"We have donated, spread leaflets and written letters. Heart broken to think of Botton's destruction." Laura Rogers
"Good Luck." Juliet MacMichael
"It seems to me that this is an opportunity for examining the errors of moving away from the founding spirit of Camphill. How can we reignite the candle on the hill? It could involve a full examination of what has been neglected for this to come about, however, I welcome the opportunity of the trustees deepening their understanding of what they are trying to exterminate, and the supporters reviewing how the founding spirit can be nourished and maintained." Dr Tessabella Lovemore
"I trust and support your wish to continue to have Botton run by people who are living in it." Nicky Stubbs
"Go Botton go!" Irix Zafra
"I pledge my support for Botton Village!" Hilde Kristine
"Why kill idealism?" Willem Haagsma, Groningen Nl.
"I was in 1999 in Botton Village, a social, warm and inclusive community. The values of Camphill must not be lost. These values includes work according to ability and income needed. Selling your labor is not one of these values." Bert Erends
"Botton village is a truely unique and beautifully human place which must be supported." Helen Duffy
"Great job guys. Lets keep Botton village alive. Thanks, Marcin (volunteer 2000-2001)" Marcin Dabek
"It is important for the people who live and work at Botton that the true values of Camphill are maintained. But further than this it is critical for future world development that impulses in harmony with the time spirit's intentions are not snuffed out by the opposing forces. All the very best for the future." Alan Lewers
"I want to voice my strong support for the work that Botton does. I wish you courage and inspiration and hope from my heart that the excellent work of integration that happens at Botton starts to be recognised and cherished in the wider community! My very best wishes." Lucila Machado
"Please save Botton Village!" Eva Wittmann
"Essential work- keep the media informed." Pauline Hunt
"Botton is one of the most amazing communities I have ever visited. I would hate to see anything threatening it's survival." Anonymity requested
"Please stop the destruction of a long standing and good working alternative for a rather worn out system of salaries and decision making!" Gys Vanlennep
"My first work experience was at Camphill Village-Copake (NY, USA) in 1968. Since then, I have maintained my contact with several Camphill communities. From the start I knew that Botton Village was a leading community, a worthy model of the Camphill ideal of life sharing. It is still hard for me to believe that Botton Village's way of community life is under such serious threat." Mary Lee Plumb-Mentjes
"'Camphill' has probably been the most significant impulse for me in 'this life'. Writing both as a parent and a former houseparent of 14 years. Two of my children attended Botton school, also participating in the festival life and annual Botton camp. It is without a doubt a very full life, and not for the faint hearted, which makes it all the more painful when people do not recognise and value the ethos, and blindly miss the point. I am deeply sorry that the people and families of Botton find themselves in such circumstances, having to defend their community from the bland insensitivities of majority view. I no longer work in Camphill, but I still carry the impulse inwardly, that will not change. I wish you all strength and courage." Ann Cormack-Kresse
"Botton is a very special place and a community to live in, lots of strengths, power and luck to all of you still fighting for the heart of this village!" Cornelia Steim
"Goede en waarachtige zorg is hard nodig. Blijf kijken naar prioriteiten!" Anonymity requested
"I spent two weeks when I was a kid, 18 years ago, in Botton. It definitly helped me fight my prejudices and discover that, with will and involvement, it was possible to offer anyone a decent life." Guillaume Ayné
"Please preserve Botton Village Community. Thank you for your work." Anonymity requested
"Please don´t destroy this unique place of mutual respect, care and help. You won´t find it elsewhere - exept some other Camphill places. Our world needs people like the co-workers in Botton who don´t ask for the benefit and the outcome of things only! I very often think of you all in Botton - lots of love!" Sabine Loos
"I have so admired our local Camphill communities here in Newnham and am devastated by the changes being forced through by the present Trustees who clearly have no understanding of the difference between care provided out of love and within a family environment on a 'round the clock' basis and that 'care' that is available to most vulnerable adults in our communities outside Camphill. Continue to strive to maintain the ethos of Camphill and don't be told 'we can't do it that way these days'.....because.....IF NOT...WHY NOT? I've never seen a better example of good flourishing community life than I was priviliged to witness in years gone by at Oaklands Park and now a visit to that community is such a sad and dispiriting experience since 'management' has utterly destroyed that community. Don't LET THAT HAPPEN TO BOTTON." Siobhan Smith
