and its trust deed “includes in its objectives, recognising the essential truths of all religions and spiritual teachings… and the establishment of an educational centre to further these objectives. It also promotes the conservation and preservation of the natural world by teaching, example and demonstration of the harmonious relationship between humanity and all other forms of life”.

1.3 In summary, the role of the Foundation is to practice, teach and demonstrate the links between the environmental, economic, social and spiritual aspects of life through:

• Offering educational programmes and courses;
• Supporting emerging initiatives within the “community” (as defined in section 2);
• Developing an ecological village.

1.4 By the 1980’s, the land on which the caravan park stood (the “Park”) had been purchased, as well as Cluny Hill Hotel in Forres, which became the Foundation’s Cluny Hill College, and Cullerne House in Findhorn, whose gardens became the focus for organic vegetable production for the community and its guests.

1.5 The Eco-Village Project was established in the early 1980’s. Eco-Villages work on the principle of full sustainability, integrated into the natural environment. The Foundation has worked with a number of other organisations within the Community to make the Eco-Village Project a reality.

1.6 The Park is adjacent to RAF Kinloss, a major military airfield (home of the RAF’s Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft), and the village of Findhorn. Findhorn, once an important seaport, is today a picturesque residential village, whose economy is supported by the spending generated by the Foundation, RAF Kinloss and tourism.

1.7 Forres, with a population of approximately 8,500, is about 3 miles from Findhorn. The town’s economy and character are significantly influenced by the local presence of both the Foundation and RAF Kinloss, and we have therefore regarded the Findhorn / Forres area as “local” for the purposes of considering economic and community impacts.

1.8 As we show in Section 2 of this report, a variety of businesses, organisations, networks, etc, have evolved locally through the Foundation, or have been attracted by its presence, and these have been included in our analysis of impact where it is clear to us that they would not have become established locally without the prior establishment of the Foundation. The Foundation is at the heart of a Community which continues to expand and diversify, and this Community now consists of upwards of 450 people, with thousands of friends and supporters throughout the world.

Study Objectives

1.9 The brief for this study recognised that the Foundation and its wider community have an economic development significance for the Highlands and Islands based on its:

• Role as an attraction and focus for a large number of visitors, many from overseas, who would not otherwise have visited this part of Scotland (or, indeed, perhaps would not have visited Scotland at all);
• Supply and purchase of local goods and services;
• Technical expertise in community development and organisation, and environmental technology (subjects of widespread interest throughout the Highlands and Islands).

1.10 The study objectives were to:

• Identify and quantify the main economic linkages between the Foundation and its wider community, and the economy of Moray;
• Identify areas of the Foundation’s activities where changes might be made to enhance its overall economic impact and improve the financial performance of the Foundation as a business;
• Review the specific areas of the Foundation’s work that could have wider development implications for the rest of the Highlands and Islands and to suggest ways in which the Foundation’s knowledge and expertise in these fields could be made more widely available.

Work Programme

1.11 The work programme for this study comprised a number of elements, including:

• Discussions with Foundation staff;
• Analysis of financial and other data accessed from the Foundation;
• A number of surveys:
  • a survey of Foundation guests
  • a household-based survey of Foundation members
  • a survey of businesses and organisations linked to the Foundation, including interviews with staff of businesses which operate as part of New Findhorn Directions (NFD)
• Key contact interviews with other agencies and businesses from the wider Moray community;
• Data analysis and interpretation.

Structure of the Report

1.12 The remainder of this report is structured as follows:

• Section 2 describes the Foundation and associated community;
• Section 3 provides details of the surveys and other fieldwork carried out as part of this project;
• Section 4 investigates and assesses the Foundation’s economic impact;
• Section 5 explores the Foundation’s social, cultural and environmental linkages and impacts;
• Section 6 sets out our conclusions and recommendations.

Study Team

1.13 We were assisted in the study by Malcolm Aldridge (Solution Management), Ewan Snedden (Snedden Economics and Market Research), and Dawn Nicolson (researcher).

Acknowledgements

1.14 We would like to thank everyone who helped us in the course of the study, especially the Foundation staff who contributed their time and all those who participated in the various surveys undertaken as part of the study.

2.0 THE FOUNDATION AND ASSOCIATED COMMUNITY

The Findhorn Foundation Community

2.1 The Foundation Community is difficult to define precisely, but locally it comprises people who have been attracted to live in Moray by the activities of the Foundation and related organisations. At the centre of the Community are the Foundation’s co-workers (about 140 people), but the international interest in the Foundation is evident in that many of the ‘Friends of Findhorn’ (220 in number), ‘Stewards’ (450) and ‘Fellows’ (150) are based outside Moray; indeed, across the world.

2.2 There is a core population who are permanently settled in the Findhorn / Forres area, and a transient population (eg. students at the Foundation) who might live in the area for quite some time, typically a year or so, but who eventually move on. Many residents (permanent and transient) will have first visited as a course or event participant, of whom there are upwards of 3,500 per annum from as many as 40 countries. In addition, the Foundation estimates that it has upwards of 10,000 other visitors annually.

2.3 We estimate that the total permanent population of the Findhorn Foundation Community exceeds 500 people throughout Moray. Evidence for this estimate includes the New Findhorn Association (see further below) having approximately 250 members over 13 years of age (including some family memberships), and the “internal” Foundation telephone directory having 300 entries for individuals.

Location and Physical Development

2.4 The Foundation has two principal sites or centres of activity in the Findhorn / Forres area:

• The Park is located between Findhorn Village and RAF Kinloss, and accommodates the Foundation’s central offices, workshops and studios, the Universal Hall, guest accommodation, the Phoenix Community Store, two sites for ecological housing development, and a range of other buildings and facilities. The Park covers a substantial area. The Foundation has built up its ownership of the land which now forms The Park over a number of years;
• Cluny Hill College is located on the south side of Forres alongside the road to Grantown-on-Spey. The College is the main location for delivering the Foundation’s educational programmes, and can accommodate up to 100 residential guests.

2.5 The Foundation also has two facilities in other parts of the Highlands and Islands:

• The Isle of Erraid (a small island off Mull) – which is leased to the Foundation;
• Traigh Bhan – a retreat house on Iona owned by the Foundation.

2.6 The current development of The Park is guided by a Development Plan prepared in 1998. The Plan notes the purchase of two areas of land adjacent to The Park which would significantly enhance its development:

• The land on the southern side of The Park known as “the Field of Dreams”, purchased in 1995 by the Foundation and now being developed for housing by an independent community-based business, Eco-Village Ltd, in association with the Foundation;
• Land to the north and east of The Park purchased in 1997 from the Wilkie Estate by another specially formed independent community company, Duneland Ltd.

2.7 The Foundation’s extensive physical assets – land and buildings – would have a combined market value of around £5 million (based on formal valuations of some assets, and our view on the current value of properties “book valued” by the Foundation).

The Foundation’s Structure and Activities

2.8 The Foundation’s current interpretation of its role is to:

“foster a world based on the essential truths common to all religions and spiritual teachings. We are a centre of service and living education for the integration of spiritual principles into everyday life. We are now working to create new models for individuals and communities that seek to embody inspired forms of ecology, economy, culture and spirituality”.

(The Findhorn Foundation – Trustees’ Report and Financial Statement – for year ended January 2001)

2.9 The Foundation has three main organisational elements:

• The Foundation itself;
• New Findhorn Directions (NFD) – the Foundation’s trading arm;
• Findhorn Foundation College.

The Foundation

2.10 The Foundation’s activities are focused on two main areas:

• Education; and
• The environment, especially the development of the Eco-Village Project.

The Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organisation associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information, a member of UNESCO’s Planet Society Network, and a member of United Nations Environment and Development – UK Committee.

Education

2.11 The Foundation’s educational work is built around and promoted through two seasonal schedules of programmes and events. Courses and events held between May 2001 and April 2002 were organised under the following headings:

Core Programmes

• Experience Week (introductory course mandatory for some other courses);
• Programmes in other Languages;
• Other Core Programmes;
• Living in Community Programme (one to three four week sections);
• Foundation Year Programme (following at least three months in the Living in Community Programme).

Workshops

• Findhorn Roots;
• Spiritual Renewal;
• The Angelic Realms;
• Creative Spirit (arts);
• Body – Voice – Spirit;
• Nature and Ecology;
• Our Conscious Selves;
• Love, Gender and Relationships;
• Healing – Ritual;
• Special Events (including the Planetary Game and the Game of Transformation).

Conferences

The Foundation organises 2 major conferences each year

• Visionary Voices;
• Sex and Spirit.

2.12 The courses and conferences attract people from all over the world, and, through acquainting people with the unique way of life, help to stimulate interest in longer term residency and involvement in the Foundation’s activities, thus maintaining (indeed, gradually increasing) the number of people resident in the Findhorn / Forres area with ethics consistent with those of the Foundation. Facilitators can be Foundation members or specialists from different parts of the world.

The Environment

2.13 The Foundation has developed a Community Eco-Village Project at The Park which provides a model for sustainable development. The Findhorn Foundation is a founder member of the Global Eco-Village Network.

2.14 The Foundation has a holistic view of the Eco-Village Project, which encompasses:

• Ecological building (there are currently over 30 buildings at the Park constructed according to ecological principles);
• Renewable Energy Systems, including the establishment in 1989 of a wind turbine at The Park, which provides a significant proportion of electricity requirements there; and the setting up of an ecologically friendly waste water treatment plant – The Living Machine – at The Park in 1995;
• Local organic food production;
• Extensive involvement in Local Exchange Trading Systems (LETS) – There are 2 LETS in the Findhorn / Forres area : the Findhorn and Kinloss LETS and the Forres LETS, which, with over 500 participating households, is the largest LETS in the UK.

