What happens in the evenings and at the weekends?
On summer evenings you might find some of us preparing fruit and making jam, but there are a lot of other home-grown activities that take place as well – plays, stories, singing, music, craft and educational groups.
We celebrate the seasonal festivals throughout the year. Being creative together helps us to connect to each other and broaden our horizons. People who come to see our performances are often amazed at what we can achieve, and so are we!
The reason is not individual talent but the willingness to have a go and help each other to have the confidence to stand on the stage or pick up a paint brush. It’s not all frantic activity. Going to a film or for a walk with friends are just as much part of life together, and so is a quiet night at home.
Some of the things we do involve many people and need a lot of organising, and there you feel the excitement of doing something that brings us all together. Other things are more intimate or spontaneous but all these help us feel in touch with ourselves and our friends. Of course we all have different wishes and needs and these may change over time.
Even in the most light-hearted activities we believe our social and cultural life is expressing something very important – that each person is a unique individual, and that we all long for and need the challenge and stimulation of art, ideas, conversation and new experiences to help us grow into what we can each become.
To allow this to happen, a Community needs to have an open, enquiring atmosphere. It should be, in the widest sense, a place where people are learning and developing. That’s what we hope exists at Loch Arthur. One of the great benefits of Community living is that we can all feel recognised as individuals and experience a variety of opportunities for self-discovery.