"I support the Camphill ideas and want Botton to go on with it." Esther Maria Grünberg
"Living together and having a shared home as equals beats a person being employed to come in to work. They usually see those they support as being different from themselves." Angela Ashe
"The family living way of Botton, with groups living together with house parents (NOT employees coming in doing shifts) and co-workers gives the best home life and stability for the Villagers. with those who wish to live more independently helped to do so.Reading through all the material it seems that it is NOT incompatible with the law to continue doing this." Carol Newing Newing
"Botton is your grain of mustard seed. Don't crush it!" Andie Luijk
"Keep up the good work." Pearse O Shiel
"The intrinsic values of Botton Village community have been appreciated by people with learning disabilities, their families and house coordinators alike and have provided those living there with rich and meaningful life experiences. It holds the value and concern for each individual in a community context in high regard and it would be a tragedy to loose this unique place." Anonymity requested
"May we all be able to create a way and a bridge for a real dialogue which entails that we are willing to learn from other perspectives and will be prepared for 'letting go' things and thoughts in order that the common better future will arise for us all." Pim Blomaard
"I support you in all your endeavours to find a resolution that will maintain the lifestyle of the people living in Botton Village." Stephanie Barwick
"Keep up the good fight! What a tragedy..." Alistair DuPont
"I fully support Action For Botton. From first hand experience of this remarkable place, I am very sad that the CVT want to make these changes and are creating such heartache in the process. For 23 years, Botton has not only been a special place in my heart but its philosophy and ethos has inspired me throughout my career and life. Nowhere else have I experienced their equal / truly shared working and home life. A beautiful place. I can't believe anyone would want to change it. If both parents of and those themselves with learning disabilities wanted to live in the way the CVT is imposing then there are many places and services out there that could accommodate them. It makes no sense to me? People have chosen Botton because it's Botton. It's a remarkable and very special place. CVT please leave it alone." Rachael Lines
"I will give my voice of support for Botton Camphill Village." Katrin Kirsipuu
"I have never visited Botton but have supported the Camphill Movements values for over a decade now. What is happening in Botton is cruel and unfair towards the villagers who are doing so well mainly thanks to commited co-workers with whom they live. It is also completely cruel to these co-workers who have built Botton from scratch and who are now virtually on the street. CVT and its actions are hateful and must be seen as it's weakness and lack of understanding of the underpinning values of the Movement." Anonymity requested
"May fairness and a sense for the freedom of individuals prevail. I send my thoughts to you." Anonymity requested
"Do not destroy the ideals from Botton, it was for us Camphillers in Holland a place we admired!" Alice van Dam van Isselt
"Camphill are superb at doing what they know best - providing happy and safe homes for people with learning disabilities. Do not disturb this excellent service at Botton." Shirley Rodwell
"Botton is a fantastic home for so many!" Yvan Rioux
"Botton is a unique and inspired service - it deserves to be saved!" Gabriel Millar
"PLEASE SAVE BOTTON VILLAGE!!!" Ellen Fjeld Køttker
"I agree with others who had a chance to live in Botton Village. "Don't change what has been good for so many years. Please let the community remain to exist and work in the spirit of the Camphill movement and in the way they choose themselves. Let people in Botton Village live the way they want to live. Let Botton Village live. For good. For ever." Petr Vesely, Czech Republic
"A very special place." Jim McDougalljim
"The way economical means are shared in the Botton Community is a sparkle of the future. Support it!" Gert Adema
"Dont give up!" Wim van der Brug
"All the very best with this action. I visited and loved Bottom many times." Eowyn Levene
"We support Botton village! They have heart ideals and do very good work. Keep them going! Hearty greetings." Marianna Akerboom
"I support this cause." Sandeep kamboj
"There are certainly ways in which the Camphill movement can effectively make changes, while not compromising the villagers, or the principles of Camphill. BUT the behaviour of CVT seems very aggressive , and arrogant, and cannot be supported." Anna Prokhovnik Cooper