2.15 As noted earlier, a separate company, Eco-Village Ltd, was established to develop housing on “the Field of Dreams”. All 33 plots of land at the five acre site have been sold, and 44 properties (including flats) will eventually have been built. The houses on the Field of Dreams have been designed by a number of different architects who specialise in ecological design. A site has also been made available for the proposed new Arts Centre (see later).

Universal Hall

2.16 The Hall (which was self-built over a period of years) is an important resource for the Foundation, as well as providing a venue for events that attract the general public. The main features of the auditorium are:

• A pentagonal design, which, together with the three-quarters thrust performance area, gives the audience a heightened feeling of participation;
• About 300 raked seats mounted on modular sections, giving a choice of seating arrangements (for performances, conferences, etc) on an open floor space, together with a soundproof viewing gallery (that can seat 20);
• With the seats in place, a beech-wood floor measuring 13 metres deep by 12 metres at its widest point;
• A projection screen, and flexible lighting and sound systems.

2.17 Other facilities within the building include:

• A lower foyer, with box office and seating area, and an upper foyer that could be used for art exhibitions;
• A dance studio with sprung floor with adjoining changing rooms and showers;
• A music practice room;
• A recording studio;
• A café.

2.18 In relation to conferences, the Foundation’s communal restaurant can cater for 200 people.

New Findhorn Directions Ltd

2.19 NFD Ltd is the wholly owned trading arm of the Foundation. The company operates a number of businesses:

• Findhorn Bay Caravan Park (also serves the public);
• Wind Park (operates wind turbine);
• Park Energy (bulk purchase of oil and gas);
• The Green Room Café (at the Universal Hall);
• Gnosis (an IT service business);
• Living Machine (water and effluent treatment);
• Housing Company (selling agent for private plots; shared roads, landscaping, etc).

2.20 Until August 2001, when it was bought out by the community, Phoenix Community Stores Ltd was part of NFD Ltd. The shop is now majority owned by Ekopia Resource Exchange Ltd, together with the managers and staff of the company and the Findhorn Foundation. By late 2001, Ekopia had raised £115,000 through the issue of Phoenix preference shares, with an eventual target of £150,000 to reduce the level of commercial bank involvement in the project. This could be a model for other community investment in NFD businesses (e.g. to enable a larger generator to be installed by Wind Park).

2.21 There is considerable trading between the Foundation and NFD Ltd, with the Foundation making significant purchases of goods and services from NFD businesses.

Findhorn Foundation College

2.22 The Findhorn Foundation College, which began operation in November 2001, provides accredited and vocational training courses previously delivered directly by the Foundation. The College is a charitable company limited by guarantee based at Cluny Hill College.

2.23 A wide range of formal courses are being developed, although most are not accredited at this stage. Discussions have taken place with Moray College to introduce a trial module for January 2003, “Creating a Better Future”, that could fit within a University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute (UHIMI) degree. This is a collaborative project between the College, Moray College and a retired professor from Southampton University. The US market is regarded as a good target for semester length courses, and English as a foreign language (month-long programmes) could also generate significant income. Courses are available to Foundation people at a discount.

Other Foundation Activities

2.24 These include the Findhorn Foundation Consultancy Service which offers a range of services, including:

• • Consultancy to management groups;
  • Independent facilitation of large group events;
  • Developing leadership and creativity;
  • Exploring democracy and decision making;
  • Conflict facilitation and transformation;
  • Training in supervision, coaching and mentoring;
  • Assistance in managing change.

2.25 Consultancy clients have included BP, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Greenpeace International.

Management

2.26 Following three restructurings during the 1990’s, the present management hierarchy is:

• Trustees;
• Management;
• Functional Departments.

2.27 Managers have a greater role than in the past in determining the composition of their departmental staff.

2.28 The Foundation has been going through a complex and challenging period. For twenty years, the Foundation and the “Findhorn Community” were virtually synonymous, but now the Community associated with the Foundation is over twice the size of the Foundation itself, and there is an increasing range of opportunities available to those interested in joining the Community. In the past, the Foundation relied on a significant pool of volunteer labour, but the new alternatives have meant that the ratio of staff to volunteers has increased, putting significant pressure on the Foundation’s labour budget.

2.29 As a response to overall growth and diversification, the Foundation’s management structure is evolving into a division between education (focused on Cluny Hill College) and the eco village (property and management), with the New Findhorn Association (see below) responsible for the nourishing of Community values.

2.30 Tighter management has helped to reduce the recent substantial operational deficit of almost £200,000 to £50-100,000. Some functions have been trimmed, and there has been a freeze on the appointment of new staff. The sale of Cullerne House to Findhorn Flower Essences is an example of efforts to reduce indebtedness, which will be down to £400,000 by later this year. The rewiring and redecoration of Cluny Hill College, undertaken during the winter of 2000/1, cost in the region of £250,000. Improvements in the way that the Foundation’s accounts are being produced will show the relative profitability of particular elements (such as the Universal Hall). The lack of such disaggregation of costs and revenues made our analysis of impacts for this study difficult and less accurate than we would have liked.

New Findhorn Association

2.31 The New Findhorn Association (NFA) was founded in 1999 to bring together the individuals and organisations that form the broad community of interest in Moray with affinities to the Findhorn Foundation.

2.32 The NFA has nine elected Council members, one of whom is designated listener-convener, and there is also a half-time listener-convener. The NFA has a Forum of Organisations, as well as individual membership, and helps in the assimilation of new residents through its Newcomers Group. There is currently a strong focus on the needs of young people, and the Association has also been involved in recycling, other environmental and ethical issues, organising community social events, etc. NFA bridges gaps within the Community, but in itself does not have a strong outreach role into the general local community. Its listener-convener, Kay Kay, and other individuals, however, are involved in various community initiatives in the Findhorn / Kinloss area (see later).

2.33 The role of the NFA has been growing in importance, and is one means through which the Community’s economic, social and environmental activities can be focused.

2.34 Businesses and organisations that are either NFA members or that were considered for the purposes of this study to be related to the Foundation are listed below (acknowledging that businesses themselves are not always happy to be regarded as associated with the Foundation, valuing their independence). As previously noted our criterion for assessing whether a business is Foundation-related is that it is unlikely that it would otherwise have become established in the Findhorn / Forres area – either because of its dependence on the Foundation and the Community which has grown up around it, or because one or more of the business proprietors moved to the area because of the Foundation. The businesses and organisations are:

• Minton House, Findhorn Bay (accommodation and centre for rest, peace and healing) (in the process of being sold, but operational in our study year 2000/1);
• Newbold House, Forres (retreat and residential workshop);
• Druim House, near Brodie (Bed and Breakfast);
• Mansewood House, Dallas (longer stay accommodation for Foundation guests);
• Alanna Trust (workshops);
• The Quest (self-study programme for personal and spiritual growth);
• Ekopia Resource Exchange Ltd (vehicle for raising share capital for ethical community investments and trial launch of new EKO currency);
• Eco Village Ltd (development of ecological housing);
• Dunelands (ownership of new development land at the Park);
• Edge Architecture and Design (eco-houses, including design of new straw-bale house);
• Build One (house construction on green / eco principles);
• Norbuild (processing of Scottish timber; involvement in eco-build projects);
• Findhorn Engineering (ecological house design and engineering);
• AES (solar heating systems);
• Living Technologies (design and build of ecological waste systems);
• Trees for Life (conservation charity, restoring Caledonian forest);
• Earthshare (organic fruit and vegetable production);
• Findhorn and Kinloss LETS (exchange and trading scheme);
• Health Works, Forres (base for complementary practitioners);
• Complementary Health Association;
• Wester Laurenceton Farm, near Forres (organic farming, cheese-making);
• Findhorn Nature Care;
• Moray Steiner School, Forres (providing Waldorf education for children aged 3-14);
• Ducks and Co;
• Ecologica Trust (promotes exchange programmes with Russia);
• Euphony Communications;
• Start-Over Project (advice and assistance for long-term unemployed);
• Highland Renewal, Mull;
• Nepal Trust (charity working with the Nepalese people on sustainable community development projects);
• Findhorn Sacred Journeys (spiritual holidays and pilgrimages worldwide);
• Moray Art Studio (art classes);
• Findhorn Pottery (production and tuition);
• Alex’s Workshop (sculpture and tuition);
• New Findhorn Crafts Association;
• Findhorn Playback Theatre (voluntary community theatre group);
• Findhorn Flower Essences (batch production of floral remedies);
• Aromatics;
• Phoenix Shop and Bakery (organic food and drink, New Age books, crafts, recorded music, natural health products, etc);
• Moray Bookshop, Findhorn and Forres (second-hand / antiquarian books);
• Posthouse Printing;
• Findhorn Press (mind, body and spirit publications);
• Altea Publishing (Buddhist books);
• Roger Doudna (video production);
• Northern Lights (electrician’s business);
• Volkmar Boschmann (electrician);
• Bed and Breakfasts at The Park and in Findhorn Village (approximately 20 regarded as essentially Foundation-related);
• Many self-employed individuals (trading conventionally and / or through LETS).

2.35 Certain individuals are involved in more than one of the above businesses / organisations and may also be involved in NFD businesses.

Market and Financial Information

Market Information (provided by the Foundation)

2.36 The considerable scale of the international market for Foundation activities and services is clear from the following market statistics:

Residential Guest Numbers

2000-2001          4,000 (guest weeks) estimate
1999-2000          4,928
1998-1999           4,143

Other Visitors

• The Foundation estimates that The Park attracts approximately 10,000 casual visitors each year, most of whom simply look around and stay for about an hour;
• The Visitors Centre within the Universal Hall welcomes visitors and provides information about the activities of the Foundation and the wider community through visual displays, videos and tours. Guided tours are available at a cost of £1 per person. Between May and August the Visitors Centre is open mornings and afternoons, Monday to Friday, with afternoon opening on Saturdays and Sundays. Winter opening hours are more limited;
• Visitors can enrol at the Centre in a week-long programme as a Short Term Guest for between one and six days. This provides the opportunity to work in a department, meditate in the Foundation’s sanctuaries and engage in other activities. The programme costs £12 per day, including lunch and dinner in the Community Centre;
• In 2000/1, income from the short term Guest Programme was approximately £6,660, representing 555 person days at £12 per day (222 people if the average participation was for 2.5 days). Approximately 1,000 people pay for the guided tour.

The International Market

• The Foundation has a marketing database containing contact details for approximately 30,000 people world-wide;
• The Foundation website attracts a significant volume of traffic as highlighted by the following data:

Universal Hall

• An indication of the usage of the Hall in addition to events covered in the Foundation’s main programme of courses, conferences and other events is provided below for the April 2001 to March 2002 period:

(a) Widely advertised shows including Highland Festival events, touring theatre productions and other dance and music events

• 19 shows : Total audience 3,608
• 3 arts workshops (ranging from 1 day to 1 week events) : No. of participants 130
• Proportion of audience / participants:
  • from outside Foundation : 80%
  • from outside wider Findhorn Foundation Community : 50%

(b) In-house shows advertised within the Foundation

• 12 shows : Total audience 1,403
• Proportion of audience:
  • from outside Foundation : 50%
  • from outside wider Findhorn Foundation Community : 5-10%

(c) Parties and discos

• 15 events with an average of 150 participants per night
• Open mike night (one a fortnight) : 40-60 participants
• Proportion of audience:
  • from Foundation : 50%
  • from wider Findhorn Foundation Community : 50%

(d) Classes and talks

• 7 movement and drama classes per week : from 4 to 30 participants per class
• 5 talks : average of 70 people per talk
• Proportion of audience
  • from Foundation : 50%
  • from wider Findhorn Foundation Community : 50%

(e) Body Surf Week

– 23 participants from abroad, together with 24 local people.

Other Visitors

2.37 In addition to patronage of the Foundation facilities illustrated above, visitors are attracted to the Park by the Phoenix Shop, Café, Art Studio and other classes, the Eco-Village, and special events that are advertised to the general public.

Foundation Accounts Information

2.38 Details of the Foundation’s total income and expenditure in recent years are presented below:

Source: Findhorn Foundation Annual Reports (the figures for 2000 / 2001 were sourced from the draft accounts).

2.39 The sources of the Foundation’s income in 2000 / 2001 are shown in Table 2.1 overleaf. The two most significant sources were “Core programme course income” (22.4% of the total) and “Long-term programme income” (18.6%).

Table 2.1
Findhorn Foundation – Income, 2000/2001

Source: Findhorn Foundation – Draft Accounts 2000 /2001

2.40 The key information from the NFD Ltd Profit and Loss accounts is shown in Table 2.2 below.

Table 2.2
NFD Ltd – Profit and Loss Accounts, 1999/2000 and 2000/2001

Source: Findhorn Foundation – Draft Accounts 2000 /2001

Foundation Expenditure – A Geographical Analysis

2.41 As an aspect of the economic impact analysis, we explored the geographical pattern of the Foundation’s expenditure in 2000/2001. The two main sources of information on which this geographical analysis is based are the Foundation’s Purchase Ledger and its Profit and Loss accounts.

2.42 The analysis involved a number of steps and assumptions:

(1) The expenditure covered by the Purchase Ledger (£871,521 in total) was allocated by Foundation Accounts Department staff to the geographical areas used in our analysis according to the address of the supplier;

(2) Staff costs of £372,260 (primarily salaries) as given in the main Foundation accounts were allocated to the Forres area;

(3) The items of expenditure not covered by the Purchase Ledger (principally, direct debits, some direct programme costs and petty cash) totalling £260,642 were allocated to geographical areas after discussion with Accounts Department staff;

(4) The overall “direct” expenditure figure used in Table 2.3 below is net of depreciation and other charges (£95,147).

2.43 Table 2.3 shows that 82.0% of the Foundation’s expenditure is made within Moray, with 68.4% made in the Forres area.

Table 2.3
Findhorn Foundation Expenditure – By Geographical Area, 2000 / 2001

2.44 In 2000 / 2001, the Foundation purchased goods and services valued at £273,649 from NFD Ltd, which represented more than half of NFD’s total turnover in that year, and 42% of the Foundation’s purchases from the Forres area (excluding payments to staff).

2.45 For our analysis of the indirect economic impact generated by the Foundation, we excluded its purchases from NFD Ltd to avoid double counting (see Section 4).

3.0 SURVEYS AND OTHER FIELDWORK

3.1 Having assessed the information available from the Foundation’s accounts and other records, we decided that it would be necessary to supplement this for the purposes of estimating economic impact and exploring the linkages between the Foundation and the wider community through analysing responses to surveys of guests carried out by the Foundation and through new surveys of:

(1) Previous Foundation guests – by e-mail;
(2) Businesses associated with the Foundation (including NFD enterprises and NFA members) – by face to face interview and telephone;
(3) Bed and Breakfast operators – primarily by telephone;
(4) Other local businesses that benefit from purchases by the Foundation, associated business, and Foundation guests – by face to face interviews and telephone;
(5) The spending patterns of Foundation co-workers – by self-completion questionnaire.

The Foundation’s Guests

Guest Feedback Survey

3.2 The Foundation has been operating a feedback survey of residential guests for a number of years. Guests are asked to complete a questionnaire at the end of their course or event. The questions on the feedback form cover areas such as “Personal Information”, “Hearing about the Foundation and Booking”, “First Impressions of the Foundation”, “Work Department”, “The Programme Itself”, “Economics”, “Administration and Logistics” and “Future Expectations / New Programmes”.

3.3 The first 6 monthly report (from the 1999 / 2000 financial year) based on the survey data is shown in Appendix 1.

3.4 We accessed relevant data from both this report and a subsequent computer analysis of survey data covering the June 2000 to June 2001 period (as close to our target analysis year, 2000 /2001, as was possible). The numbers of completed questionnaires included in the two analyses were as follows:

(a) The 6 monthly report (1999-2000) 627
(b) June 2000-June 2001 955

3.5 The findings from guest feedback surveys should be regarded as indicative because less than 25% of guests completed a feedback form.

3.6 The key findings from the two sets of information are provided in Appendix 2. In summary:

• Respondents were drawn from across the age spectrum, but with a particular concentration in the 30-45 age category (approximately 40% of respondents);
• Nearly three quarters of all respondents were female;
• About a third of respondents were from the UK. The origin of overseas visitors between June 2000 and June 2001 was divided 56% to 44% between Europe and the Rest of the World;
• About a third of respondents had annual incomes of £10,000 or under (although approximately a fifth of respondents failed to answer this question);
• Significant proportions of respondents work in Education (15% averaged across the two periods) and Health (13%);
• Approximately 30% of respondents indicated that they were staying on for a week or longer after their programme;
• More than 85% of respondents would like / plan to visit the Foundation again – evidence of considerable interest in the Foundation, and of its potential for long-term sustainability.

3.7 Questionnaire respondents represented only 20% of all guests (approximately), however, and this last survey finding (and others in the full survey reports) might be biased upwards if people particularly pleased with their course were more likely to respond than those who got less from it.

E-mail Survey of Foundation Guests

3.8 To help inform the economic impact analysis, we undertook a survey of people who had been guests of the Foundation during 2000 and 2001.

3.9 A web-based survey was used through e-mailing a message to each person in the sample explaining the survey and inviting them to access the questionnaire at a named web site. Once accessed the questionnaire could be completed and submitted electronically.

3.10 The questionnaire contained questions under four main headings: Transport, Length of Stay, Spending, and Places Visited. A copy of the questionnaire is given in Appendix 3.

3.11 The Foundation provided us with approximately 1,000 e-mail addresses for guests (not a complete list of all guests in 2000 and 2001). Approximately 900 e-mail messages were received (about 100-150 messages were returned to us as failed connections), and a total of 161 completed questionnaires were submitted, a survey response rate of 17.9%.

3.12 The main findings of the survey are summarised below (with more detail in Appendix 4):

• Only 10% of guests travelled to and from the Findhorn area within the UK in their own car. 9% of respondents hired a car for these journeys, and 13% hired a car during their stay in the Findhorn / Forres area. This indicates a high dependence on public transport (or lifts) for lengthened stays in the Highlands and Islands before or after people’s courses, and on the Foundation’s transport while staying locally;
• Respondents’ average length of stay before their programme / course was 0.6 days in the Findhorn / Forres area, 0.6 days in other parts of the North of Scotland, and 0.5 days in other parts of Scotland. Stays after their course were marginally longer in other parts of the North of Scotland (0.8 days on average), and in other parts of Scotland (0.7 days), but marginally shorter in the Findhorn / Forres area (0.5 days);
• Guests were asked for figures on their spending before, during and after their courses in each of these three geographical areas to help us to estimate economic impact (see Appendix 4);
• The main places visited by guests who responded to the question were: Inverness (74% of respondents), Edinburgh (39%), Loch Ness (33%), Elgin (25%), Glasgow (25%), Skye (14%) and Iona (14%). 36% of respondents visited craft shops and 33% castles;
• More than two thirds of respondents (69%) said that they would spend some extra days visiting other places in the North of Scotland / Highlands and Islands as part of their trip if they were to return for a Foundation programme / course in the future;
• 42% of the people who said that they would extend their stay said that the number of extra days would be 7, and 21% said that they would stay for an extra two weeks or longer.