"I work with people who have autistic spectrum conditions. I am also a parent of a child who has just visited Botton as part of a class residential. As a 15 year old who is hard to impress, she gained a massive amount by staying in the village and meeting the co-workers and the residents. As someone who works in a mental health capacity, I understand the major benefits of residents being able to build up trusting relationships with co-workers that are long term and long-lasting, rather than many, albeit well-intentioned, care workers that cannot build on foundations of trust and respect." Anonymity requested
"A pathetic carry on from the trust!!" Daniel Schweitzer
"I have a distant family member living at Botton, It has been her life, she has been there for over 40 years. I know that this will be distressing for the people living there. Yet another eeason why the government needs to change.. the sooner the better." Zaida Ingram
"Amazing that you are building this solidarity and bringing this counter-narrative against the neoliberal and bureaucratic changes being imposed. Where else can can we find volunteers fighting to stay volunteers and struggling against waged labour? In solidarity. Elliot, Teacher, South Devon Steiner School." Elliot Perkins
"Let Camphill continue to prove its success! Difference must be there: if we swipe away differences in ways of helping people in need, we will all end up as robots. Difference stimulates people's personal creativity and it favors new and flexible ways of thinking and working. The social consistence of Camphill is an outstanding example of social work." Jan Kranen
"Voice of support for Botton." Elisabeth Mulders
"Please let Camphill stay the special place it is for so many people." Anonymity requested
"A good initiative like a Camphill community should be able to keep doing the good work they are already doing for people with special needs. Good luck with your campaign!" Saskia de Groot
"Try to get shoulder to shoulder. Otherwise you have no chance." Willem de Vletter
"I support Botton and their action to continue their work in the way they have done so for 60 years." J. de Jong
"As someone who supports and holds dear the Camphill movement, and Botton Village in particular, I am deeply concerned about recent changes imposed upon Botton Village by the Camphill village Trust." Jan Arnout Renken
"Let botton village live!" Christiaan Hartman
"I support Botton!" Evert Hoefman
"Don't change something that has worked for years!" Willy Cools Mulder
"Dear people of Botton Village, it would be a disaster and inhuman, if your beautiful, flowering village is devastated by these new rules on how and when to work. May the justices stop this crazy process for the human dignity of all the villagers. Dearest greatings, Vincent de Vries." Vincent de Vries
"Camphill (worldwide) is a unique organisation to enable people with and without a disability to live life in harmony and to their fullest in all aspects. An established Camphill place like Botton Village should not fall into hands of bureaucrats, they should join and experiences Botton Village for at least a couple of months before they might take irreparable action. Old Campiller." Klas Hiemstra
"I live in Newnham-on-Severn and have become aware of the changes occurring in the way the local Camphill Trusts have been run so I can appreciate what Botton has been up against. I have seen the care and enjoyment the residents of Camphill locally have had over the years and I see the attempts to change from live-in volunteers to paid employees as an obvious threat to the continuation of such care." Ian Smith
"Please don't destroy such terrific initiatives!!" Anonymity requested
"I am outraged by the behaviour of the management of CVT!" Katie Bolton
"Please maintain this community for the needy!" Thomas Guy Van der Veur
"I am definitely in favour of Botton working along the old lines as Camphill was intended as a community where people gifted their time, talents and work in order to create a community that functioned as a cohesive whole and not just in parts. I'm sure it also saved the government a huge amount of money." Juliet Hurner
"A close friend has a brother who has lived at Botton most of his adult life, the quality of his life living as a family with co-workers and other residents has been wonderful. I stayed at Botton this summer with a group of friends and we were all both inspired and moved by the experience. Good luck with your campaign, it is hugely important." Jane Welters
"For me, the genius of Camphill is "de-coupling" work and money. Suddenly you have zero unemployment and work is done because it needs doing and is not dependent on pay. Quality of life for everyone increases. The assertion by CVT management that co-workers are more expensive than employees is simply untrue. Not only are co-workers more productive, but they're much cheaper too!" Nick Assirati