Business Surveys

Main Survey

3.13 As part of the study a survey was undertaken of two categories of businesses and other organisations with links to the Foundation:

• NFA registered businesses and organisations (including NFD businesses);
• Businesses and organisations not NFA registered.

3.14 A total of 36 interviews were undertaken through a mixture of face-to-face meetings, and telephone discussions. Estimates of employment for those that we were not able to interview were made for us by people familiar with the business.

3.15 A questionnaire (included in this report as Appendix 5) was used to guide the discussions. The topics covered in the questionnaire included: the history of the business / organisation’s development, market information, employment data, financial performance statistics (turnover and profit / loss), expenditure information for 2000 / 2001, and development plans and opportunities.

3.16 In addition, ten local businesses that trade with the Foundation and / or its guests were interviewed using a shorter questionnaire (also shown in Appendix 5) to determine the relative importance of this trade to them and to help provide data for the impact analysis.

3.17 There was no evidence that any of the ten local businesses are so dependant on the Foundation that they would cease to trade without its custom, although the trade was highly appreciated in some cases. This sample of ten did not include Bed and Breakfast operators.

3.18 The Foundation “brand” is considered useful in attracting non-Foundation trade by some of the Foundation-related businesses that we interviewed, especially those that use “Findhorn” in their trading name. In the north of Scotland, however, the Foundation can have negative connotations. The more successful businesses tended to be aware of the importance of using appropriate promotional material (in terms of wording and graphics) when selling to domestic “external” customers. Internationally, the Foundation can be well known and highly regarded by the customers of the businesses that we interviewed.

3.19 A number of the businesses that we interviewed have plans for development which will require new investment, although most of the smaller businesses are likely to remain modest in scale, often being geared more to lifestyle or ethical principles than to profit.

3.20 Key points from the interviews specific to particular businesses are summarised in a confidential appendix to this report.

NFD Businesses

3.21 From our interviews, we obtained the information on the eight NFD businesses that is summarised below (including Central Services). The figures are higher than those given in the Foundation’s accounts (see Table 2.2), but they are internally consistent and are considered appropriate for this impact assessment.

Full time equivalent jobs (fte’s) 17.5
Wages £154,396
Turnover £574,120
Expenditure £391,000

3.22 Table 3.1 shows NFD expenditure by geographical area.

Table 3.1
NFD Expenditure – By Geographical Area, 2000 / 2001

3.23 The aggregate figures below for the other businesses and organisations in paragraph 2.34 that we have considered Foundation-related for the purposes of this study were estimated in some cases. Data were obtained for all of the larger businesses, however, and the overall figures should be reasonably accurate and internally consistent.

Full time equivalent jobs (fte’s) 140.0
Wages £1,450,000
Turnover £4 million (approximately)
Expenditure £1,380,000

3.24 Table 3.2 shows the expenditure of other businesses and organisations by geographical area.

Table 3.2
Other Foundation-Related Businesses – Expenditure
by Geographical Area, 2000 / 2001

Note: Approximately £100,000 of the expenditure in the Findhorn / Forres area related
to outputs of other Foundation-related businesses (eg. purchases from the Phoenix Shop).

‘Bed and Breakfast’ Operators Survey

3.25 Accommodation operators benefit from the Foundation through providing services for visitors attracted to the area by the Foundation. The Foundation has a list of accommodation (Bed and Breakfast List) which it provides to programme / course participants and other visitors. The March 2001 list contains 41 accommodation businesses (of which 4, that we are aware of, are no longer trading).

3.26 We undertook a telephone survey of 20 of the businesses on the list, including five at The Park, four in Findhorn Village, eight in Forres (including two hotels), one in Nairn, and two in Inverness (including one hotel). The questionnaire used in the survey is shown in Appendix 6.

3.27 The main findings of the survey were as follows (with more detail in Appendix 7):

• The average number of guests over the year was 30 for businesses in The Park, 214 for those in Findhorn Village, and 429 for those in Forres;
• 95% of guests at Park B&B’s were attending courses / events at the Foundation, 75% of those at Findhorn village B&B’s, and 22% at Forres B&B’s (11% if the Viewbank Guest House is excluded). Income generated mirrored these proportions;
• The average length of stay of Park B&B guests was 3 nights, Findhorn village guests 2.75 nights, and Forres guests 1.25 nights;
• In common with the experience of other Highland tourism operators, only 2 respondents (10%) were able to report an upward trend in guest numbers;
• The main means of travel to the area was plane for 65% of the businesses’ Foundation guests, and train for 22%;
• Some operators reported that Findhorn Foundation guests are not interested in anything other than their course while in the area, or that they do not have sufficient time during their courses, events, etc, to travel far from Findhorn / Forres;
• All five Park B&B’s said that the Foundation brand was important to their business, but only one of the other 15 made this comment.

Household Survey

3.28 A survey of Community members was undertaken to investigate their household expenditure patterns in Moray.

3.29 The sampling frame was the list of Foundation co-workers as of November 2001, which was assumed to be similar to the composition and number of co-workers during the target year, 2000-2001.

3.30 The questionnaire used in the survey is shown in Appendix 8. The questions in the questionnaire focussed on household structure and expenditure at the Foundation, and elsewhere on Moray. The questionnaire is based on the one used in the Rural Scotland Expenditure Survey carried out in 2001 by Snedden Economics and Market Research for Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Executive.

3.31 The survey questionnaires were distributed by Foundation staff. 137 questionnaires were distributed to co-workers, and 10 to NFD employees.

3.32 A total of 54 completed questionnaires were returned; all of which relate to co-workers’ households. The overall survey response rate was 36.7%, while that for co-workers was 39.4%.

3.33 The returned co-worker questionnaires were broadly representative of all co-workers as shown overleaf in Table 3.3.

Table 3.3
Returned Questionnaires – By Co-Worker Category

Source: Findhorn Foundation

3.34 The majority (72.2%) of the returned questionnaires related to households containing one person as shown below in Table 3.4.

Table 3.4
Sample – No. of People Per Household

3.35 Table 3.5 presents the main findings in the form of a table comparing annual household expenditure on selected items at the Foundation with similar expenditure captured in the Rural Scotland Expenditure Survey. At face value, it shows that, in broad terms, household expenditure amongst our survey is about one-third of the Rural Scotland figure. However, it should be borne in mind that the Foundation figures solely relate to expenditure in Moray.

Table 3.5
Average Annual Household Expenditure – £ Per Year

3.36 However, the data in the table can be amended to include board and lodging relating to residential Foundation staff, and exclude certain items from the Miscellaneous category, which increases comparability with the findings from the Rural Scotland Expenditure Survey. The amended average household expenditure figure for the sample would be approximately £9,000, which is approximately 57% of the Rural Scotland average (the fact that the Foundation expenditure figure captured in the survey relates only to Moray is one of a number of reasons why the average household expenditure for the Foundation is lower than the Rural Scotland average).

3.37 Because of the low rates of pay / allowances by co-workers and students, they will tend to draw on any savings to help supplement their budget for annual expenditures. Nevertheless, their average annual expenditures are still relatively low, which reflects the Foundation lifestyle, the non-monetary aspects of its economy, and the acceptance of low rates of remuneration. These low average expenditures depress the value of the employment and income multiplier, although a higher proportion of spending is likely to be local than for the typical Forres / Findhorn resident (where expenditure patterns will include shopping trips to Inverness or Elgin, overseas holidays, etc).

Key Contact Discussions

3.38 To complement the survey work, a range of discussions were held with representatives of key agencies and businesses operating in Moray to explore awareness of the Foundation and its economic and other links with the wider Moray and Highland communities.

3.39 The main points raised in these discussions are summarised overleaf:

Key Agencies

Aberdeen and Grampian Tourist Board (of which the Foundation is a member)

• The Foundation is an important aspect of tourism in Moray: it both attracts people to the area for courses, etc and provides an attraction for other visitors;
• The Universal Hall is a very good venue which has been used for tourism-related events (eg. Whisky Festival events);
• 95% of the questions asked by visitors at the Forres Tourist Information Centre relate to the Foundation (eg. where is it?, what happens there?);
• The Elgin and Forres Tourist Information Centres are also used by Foundation guests seeking information on places to visit and things to do in the local area;
• Tourist Board staff regard Foundation guests as, in the main, frugal visitors whose spending is limited and who tend to do things that are free (eg. walking on the beach, visiting historical monuments with no entry charges).

Moray Council

• Moray Council’s contact with the Foundation is currently more limited than it has been in the past, in particular during Local Plan consultations, and the development of Local Agenda 21 policies;
• The Council staff whom we consulted consider that the Foundation is a source of ideas on a range of environmental issues and an important generator of economic activity in Moray;
• The Council’s arts officer is working with the management of the Universal Hall to help the venue to fulfil its potential, and it should play an important role in the new Moray Arts Strategy;
• There is scope for a fuller relationship between the Council and the Foundation.

North of Scotland Water Authority (now Scottish Water)

• This contact was made to explore the scope for Living Technologies to be used in the North of Scotland. The Authority’s official seemed interested conceptually, and asked for details to be sent prior to any meeting with Living Technologies representatives.