"Botton has changed the lives of many as it did for me when I lived in Botton as a Co-worker from 1975 to 1980. Each of the Camphill places should have their own Association and Board and the (Trust) Federation should have only limited powers. Taking this in account, I hope that the Trust will propose to Botton that they have their own Association and Board. I hope Botton is given the possibility to continue to inspire people. With my sincere greetings, Hubert Genz." Hubert Genz
"Ik steun de aktie handtekeningen." Bernadette de la Houssaye van Rooijen
"Kia ora (greetings, good health), your site,accessed via Waldorf Today, moved me incredibly as it is a picture repeated around the world, in many initiatives arising out of spiritual scientific foundations. Your task is immensely important. My thoughts and prayers are with your community, with love, Robin" Robin Mackenzie-Suggate
"I add my support. Botton works - leave it in peace." M C Ross
"The CVT should be made aware of the words of the founder of Camphill, Karl Koenig,: "the Camphill-coworkers are the preparers of the preparers", of the culture of the future. So with their destructive plans they contribute to the destruction of what is meant to be the right culture of the future." Nellie Engelaer-Takken
"My family and I support this campain to 100 %,CVT does not seem to understand, that money is not everything. There are greater values in this world!!! And these values are worth supporting with all our love and thoughts." Colum Lindenberg
"The principles of Botton Village are built on the basis of a loving caring family atmosphere. Those with disabilities thrive there. It has worked for nearly 60 years - Let it be!" Michelle Ross
"Please do not break down the unique concept of the Camphill society! I believe that the people who are taken care of there could not ever find a more loving and less costing surrounding than where they are staying now. Profit is not everything!" Anonymity requested
"Stop destroying this community and think of all the work and love that is put into it." Roel Bos
"Support for Botton Village and for its Camphill foundations." Gels Versteegh
"Botton village is unique and should stay!! People should look past the bounderies of modern bureacracy." Anonymity requested.
"Sending huge love and blessings from Taos, New Mexico, USA." Sarah Beasley
"My support for Botton. Let Botton live!!!!!" Anonymity requested.
"For who are they ruling, the new authorities? For the benefit of their own or for the benefit for the community? Then do listen to the community!!!!!" Cécile Daniels
"Having visited Botton Village as well as having a strong connection to other such communities, I see the immense value it has for society as a whole. Fear of possible "problems" is not a valid reason for such a change. Such problems exist in greater quantity in institutions such as the CVT is trying to create." Anne Fleming
"Let them be." Saskia Huismans-Vos
"I support Action for Botton." Anonymity requested.
"As a professional in The Netherlands I have knowledge of Camphill-institutes. They have long been an example and inspiiration for collegues all over the world. I hope you will have the wisdom to let the Camphill workers continue their (all over the world known) inspiring way of taking care of people with special needs." Marijke Faber
"Botton Village must stay!!" Erna de Haan
"Dear Mr Goodwill I am writing to express my deep concern at the actions of the Camphill Village Trust and the impact on the vulnerable adults who are your constituents in Botton Village. The changes being forced on the community by the executive of the charity, without any proper consultation of the people who live and work in the community, without an impact assessment and in the face of the expressed wishes of the learning disabled adults and their families must be challenged and I call on you most urgently to do so.Please stand up and support the people who voted for you rather than a bullying and distant group of highly paid executives and a weak body of trustees. Yours sincerely," Joke Doorschodt
"Please let Botton do its fabulous work. Is is needed." Lidiwna Charpentier
"Stop the bureaocracy. Save this international jewel. Love in action." An De Cock
"Let Bottom Village live!" Carolien Overtoom
"DON'T RUIN SOMETHING THAT HAS PROVEN IT'S VALUE FOR MANY DECADES NOW!" Anonymity requested
"Support for Botton Village." Luc Ambagts
"I stayed in Botton a few weeks as a child. It was not until years later my parents told me the particularity of the village. The truth, I think it is a place where all kind of people can feel normal, not judged, exactly because they are allowed a normal life. Botton is a beautiful concept to achieve human rights, particularly the dignity of a person. People with mental health problems generally see many of their human rights violated, and the progress should be to extend projects like Botton, never to put an end to them!" Louise Ayne
"Let the camphill house stay as it was organised." Anonymity requested.
"Support for Botton." Jan Borghs
"Please let the community remain to exist en work in the spirit of the camphill movement in the way they chose themselves." Loekie van der Burg
"Botton village is a speciaal place that has to be kept." Silvia Fiorini
"I want the people in Botton Village to live the way they want to live." Petra Willigers
"Botton ,as it is currently arranged, can hardly be improved upon. As a setting for the emanation and protection of love, it should remain just as it is, with no changes or micromanaging from the trustees or others. Thank you." Anonymity requested
"I hope dearly for your success. Camphill really is an amazing model" Kimberly Vervain
"Botton village must stay as it is!" Anonymity requested
"You can not do this....." Melissa Walrecht
"It's hard to see how anyone could claim to have the interests of Camphill at heart when they breach one of the vital pillars on which it stands." Christine Tansley
"My childhood friend Sylvie was a co-worker in Botton for many years(we are both originally from Montreal/Ottawa). For me Botton is a hidden valley of life and hope. My family and I had always travelled everywhere and adapted easily but I was apprehensive of going on a holiday to Botton . The days we spent there were revealing : differences are minor... when there's an environment that allows each just to BE." Dominique Ayné
"My sister has spent much of her life living, breathing and loving the camphill communities she has been so lucky to be a part of. You can't put a price on the care, affection and genuine friendship that places like Botton offer. Much like the current 'hands off our NHS' campaign, to CVT I would say: 'hands off our Camphill!'." Francis Bennett-Henman
"I've been in Botton many times and I have very good memories of my stays there." Arjan van Vliet
"Please don´t make it impossible for people, handicapped and not handicapped, to live together. After spending 4 years in Camphill after school and replacing houseparents twice in my summer holidays at Botton, I have become in teacher in Germany, also teaching English). There are so many precious memories for life I gained from my stay, that I can only wish, that these places can carry on with their special way of life. Please, find ways for Camphill to survive and prosper." Ulla Kruse
"I support action to maintain Botton Camphill community. There is no better shelter for those with special needs. Take care," Aad Meijer
"When a message is being sent loud and clear to a Board of Trustees, it is logical that the BOT slows down and engages in listening to the people who are at the heart of CVT. Other great educational institutions based in Anthroposophical foundations face this very same issue around the world. I ask the Board to "cease and desist" until effective communication with the community takes place!" David G. Smith
"I urge you to keep Botton Village alive in the idealistic way they are working. We need such initiaves for social cooperation and living together very strongly. They are the hopes for the future in a world which get stuck in bureaucracy. All the people who are living in such places have done so out of their own free will and chosen for the consequences for their personal lives. Keep these initiatives alive. I am a former co-worker in a Camphill community, who is still very thankfull to have had this experience." Piet Blokland
"I went to Botton a few years ago together with my class. It was such a beneficial experience for me, and enjoyed my stay there very much. I thoroughly support combined housing of the co-workers and the residents and feel disappointed and ashamed that the government does not see the importance of combined housing. Botton is a very special place." Claire Van mierlo
"My son visited Botton on a Class 9 trip and had the most rewarding experience. What the Camphill community does at Botton is utterly inspiring. For it to be trashed by trustees looking to improve profit and not human welfare is a tragedy and an outrage. We need new values for a different way forward than corporate greed and these are already embodied in your work. We have already chipped in to support your cause and hope many others will too. I hope beyond hope that the individual human beings that make up CVT do agree to dialogue and that their hearts can be opened to see that real wealth and economic growth have nothing to do with money." Sue Charman
"I support your so important action for Botton!!" Els Boekelaar
"Camphill Communities are role models for the world. People living and working together with intention, meaning and compassion. I support Botton in retaining the structure that has proved to be successful - a true Camphill." Tammy Caldwell
"Please grant the people living and working in Botton Village the right to self-determination and self-government, which they have successfully executed for almost 60 years." Ellen Winkel
"I know that what the people of Botton Villge do, is very, very good. The children who live there have such a good life. Let this be on our Earth!!! There is more humanity in the world when people work and live together in this way!!" Schlaman
"Don't change what has been good for so many years!" Aonymity requested
"I worked at a Camphill Community and it was a very therapeutic place for those with special needs. The most important part of the effectiveness of the therapy was that us Houseleaders lived with our companions. We were like a family and we supported each other every day, 365 times a year. This helped our companions trust us and form a bond that they will not have with hourly employed workers. We did not do our work for money, we did it out of love and community, there is no other effective therapy as that." Tina Taylor