RAF Kinloss

• There is a lack of information about the Foundation, and its activities and services at RAF Kinloss;
• There are a number of potential opportunities to link the Foundation more closely with the base, through, for example, the provision of healing classes and services to base staff and their families (there is a shortage of physiotherapists on the base which perhaps provides a business opportunity for some of the healing promoted at the Foundation, or by associated businesses), and the provision of foreign language courses to RAF personnel by Foundation staff.

Findhorn and Kinloss Community Council

3.40 A meeting was held with the Community Council’s secretary to assess how the Foundation is regarded in the local community.

On the positive side:

• The Universal Hall and other facilities are important for the area’s culture;
• A world view of environmental protection is taken;
• The Foundation are contributing wholeheartedly to events being set up by the Jubilee Action Committee (including use of the Universal Hall, providing transport, and providing musical entertainment);
• The Phoenix Shop and Café are considered excellent facilities;
• The Foundation gives the area a diverse culture.

On the negative side:

• There is tendency for properties to change hands between Foundation-related people, and for local people to be squeezed out of the local housing market (especially with building restrictions within the village);
• A larger wind generator will not be popular with some residents.

3.41 Inevitably, some village residents have misconceptions about the Foundation or are inimical to its aims. It appears, however, that prejudices are reducing as the Findhorn Community becomes more open.

4.0 ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS

4.1 In this section, we estimate the economic impacts in our study year, 2000-1, from the activities of the Foundation and associated businesses in:

(i) The local area (Findhorn / Forres);
(ii) The wider Moray Council area;
(iii) The Highlands and Islands as a whole (the HIE area).

4.2 The analysis is a snapshot, and excludes property development and other investment by the Foundation in previous years. Capital investment nowadays is more likely to be incurred by NFD businesses, private businesses (which in some cases have “spun off” from the Foundation), and private individuals (e.g. in building houses on the Field of Dreams).

4.3 Nevertheless, the sustained presence and activities of the Foundation since it was first established, cumulatively, have induced many of the other annual benefits that are shown below as stemming from NFD businesses and from the trading of businesses that we have regarded as Foundation-related. Overall, there continues to be a growth in activity year-by-year as businesses grow and others become established – although there is also a turnover due to marginal businesses (often part-time) ceasing to trade, and to people leaving the area (generally those who had been self-employed rather than those running capitalised businesses).

4.4 Voluntary work, part-time work, and the involvement of certain people in a number of different enterprises (sometimes unpaid) are prevalent features of the Community. Some Park and other Community residents work externally, e.g. for the Council or Health Board, typically in educational or social functions, although also in call centres and other conventional economy enterprises. Some local people who are not part of the Community work as paid staff for businesses that we have regarded as Foundation-related.

4.5 The following economic impacts have been calculated / estimated in terms of full-time equivalent employment and household income:

(1)   (i) Foundation staff (direct employment).

(ii) Induced impacts from the spending of Foundation staff from their earnings and from previous savings.

(2) Indirect and induced impacts from the expenditures of the Foundation on goods and services (including purchases from NFD and other “associated” businesses as these would otherwise have been produced / provided directly by the Foundation or purchased from other businesses – although not necessarily locally);

(3) Induced impacts from the spending of Foundation course, conference and other guests while in the area (other than on services provided by the Foundation that are covered by guests’ fees);

(4) Induced impacts from the spending of course / conference facilitators, speakers, etc normally resident outwith the area;

(5) Induced impacts from the off-site spending of other visitors drawn to the area at least in part by the existence of the Foundation (including the Eco-Village);

Categories of impact (3), (4) and (5) are conventionally termed “externalities”.

(6) Direct, indirect and induced impacts from the economic activities and expenditures of NFD businesses (adjusted to exclude double-counting when NFD businesses supply the Foundation where these are incorporated under (2) above);

(7) Direct, indirect and induced impacts from the economic activities and expenditures of NFA and other Foundation related businesses (including an estimate for self-employed individuals), where these impacts are not already included under (1) to (6) above;

(8) Externalities from the spending of guests, visiting workshop facilitators, tutors, etc where these people have been attracted into the area by the activities of businesses categorised as Foundation-related (as listed at paragraph 2.34).

4.6 Formal economic impacts (in terms of paid employment and household income in £) are depressed by the extent of voluntary work, the relatively low rates of pay provided by the Foundation itself and by typical Foundation-related businesses, provision of in-kind benefits (accommodation, heating, food, etc), use of LETS, and by the Foundation’s policy not to exclude students or those without a job or on a low income from its programmes (such people can receive contributions from a financial support fund).

4.7 Some people, nevertheless, are as well (or almost as well) remunerated as in the conventional economy, including those with skills in IT, specialist building work, complementary medical practitioners, therapists, etc.

4.8 The ratios used in the analysis below to convert full time equivalent jobs into household income (and vice versa) and to estimate indirect and induced impacts were drawn from a range of sources:

• Moray Economic Study – an assessment of the impact of RAF bases (Kinloss and Lossiemouth) by the HIE Economics Team in November 1994;
• Incomes Study for the Highlands and Islands (confidential appendices) – produced for HIE in 1998 by ERM Economics and Independent Northern Consultants;
• Scottish Tourism Multiplier Study (1992);
• Our survey evidence from this study.

4.9 The Moray Economic Study included multipliers for the Moray economy which we consider still to be valid. There are no previous studies, however, that provide multipliers for the Findhorn / Forres local economy or for the whole HIE area(!). We therefore derived multipliers from our study evidence and from our knowledge of the two economies.

Estimation of Impacts

(1) (i) Foundation Staff – Direct Employment

4.10 The Foundation has approximately 140 co-workers, including some dependants who do not receive state benefits. Ten families have children (who receive an allowance from the Foundation of £2,670 per year).

4.11 Non-residential staff received annual salaries of £7,560 in 2000/01, and residential staff received the equivalent in board and lodging allowance (£5,340 per year) and cost allowance (£2,200 per year). Students received £3,600 per year board and lodging allowance, but no cash allowance. Board and lodging allowances are built into the Foundation’s expenditure over and above its “staff cost” expenditure which totalled £372,260 in 2000/01.

4.12 From the available evidence, we have assumed that the Foundation employed approximately 100 full-time equivalent (fte) direct staff in 2000/01 (excluding external course / workshop facilitators, invited speakers at conferences, etc). These 100 fte staff will have received approximately £600,000 in pay (including payments in kind).

(1) (ii) Induced Impacts

4.13 The expenditure patterns of Foundation co-workers were explored through a survey whose results are summarised in paragraphs 3.28 to 3.37 above.

4.14 The annual injection into the Moray economy by Foundation co-workers and their families is estimated to total approximately £800,000, excluding board and lodging allowances (whose impacts are allowed for elsewhere in the analysis). Inclusive of multiplier effects this is estimated to support approximately 30 fte jobs in Moray, and £450,000 in wages and salaries. This would reduce to approximately 20 fte and £300,000 in wages and salaries in the Findhorn / Forres area, and increase to 40 fte jobs and £625,000 in wages and salaries in the Highlands and Islands (the HIE area).

(2) Indirect and Induced Impacts from Foundation Expenditure

4.15 These expenditures are shown by geographical area in Table 2.3. These are related below to employment and household income using income multipliers of 0.3 for Findhorn / Forres, 0.5 for Moray, and 0.75 for the HIE area.

It is assumed that the average fte job in Moray pays £15,000 per year and £17,500 per year in the Highlands and Islands.

(3) Induced Impacts from Foundation Guests

4.16 Evidence from our e-mail survey of visitors suggests that the average guest stays an extra 1.1 nights in the local area (perhaps 1.2 in Moray) and 2.5 nights in the north of Scotland as a whole (assumed equivalent to the Highlands and Islands). Also guests spend a limited amount of money off-site locally while on their course. Accommodation in the Findhorn / Forres area is excluded from our analysis, as is expenditure in the Green Room Café, Phoenix Shop, etc, as these impacts are allowed for elsewhere in the analysis.

4.17 Guest expenditures not covered elsewhere in our analysis are estimated as follows:

Findhorn / Forres 4,000 x £100 = £400,000
Moray 4,000 x £110 = £440,000
Highlands and Islands 4,000 x £175 = £700,000

4.18 Interpreting the findings of the Scottish Tourism study in relation to this study, we applied the following fte to visitor spend ratios (all adjusted for the multiplier):

Findhorn / Forres 1 fte : £30,000 spend
Moray 1 fte : £25,000 spend
Highlands and Islands 1 fte : £20,000 spend

4.19 Allowing for average earnings of £15,000 per fte per year in all areas would give the following impacts:

fte Jobs / Household Income
Findhorn / Forres 13 / £195,000
Moray 18 / £270,000
Highlands and Islands 35 / £525,000

(4) Induced Impacts from Course Facilitators, etc

4.20 Information was obtained from the Foundation on the place of normal residence of people involved in giving courses, speaking at conferences, etc other than Foundation staff. These people, occasionally with partners or families, will, similarly to guests, often spend time before and after the course or event as a tourist and spend some money in the local economy during the period of the course they are helping with. These people, many from overseas, number approximately 100 over the year, and if their levels of “external” spending are 50% higher than the average guest, this will give the following impacts:

fte Jobs / Household Income
Findhorn / Forres 0.50 / £7,500
Moray 0.56 (1) / £10,000
Highlands and Islands 1.33 (1) / £20,000

(5) Induced Impacts from other Visitors

4.21 Of the approximate 10,000 additional visitors to the Foundation, perhaps 1,000 will spend an extra night in the area between Inverness and Findhorn (500 locally); with perhaps 500 extra (non-displaced) visitor nights in the Highlands and Islands, and 750 in Moray as a whole.