"It is hard to imagine a more important institution than a Camphill Community. Dismantling it is unconscionable." Laura Duggan
"I have had the good fortune to visit many camphill or camphill type communities in Europe and the US and was most impressed with their model and success. It would truly be a shame to see that change for what will truly be the worse if they use the CVT model." James Knight
"The model of co-workers living in community with those in need is what sets Camphill apart and is the heart of the organization. Those who are disabled benefit from the care of a community of people who live, work, eat, and sleep in the same village. It is a very different experience from being cared for by paid workers who come in shifts." Sarah Baldwin
"I came to Botton Village as a student of Michael Hall. The way that the residents and the co-workers live together and work together touched me deeply, and I would love to one day return to Botton as a coworker under those circumstances. I believe that changing the way Botton is now would remove the sense of family and wholeness that makes it so very special and turn it into just an ordinary care home for those with special needs where the true bonds of friendship between everyone are lost. So please, save Botton." Lily Kiang
"Botton changed my life. The villagers were so happy , and the community has been so creative to make every body happy. For many years, so many people after a long time out of work were employed to maintain or to make new buildings. A school was created. Botton has inspired so many people all over the world. Please don't destroy the impulse to make the world more beautiful" Anonymity requested
"Stop the undermining of a good social structure. Keep the groups and families together. Please!" Ton Mensenkamp, Holland
"Sir, As someone who supports and holds dear the Camphill movement, and Botton Village in particular, I am deeply concerned about recent changes imposed upon Botton Village by the Camphill village Trust. These changes involve: Implementing a hierarchical organizational structure, abolishing the principle of care-givers living together with the adults in need of special care in extended family homes, abandoning the principle of volunteer workers being recompensed in kind and forcing co-workers who do not comply to leave their work and homes. These changes are being imposed upon the community against the expressed wishes of both the volunteer workers, and the disabled adults and their families. All these changes are in flagrant contradiction with core principles and values on which the Camphill communities are based, thus destroying the very essence and foundation of Botton Village. Thus, the CVT is undermining the very values and qualities which it is her task as an umbrella-organization, to uphold and support. Also, CVT is possibly misusing charity funds which have been donated in good faith that they would be used in the spirit of Camphill. Therefore I urge you to reverse all above mentioned changes with immediate effect, and to grant the people living and working in Botton Village the right to self-determination and self-government, which they have successfully executed for almost 60 years.Yours sincerely, " Gineke de Graaf
"Botton is so special; a flame of warmth, creativity and kindness for the people from all walks of life who live there." Johanna Fuller
"Save Botton village." Dorien Braakman
" This news came to me today. I am totally shocked that this can happen. Only once I have visited Botton Village, but have expierienced the Camphill life a good few years in other places. And I know that the approach in Camphill has an enormeous value for the villagers and co-workers. I give you all the strength and courage that Botton Village does not become a place with low paid workers. Real Community living gives strength." Frederik van den Berg
"I wish you success." Rensen Rens
"Please stop this bureaucracy that kills inspiring alternatives!" Anonymity requested
"Please keep Botton as it is and has been for many years!" Andrea Pedersen
"Please keep the knowledge, and the way they use it, alive in Botton Village. There are many ways of living together. Don't be afraid of it." Carolin Mast
"Good luck!" Stuart Bell
"My voice for support your village and the vote for freedom to choose your own way of living and support those who need it." Anomymity requested
"Keep up the good work, don't give up visions, dreams and the belief in the possibility of miracles when you need one or two." Caroline Mulder
"Please respect the special identity of the Camphill villages, i.c. Bottonvillage." Nees ten Boom
"If an institution works, why change it? We should be happy with any place where people work with idealism and dedication. That is what is needed in this world of crises." Anonymity requested
"Camphill - Botton Village - must go on!" Aalhuizen Odette
"Stop destroying Botten Village!!!!!" Rob Hardewijn
"Camphill Botton must stay!!" Karin Bakkers
"Don't let the sun go down on Danby Dale! Stay strong!" Peter Gollogly
"Keep Botton going as a Camphill Village!!" Loes van Alphen
"Full support to the Camphill movement and Botton as a great example!!!" Eric Brinkhof
"Good luck; I am fully in support of your courageous struggle for the soul of Camphill." Simon Gillman
"What you do over there is an example to the world. I want you to continue your work and maybe once I'll ask you to show me how, so I can start a home like that myself. (I lead a nursing home in Holland myself)." Niek Dol