4.22 Assuming an average spend of £30 per person per night (other than in accommodation establishments, the Phoenix Shop, etc, which is picked up elsewhere in the impact analysis), this would give the following impacts:

fte Jobs / Household Income
Findhorn / Forres 0.5 / £7,500
Moray 1.0 / £15,000
Highlands and Islands 1.0 / £15,000

(6) NFD Businesses – Direct, Indirect and Induced Impacts

4.23 As shown in paragraph 3.21, our survey evidence showed the following direct impacts:

fte Jobs 17.5
Wages £154,396

4.24 However, as shown in paragraph 2.44, 42% of the Foundation’s local expenditure relates to purchases from NFD businesses. Adjusting the impacts in paragraph 4.23 to allow for this on the basis of the impacts estimated in paragraph 4.15 would give:

fte Jobs 8.0
Wages £70,000

4.25 Similar adjustments need to be made for indirect and induced impacts from NFD businesses’ expenditure on inputs, as follows:

4.26 Increased impacts will also be generated through the spending of direct employees as follows:

(7) Other Foundation-Related Businesses – Direct, Indirect and Induced Impacts

4.27 As shown in paragraph 3.23, our survey evidence showed the following direct aspects:

fte Jobs 140
Wages £1,450,000

4.28 Adjusting these figures (an approximate exercise) for supplies to the Foundation and to NFD businesses and to take account of inter-trading and direct sales to Foundation co-workers (eg. new housing) gives the following:

fte Jobs 125
Household Income £1,300,000

4.29 A further adjustment is needed to allow for displacement, as some of the trade of some of the businesses would otherwise have been gained by other existing businesses:

4.30 Adjustments also need to be made for indirect and induced impacts from expenditure on inputs, as follows:

4.31 Indirect impacts will also be generated through the spending of direct employees as follows:

(8) Externalities from the Spending of the Guests, etc of Foundation-Related Businesses

4.32 These apply in particular to facilities such Newbold House and Minton House that hold residential courses and workshops and also bring in visiting facilitators. Impacts have been assumed at 25% of those for the Foundation estimated under (3) and (4) above, ie:

fte Jobs / Household Income
Findhorn / Forres 3.5 / £52,500
Moray 5.0 / £75,000
Highlands and Islands 9.0 / £135,000

Aggregate Impacts

4.33 Overall impacts

4.34 These impacts are very substantial. If direct Foundation employment were to be excluded, the total impacts would be:

fte Jobs / Household Income
Findhorn / Forres 205.5 / £2,496,000
Moray 243.0 / £3,200,500
Highlands and Islands 303.5 / £4,449,250

4.35 This adjustment is arguably not justified (or not fully justified), however, as around 50 Foundation staff are long-term residents, with an annual staff turnover in residents of around 25%.

5.0 SOCIAL, EDUCATIONAL, CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL LINKS

Population

5.1 The Foundation has been instrumental in attracting people to live in Moray. The people who have settled in the area are often highly educated, with a range of skills. It is also evident, given the number of enterprises that have been spawned by the Foundation or which have developed because of its presence, that there is a significant strand of entrepreneurialism amongst the Findhorn Foundation Community.

5.2 Whilst most people attracted to Moray by the Foundation work for the Foundation or in associated businesses or organisations, a significant number work outwith the community (eg. for the NHS and Moray Council).

5.3 A number of communities have grown up around the Foundation, or are linked to it. For example, the Woodhead Community, Kinloss which comprises 14 people, including nine adults originally drawn to the area by the Findhorn Foundation.

5.4 Another community (of interest) with links to the Foundation is the Findhorn Crafts Association, a group of artists and crafts people, who 4 or 5 times a year hold a craft fair at the Foundation. Some Association members are from the Findhorn Foundation Community, others have no links and live as far afield as Inverness. The craft fairs normally attract 300-400 people per event.

5.5 The Findhorn Foundation Community has helped to support and sustain Findhorn village and its services, such as pubs and shop, which benefits residents of both the village and The Park. A number of Community members live in the village and play an active role in its day-to-day life.

Educational Links and Impacts

5.6 The Foundation has a direct educational impact on the people who participate in its courses and events. Responses to the Foundation’s Guest Feedback Survey provides some evidence of the positive impacts achieved, notably:

(a) How much did the programme meet its stated objectives?:

(b) How much did you enjoy the programme?:

5.7 The Foundation’s educational work across a broad front, including eco-housebuilding and complementary therapy, have enhanced the skills both of people resident in the area and of visitors from further afield participating in courses and workshops. Few of these visitors, however, came from other parts of the Highlands and Islands.

5.8 Through the establishment of the Findhorn Foundation College, the Foundation has created a vehicle to develop educational links with other bodies in the Highlands and Islands, principally the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute. The Foundation could add a distinctive aspect to a number of UHIMI courses.

5.9 The Foundation has also stimulated the development of parallel educational centres such as NewBold House, Forres, which has a programme of courses similar to that of the Foundation.

5.10 The Foundation played a pivotal role in the creation of the Moray Steiner School in 1985. The school’s educational philosophy is based on that of Rudolph Steiner. The school is located at Drumduan, a 19th century mansion house in Forres. There is a network of over 25 Steiner schools across the UK (the Steiner schools network totals 800 schools world-wide). The school currently provides education for children aged 3 ½ to 14, and plans gradually to extend this, which will help to keep families in the area who might otherwise have left for their older children to continue Steiner education elsewhere.

Cultural Links

5.11 The Foundation has a number of cultural links with the wider Moray community. The Foundation’s prime cultural asset is the Universal Hall.

5.12 The Universal Hall is increasingly hosting external promotions including touring groups brought in by Moray Council, Nairn Jazz Festival events, etc. The Good Gig Guide is distributed in the local area to encourage attendance and advance bookings, and the Hall is more actively managed than in the recent past. Touring drama productions have achieved attendances of 100 or more, and a good mix of Foundation Community and the wider public is being achieved (encouraging interaction).

5.13 The venue is more suitable for many events than Elgin Town Hall, and it is a key facility in Moray Council’s Arts Strategy.

5.14 A major visual arts project, Findhorn Centre for the Arts, is at the planning stage, and would replace Moray Art Studio, which has outgrown its current premises at The Park. This venture is independent of the Foundation (though with connections) and would serve west Moray and surrounding areas. The full project would provide increased space for art classes, gallery space, artists studios, and support facilities at a total cost in the region of £600,000. Lottery and other assistance is being sought, and private donations in excess of £100,000 have already been received. An international summer school is planned as part of the project.

Environmental Links

5.15 The Foundation has been at the forefront of implementing sustainable development policies and practices through the development of the Eco-Village Project and its constituent elements, including renewable energy projects, such the wind turbine at The Park and the manufacture of solar panels in Forres by EAS Ltd.

5.16 A new 850 kW wind generator is planned, which would produce 1,800,000 electrical units, 80-90% of the Foundation’s requirements, at a cost of around £450,000. The existing wind generator would be sold.

5.17 A cluster of individuals and businesses involved in eco-building, utilising innovative techniques and natural materials such as native timber, has built up around the Foundation. The cluster includes:

• Eco-Village Ltd;
• Living Technologies;
• Build One;
• Norbuild;
• Edge Architecture;
• Eco-Kitchens;
• Findhorn Engineering.

5.18 A number of these businesses provide services outwith the local Findhorn / Forres area.

5.19 Trees for Life, a conservation charity which works to restore the ancient Caledonian Forest in the Highlands, is based at The Park. It is an example of an organisation associated with the Foundation which has links and activities across the Highlands.

5.20 Organic food production is an important part of sustainable environmental management, and a number of businesses associated with the Findhorn Foundation Community (including Earthshare and Wester Lawrenceton Organic Farm) are involved in organic gardening and farming.

5.21 The Phoenix Community Stores, situated at the entrance to The Park, sells a very broad range of fresh and processed organic food and drink. It attracts customers from a large catchment area and is regarded as one of the best stocked organic shops in Scotland. Books promoting sustainable ecological management are also sold, together with natural health remedies.

5.22 As noted earlier, the Foundation has been involved with the wider Moray community in raising awareness of environmental issues through hosting events to discuss the development of Local Agenda 21 policies for Moray.

Health

5.23 There are a much larger number of complementary and alternative medical practitioners in the Forres / Findhorn area (approximately 50) than would be normal for an area of its population size, and this reflects the role of the Foundation in attracting these practitioners to live in the area. Although demand is expanding, there is a slight surfeit of practitioners in the area, and a number of people have more than one job, or fit the work around bringing up their children. A survey of patients attending Forres Health Centre in September 2000 found that a higher proportion than in other Scottish health centres surveyed were using complementary and alternative medicine concurrently with primary care services.

Social Economy

5.24 The social economy plays an important part in the economy and community life of the Highlands and Islands. The social economy is increasing in significance in the UK and many of the businesses and organisations associated with the Foundation and, indeed, the Foundation itself form part of that economy.

5.25 The 2 LETS in the area – the Findhorn and Kinloss LETS (approximately 150 members) and the Forres LETS (over 500 members) – are notable examples of social economy businesses. Although LETS are highly compatible with the ethics of the Foundation, relatively few co-workers are members because of staff turnover, and because most are self-sufficient (through “board and lodging” being provided). The popularity of the local LETS network, however, testifies to the loyalties and shared values of residents who are living long-term in the area through past and present connections with the Foundation.

5.26 In 2001, a new community organisation – Ekopia Resource Exchange Ltd – was launched by Foundation community members to help stimulate development of the community economy through mutual ownership and encouragement of local investment and trading. In essence, Ekopia is a community bank which is raising share capital which can then be reinvested in community business projects.