"The life sharing principle of Botton Village is seen as a shining out example for many other villages here in Estonia, where even the state have started to build villages for people with special needs. Research done in Germany proves, that co-workers and people with special needs are much more satisfied with their life and work when they can live in a life sharing community than when there are employed workers. Why then is it necessary to invent the wheel again and to destroy what has grown and developed over many years and proved that it is good and works?" Katarina Seeherr
"Dear CVT,Many long time Camphill supporters are attempting to voice their concerns over recent changes in the communities, please re-asses the approach CVT has launched." Ruth Oslund
"I support the people of CampHill in Botton village to remain and continue their way of work as they have done in former years and as they do still." Elizabeth Ranzijn
"Full support for this kind of living/working." Jeroen Borghouts
"I believe the fundamental principles of the work of Botton will be absolutely undermined by the current actions of the Camphill Trust. We have to constantly strive towards the development of our community in the face of almost overwhelming pressure to try to individualise and materialise our lives. The work and development of community at Botton is central to ensuring balance to that pressure and to find a way where all people can live together in a way that is respected and valued. The experience our pupils have had at Botton has shown them the possibilities of community life, embracing of difference, sharing and understanding which are central to the future of our humanity. The way the Trust is choosing is, in my view, falling into the trap of accepting principles that will undermine and destroy what Botton is working towards. It may not be perfect and may need change but this is absolutely not the way forward." Jo Reeves
"This project should stay alive." Sander Muns
"Please keep fighting for independence and keep working together. The world needs places like Botton. Have courage and don't let yourselves be divided (or intimidated) or you'll be ruled!" Michael Fuller
"Dear Bottoners, Don't loose heart, there are lots of people out here who are rooting for you and we are glad you've got things organised so we can be effective in supporting you." Susanne Fuller
"Why change an organisation that works good and where there is love and happiness and support for everyone in freedom. Please let it be as it is. With love Cecile." Cecile Homs Raateland
"Please, keep Botton village as I know it!" Rob Heemskerk
"Please, don't change the structure of Camphill.It works good as it is now." Jos Boekel
"Support for Botton! Important work!" Janneke Rosenbrand
"I support Botton. They must stay!!!!" Maathe Boot
"Think about it one more time." Ketil Kvam
"Botton Village is such a blessing for so many people! Why destroy ways of living which people have freely chosen?" Isabel Ferrand
"Please, let the co workers of Botton Village do the work their way. It is their inspiration, their way of life, and all the villagers profit en enjoy it so much. Never change a winning team." Liesbeth van Vondelen
"I support your wonderful work!" Maria Maris
"All my love and strength to Botton. Such a magnificent place that changed so many people's lives. The values that are threatened are the very ones we need for the future. The flame needs to keep burning!!" Raphaelle Voruz
"Bulldozing away the Botton/Camphill ethos comes easy to those who are ignorant and shallow-minded. Where, now, is there a reference to the founder's thinking when he, Dr Karl Konig, said :"We work for the sake of work; we do not expect a return because we gradually come to understand that the returns are a gift, a donation, an act of goodwill which the others provide for us. We give and thereby we receive. Thus the innermost secret of all labour begins to reveal itself - it is love and nothing but unending love". Turning Botton into a care-home with care-workers doing their shifts - how dull. This special place has been a bright, shining example of what humanity can do together - in a world where there is so much intolerance, violence and hate." Keith Hobbs
"Good luck. x" Sparrow Middleton
" "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!" - Upton Sinclair." Pete Stobbs
"My son, a villager at Camphill village, Copake, spent two wonderful months at Botton Village. What a tragedy. I really feel for the village and all its residents." Gloria Berry
"Camphill communities are very special places. At the very core of what keeps these communities successful is the co-workers and their families." Nell Cook
"May the Spirit protect your community in your endeavours." Yvonne Cumming
"As a former co-worker child, as a medical doctor of 32 years practice, whose parents' ashes are buried in the grounds of Botton, who spent formative years growing up in Botton, whose family was Botton and all who lived there, and those that still live there, do not tamper with the lives of needy, vulnerable and precious people. You do not know what you are doing. You cannot estimate the consequences. I support Action for Botton." John Perkins
"My older brother attended Camphill Special School in Glenmoore, PA, and the experience was life-changing for my whole family. Alex and I have always held tremendous appreciation, admiration, and respect for the co-workers in Camphill programs. They are critical for the constructive environment Camphill communities foster, and I cannot imagine Camphill life without their constant presence." Sarah Rivin