5.27 In its first months of operation Ekopia has attracted about 200 members and raised over £150,000 in development capital. Its first major transaction was taking a 41% share of Phoenix Community Stores as part of its buyout from NFD Ltd in autumn 2001.

5.28 Ekopia has a number of projects which it is planning to implement, including the creation of a community currency system, the EKO. This is valued and accepted at par value to £1 Sterling, and is intended to replace the current “blue money” system, be a substitute for £ Sterling in inter-Community trade and complement the local LETS system.

Community Role

5.29 Foundation directors have been actively involved in recent initiatives in Findhorn village, both with youth and training aspects: the Village Centre project, which entails converting an old primary school for youth groups, computer access and training, etc; and the Moray Gig, which involves building a replica of an eighteenth century gig for rowing or sailing, providing team building experience for the young people involved. Involvement has also been maintained in efforts to provide a new Community Centre in Kinloss. Two of the ten current Findhorn and Kinloss Community Councillors are Foundation-related, and liaison people from both the Foundation and RAF attend the Community Council meetings as observers. Richard, the Foundation liaison officer, is highly regarded and a good ambassador for the Foundation.

6.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusions

Summary of Economic Impacts

6.1 The total aggregate impacts (fully adjusted) of the Foundation and associated organisations and businesses for 2000 / 01 at 3 geographical levels are as follows:

6.2 The Foundation has also had a number of cumulative and other impacts, including:

• Helping to generate and support new business start-ups, and expansions in Moray;
• Helping to broaden the skills base in Moray.

Summary of Social, Educational, Cultural and Environmental Linkages and Impacts

6.3 The Findhorn Foundation Community has had a range of beneficial impacts in Moray, including:

• Attracting a significant resident population to Moray at a time when many parts of rural Scotland are losing population;
• Supporting and helping to sustain services and community life in Findhorn and Forres;
• Helping to diversify educational provision in Moray through its support of the Moray Steiner School;
• Establishing facilities such as the Universal Hall, which provide a venue for a range of cultural events and activities of interest to a wide audience, including people outside the Findhorn Foundation Community;
• Introducing and helping to promote sustainable development policies and practices in Moray;
• Creating and supporting innovative development approaches and mechanisms in the social economy (eg. Ekopia Resource Exchange).

SWOT Analysis of the Foundation and Associated Businesses and Organisations

6.4 A SWOT analysis is set out overleaf to help provide a focus for a consideration of the economic and social development role of the Foundation and associated businesses and organisations – both in terms of their current role and potential.

SWOT Analysis

Recommendations

6.5 Our recommendations from the study, taken together, are geared towards:

• Increasing the economic and social benefits of the Findhorn Foundation and the wider Community across the Highlands and Islands;
• Improving the financial viability of the Foundation.

6.6 The recommendations are presented as a series of proposed action points, as follows:

(1) Production of a brochure which fully explains the Findhorn Foundation Community, including its activities and services.

(For dissemination to the general public and business community)

(2) The development of a communication programme targeted at improving local and regional awareness and understanding of the Foundation.

(This could involve targeted distribution of the brochure noted in (1), talks to business groups, and other activities.)

(3) Development of links with tourism operators (eg. accommodation providers and guiding companies throughout the Highlands and Islands).

(This could involve the development of packages and supporting promotional material which link participation in one week programmes at the Foundation with 1 week holidays in specific parts of the Highlands and Islands.)

(4) Development of a circuit of venues across the Highlands and Islands that could host courses / events delivered by Foundation staff and Findhorn Foundation College staff (also courses at Outdoor Centres, etc).

(5) Development of consultancy work, including work based on the community’s renewable energy experience and skills in managing conflict, etc.

(6) Development of links between the Community’s eco-building work and proposed eco-building projects in the region.

(This would involve appraising the potential match between the skills and capacities of the eco-building cluster within the Community, and current and future market opportunities in the Highlands and Islands.)

(7) Through the Moray Arts Strategy, maximising the use of the Universal Hall (improving facilities where required), and creating a new Arts Centre to promote all aspects of the visual arts.

6.7 We recommend that a joint Foundation / Moray Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise (MBSE) Business Development Manager post should be created to formulate and implement a 3 year business support programme for the Foundation and its associated businesses and organisations.

6.8 The aims of the post would be to:

• Work with Foundation staff to help improve the financial performance of the Foundation, especially through the development of new business opportunities;
• Provide support to other businesses and organisations within the community to address both their operational problems and to help progress development plans;
• Act as the mechanism for transferring community ideas and best practice, for example in relation to renewable energy, complementary health, waste water management, and social economy structures to other communities and businesses in the Highlands and Islands.

6.9 The Foundation and MBSE might draw up an outline Action Plan, including the action points noted above, which could provide the initial framework for the Business Development Manager’s post, a key aspect of which would be enhancing existing, and creating new links between the Findhorn Foundation Community and key agencies and businesses such as:

• MBSE;
• The Moray Council;
• RAF Kinloss;
• HIE;
• Communities Scotland;
• Scottish Water Authority;
• Vertex.

6.10 It is recommended that the post should be jointly funded by the Foundation and MBSE.

6.11 We recommend that the Business Development Manager should be based at the Foundation, but spend a significant amount of time at the MBSE offices in Forres, liaising with MBSE staff.

6.12 The post would help “to build bridges” between Foundation-related businesses and the wider Moray / Highlands and Islands economies. In parallel, our recommendations would help in building bridges in environmental, educational and cultural spheres.

Appendix 1

Guest Feedback Survey – First Six Monthly Report

(editor’s note: missing from the file we received)

Appendix 2

Guest Feedback Survey – Findings

1. The key findings from analysing the questionnaires returned by residential guests between 1999 and June 2001 are given below.

2. The figures shown under (a) relate to the Foundation’s 6 monthly report (1999-2000), covering 627 returns, and the figures under (b) relate to a subsequent computer analysis of survey data for the June 2000 to June 2001 period, covering 955 returns.

Personal Information

Appendix 3

E-mail Survey of Foundation Guests – Questionnaire

(editor’s note: missing from the file we received)

Appendix 4

E-mail Survey of Foundation Guests – Findings

1. The findings from our analysis of this survey are summarised below.

2. It should be noted that the number of respondents answering particular questions varied. Column totals might not sum to 100% because of rounding.

Introductory Question

(1) Have you been a guest at Findhorn during:

Transport

(2) What was the main form(s) of transport that you used within the UK, to travel to and from Findhorn / Forres:

(3) While you stayed in the Findhorn / Forres area, did you hire a car:

Length of Stay

(4) How long did you stay in the following areas before your programme / course at the Findhorn Foundation began:

(5) How long did you stay in the following areas during your programme / course at the Findhorn Foundation:

(6) How long did you stay in the following areas after your programme / course at the Findhorn Foundation had ended:

Spending

(7) Before your programme / course at the Foundation, how much did you spend per day (on accommodation, food, travel, gifts, etc) in the following areas:

(8) During your programme / course at the Foundation, how much did you spend per day (on accommodation, food, travel, gifts, etc) in the following areas excluding programme / course fees and any other spending at Cluny Hill College, the Phoenix shop and the café at the Park:

(9) After your programme / course at the Foundation, how much did you spend per day (on accommodation, food, travel, gifts, etc) in the following areas:

(10) How many people do these spend figures cover:

(11) Could you split your spend in the Findhorn / Forres area into the following categories:

Places Visited

(12) Which places did you visit as part of your trip to the Foundation:

Other Topics

(13) In the future, if you come to the Foundation for a programme / course, would you also spend some extra days visiting other places in the North of Scotland / Highlands and Islands as part of your trip:

(14) If you answered Yes to spending extra days in the North of Scotland / Highlands and Islands, how many days would that be:

Appendix 5

Business Surveys – Questionnaires

Findhorn Foundation : Economic Impact Study

– New Findhorn Association Registered Organisations and Linked Organisations –

NB: Collect Management Accounts for the Organisation (if available)

1) Name of organisation: _________________________________________________

2) Type of organisation:

a)

Findhorn Foundation
NFD
Independent of Foundation
not NFA registered

b)

Sole Trader
Partnership
Ltd Company
Charity
Other: ________________________

3) Contact: _____________________________________________________________

4) Functions / activities of the business: ______________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

5) History of business development (including why the business was established in West Moray)
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

6) Markets (eg. % internal community, wider; geographical origin of customers, etc)
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

7) Employees (incl. proprietors) – numbers (relating to 2000/01)

Yr round / Seasonal
Full-time                                           Fte
Part-time

Any other comments about employees (eg. peak employment numbers):
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

8) Turnover

2000/2001 : £
1999/2000 : £

Profit/ Loss or Surplus / Deficit
2000/2001 : £
1999/2000 : £

9) Expenditure for 2000 / 2001 broken down:

Total Expenditure in 2000 / 2001: £__________________________

10a) Capital expenditure in 2000/01 (description, value, by key headings):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

10b) Major expenditure in previous years (description, value, by key headings):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

11) Any particular comments on suppliers (eg. organic or ethical suppliers; contract specifications; new / long-standing):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

12) Current operational problems / constraints on development:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

13) Development plans / opportunities (including implications for employment)
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

14) Scope for increased / enhanced linkages with the local and wider economy / community (eg. outsourcing, joint projects, etc):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

15) What influence does the “Foundation” or “Findhorn Foundation” name or brand have on your business (eg. is it directly responsible for x% of your business?, does it help you to gain trust with your customers, etc):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

16) Any other comments:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Findhorn Foundation : Economic Impact Study

– Other Businesses –

1) Name of Business: _____________________________________________________

2) Contact: _____________________________________________________________

3) Type of Business: _____________________________________________________

4) Total number of jobs relating to supplying “Foundation” businesses in 2000 / 2001:

Yr round / Seasonal
Full-time                                           Fte
Part-time

5) Known sales to “Foundation” businesses: £ _________ (info. from “Foundation”
and NFD financial systems)

6a) Estimate of the value of sales to the businesses which are the responsibility of Findhorn Foundation trustees (describe):

• Total value : £

• These sales as % of total turnover : _________ %

6b) • Estimate of the value of total sales to related-businesses: £
(or are these sales already included in the figures in (a) for the “Foundation”)

• These sales as % of total turnover : _________ %

7) History of dealing with the “Foundation”: ________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

8a) What % of total local jobs are dependant on “Foundation”-related trade: _________%

8b) If “Foundation”-related trade disappeared what impact would there be on your employment (job numbers):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

9a) Experiences (+ and -) of supplying the “Foundation”:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

9b) Experiences of supplying “Foundation” visitors:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

10) If the “Foundation” had never existed what effect would this have had on your business:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

11) Are there opportunities for improved working relationships with the “Foundation”:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

12) Are there any opportunities for new skills and business development in association with the “Foundation” and its related enterprises:
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Only ask the following question if the business is a Findhorn community type business.

13) What influence does the “Foundation” or “Findhorn Foundation” name or brand have on your business (eg. is it directly responsible for x% of your business?, does it help you to gain trust with your customers, etc):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

14) Any other comments (including comments on Social aspects of the “Foundation”):
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Appendix 6

Bed and Breakfast Operators Survey – Questionnaire

Findhorn Foundation : Economic Impact Study

Questionnaire for B&B and Guest House Operators

1. Name: ______________________________________________________________

2. Location:

The Park
Findhorn Village
Forres
Nairn
Inverness

3. Total no. of guests in 2000/01 (to 31 January) or in 2000 calendar year (for simplicity):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

4. Are your guests:

– People attending Foundation events / courses % of total visitors
– Casual visitors % of total visitors

5. For 2000/01 or 2000 (note which one):

Total Income: £__________

Total Expenditure: £__________

6. For 2000/01 or 2000:

[% of total expenditure if actual figures cannot be gathered]

7. What % of Income comes from visitors to the Findhorn Foundation (and associated
organisations): __________%

8. Trends in guest numbers, importance of the Findhorn brand, any other comments, etc:
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
9. How do your guests travel to Findhorn:

Main means of transport / All types of Transport used

Air (eg. fly to Inverness)
Train
Bus
Private car
Hire car

10. How long do your guests stay with you (eg. for the duration of Foundation courses or longer):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

11. Could you tell us anything about what people do while staying with you (eg. visit tourist attractions in other parts of the North of Scotland – Loch Ness, etc):
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

Appendix 7

Bed and Breakfast Operators Survey – Findings

1. The following businesses were interviewed by telephone

The Park – [editor’s note: 5 B&B personal names removed]

Findhorn Village – [editor’s note: 4 B&B personal names removed]

Forres – [editor’s note: 8 B&B personal names removed]

Nairn – [editor’s note: 1 B&B personal names removed]

Inverness – [editor’s note: 2 B&B personal names removed]

Key quantitative findings from the survey are presented below:

(1) Average number of guests:

Business Location / No.
The Park / 30
Findhorn Village / 214
Forres / 429

(2) Average % of Guests Per Operator Attending Courses / Events at the Foundation:

Business Location / %
The Park / 95
Findhorn Village / 75
Forres / 22
Note: When one operator – the [name removed] Guest House – is excluded from the analysis the Forres figure drops to 11%.

(3) % of Income generated from people attending Courses / Events at the Foundation:

Business Location / %
The Park / 95
Findhorn Village / 75
Forres / 22
Note: When one operator – the [name removed] Guest House – is excluded from the analysis the Forres figure drops to 11%.

(4) Average length of stay of guests:

Business Location / No. of Nights
The Park / 3
Findhorn Village / 2.75
Forres / 1.25

(5) Trends in Guest Numbers:

Guest Numbers / No. of Businesses
Up / 2
Same as recent years / 6
Down / 10
Don’t Know / 2

(6) Main means of guests’ travelling to Findhorn / Forres:

Means of Transport / % of Guests
Aeroplane / 65
Train / 22
Bus / 7
Private Car / 4
Hire Car / 5
Total    100

2. Operators were also asked what their guests did during their stay. A range of places and attractions are visited by guests including:

– Cawdor Castle
– Culloden Battlefield
– Inverness
– Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness
– Brodie
– Standing stones
– Whisky distilleries
– Findhorn village and local beaches

3. Some operators find that Findhorn Foundation guests are not interested in anything other than their course, etc at the Foundation, or that they do not have any time during their courses, events etc to travel far from Findhorn / Forres.

4. Six of the operators commented that the Findhorn Foundation brand was important to their business, including all five operators in the sample located within The Park, but only one of the other 15.

5. Some verbatim comments (positive and negative) about the Foundation brand are presented below:

• “The business would exist without the Foundation – would just redirect marketing efforts. The community is becoming as much of an attraction as the Foundation itself, with the Eco-Village, timber replanting, etc.” (The Park)
• “Findhorn Foundation is becoming less important – only importance now is during low season when beds would otherwise be empty”. (Forres)
• “Brand is vital at present, but as we have an eco-house, there may be increased interest in the house rather than just the Foundation”. (The Park)
• “Would not be in business without the Foundation. People stay with us due to the close proximity to the Foundation”. (The Park)

Appendix 8

Household Survey – Questionnaire

Confidential

Findhorn Foundation : Economic Impact Study

Household Survey

The Survey – Guidance Notes

1. The survey is designed to measure your household expenditure patterns in Moray. It is important to define carefully who is included in your household – this will enable us to calculate average expenditure per person for some items. We define a household to include:

Adults – Single people, married couples, couples living together, other adults who live with you as part of your household unit or family (eg. parents, grandparents, children who still live with you, other long term dependent adults);

Dependant children – children who are dependant on adult members of the household;

Temporary guests – please exclude from this survey.

2. Please identify in the table below who you are including as members of your household and complete the details for each one. You will need to decide who is the “Head of the Household” for the purpose of completing this questionnaire.

3. This survey relates to total household expenditure so each question requires a response which aggregates the relevant expenditure of all people in the household.

4. The survey relates to financial expenditure. Consequently, any “trading” through the LETS is not covered.

5. A map of Moray is attached to aid the completion of the questionnaire.

6. For some questions please complete the questionnaire by filling in the space provided for the time period for which you can provide the most accurate estimate of expenditure. The time periods are:

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

The time period that you use need not be the same for each question.

7. Please complete this questionnaire by writing in the space provided or putting a tick in the appropriate box.

8. Your answers to the questions will be treated as strictly confidential and will only be used to build up a composite, aggregated picture of expenditure by the Findhorn Foundation Community.

People in Your Household

1. Could you tick which category you fall into:

Residential staff 
Non-residential staff 
Self-employed 
Student 
Elder 
Working volunteer 

2. Please provide your household details:

3. Where do you live (please tick appropriate box):

The Park 
Findhorn Village 
Forres 
Elsewhere in Moray 

Expenditure at the Foundation

4. How much does your household spend at the Phoenix shop:

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

5. How much does your household spend at the café at the Park:

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

6. How much does your household spend on household services (eg. childcare) provided by community members:

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

Expenditure Elsewhere in Moray

The questions below relate to expenditure elsewhere in Moray, ie away from the Foundation.

7. How much rent (if any) do you pay:

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

8. If you have a mortgage, how much do you pay:

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

9. If you have made any capital improvements to your home in the last year (eg. renovations, extensions, building work, etc), please say how much it cost:

£ ____

10. Approximately how much have you spent in the last year on routine maintenance, decorations and repairs:

£ ____

11. How much do you estimate members of your household (in aggregate) spend in shops on items such as food, drinks, and household supplies such as detergents, toilet paper, etc:

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

12. How much do you estimate members of your household (in aggregate) spend in restaurants (including take-aways) and pubs:

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

13. Approximately how much on average do you estimate that members of your household (in aggregate) spend each year on clothing and footwear:

£ ____

14. How much do you estimate your household has spent on major household goods (eg. furniture, electrical goods, equipment, garden equipment) in the last year:

£ ____

15. How much on average do you estimate your household spends on household services (eg. childcare, domestic help, dry cleaning, etc):

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

16. How much do you estimate you spend in total on fuel (petrol, diesel, LPG) for your vehicle(s):

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

17. Approximately how much do members of your household spend on bus, taxi and rail fares for journeys within Moray, or starting in Moray:

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

18a. Have you bought a car or other vehicle in Moray in the last year (please tick):

Yes 
No 

18b. If yes, was the vehicle:

Price
New £
Second-hand £

19. How much do you estimate that members of your household (in aggregate) spend per year on leisure goods (eg. TVs, computers and computer supplies, cameras, sports equipment, hobbies, books, etc):

£ ____

20. How much do members of your household (in aggregate) spend on leisure services such as cinema, concerts, sports admissions, and dances:

Per Week £
Per Month £
Per Year £

21. Finally could you note below any other significant items of household expenditure (eg. Moray Steiner School fees) in Moray not covered by the questions above:

Item (describe)  [and give] Expenditure per Year
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Many thanks for completing this questionnaire

If you have any queries about the questionnaire please contact:

Brian Burns
[editor’s note: personal details removed]