"Please leave the Botton village initiative as it is. No need to change." Hans Nusink
"The Camphill way of life has its roots in free will and the respect for other human beings...let's allow that spirit to thrive!" Nathan McLaughlin
" Please don't let this beautiful initiative be compromised because of senseless bureaucracy." Kirsten Koppel
"Wishing you courage to continue the work while under such pressure." Yvonne De Bruijn
" I was born in Botton in 1968 and spent the first 14 years of my life in this vibrant community (I also attended Botton school). My Godmother was Susan Trier, one of the villagers in our house, and until the day she died, and I was in my mid twenties, we wrote weekly letters to each other. I am a Nurse Practitioner in the USA and attribute my love of people to the villagers and co-workers who shared their life with me and my family. We should be supporting this community and the people who call it home. Please support Botton Village and all that it stands for." Sophia Veinoglou
"I really wish your campaign every inch of power you can find to get Botton village back on track a a real community. I work as a volunteer in a much smaller community which itself was inspired by the Camphill ethos. We think of ourselves as a happy knot in the network of our wider community with which we are deeply involved. These communities have to be the way forward to a better world." Tony Mathews
"I lived in Camphill as a young person and the experience was one of great joy and love. This way of life is nurturing, stimulating, enlivening and unique. If everybody could have this experience, our world would be very different. I wish you all great strength." Susan Mathews
"Please take care that the healthy community life is not disturbed by these managers who do not understand it. To build a social work needs so much time, and to get trusted to each other as well, that it would be very hard to make it again, so don't let it happen that the managers take over." Justine M. A. Wouters
"I support the ideas of the co-workers! It would be wise to hear their voices and not speed things unnecessarily, to take time for dialogue, to see what inspires people to bring these sacrifices! They are the keystones Botton is built upon." Feike Weeda
"I would like to support the current way of working and living together of the Camphill Community, a unique place of loving care and working together. Specially the system of relating income to the actual need of the people within the community is something to be very enthousiastic about, because it is a financial system according to reality. We work to fulfill the needs of other people and get an income to provide for our own needs. Income and work should not be related, they reflect different aspects of life and socity" Hans Eggenkamp'
"As attitudes around the world are daily changing to reflect the values practised at Botton, it is absolutely horrendous that a place the has pioneered these values is begin systematically dismantled!" Mischa Saunders
"It is an awful story! Of course your community should not be destroyed." Ivonne Meulmeester
"Do not destroy the things in life that really make personal lives better. Use rules, money and protocols only as a tool, don't make them a goal at themselves. Do not make them as a tool to dominate. Whats wrong whith care for people without the need to make money out of them." Renate Weening
"Botton Village must be saved - it's as simple as that" Charlotte Walford
"The work these people do is so valuable, we need to preserve these villages!" Karin van Heerden
"Botton is one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited. But not just that: It is home for many people and continuing to destroy the way this place has been run and taken care of will make them refugees: This is a cruelty that cannot go on! I hope I will be able to visite Botton again and still find all the beauty I remember: In the landscape as well as in the way people are working together!" Nola Bally
"This should be done in the whole world. I support your ideas." Aga Veltman
"Never change a winning team: Botton must stay" Marianne van Ophuijsen
"The camphill institutes are special. People work with their heart and the care for disabled people is very human in these places. Also in Holland! Please do not break down or undo that special work. We need this more than ever in these difficult times. Take wise and human decisions instead of financial decisions. Thank you!" Kamala Raymakers Bergen aan Zee, The Netherlands
"Working with the heart, please use the brains to keep it possible that working with people can continue like it was, is and always will be allright, with kind regards,' Gerda Janmaat
" Botton Village is the most idealistic environment for people who need special care that I have seen in my entire life (57 yrs). And it is satisfying and responding to the workers as well." Flip ten Cate
"why try to end one of the most beautiful social structures that exist among humans on this planet? Do you seriously think you are doing the right thing, when you force the people who live and work in Botton Village, to give up their ideals, which they've given shape during so many years of hard work? It's foolish and wrong!!" Carin Boonstoppel
"Let Botton Village LIVE! I have worked here some 30 years ago, and still tell my students what a superb initiative it is. Do not let it go under, do not strangle it with bureaucracy" Rik ten Cate
"You turned against me - but I always supported the way of life!" Anonymity requested
"I have only visited Botton Village once but I have heard marvellous things about it from friends. It saddens me to think that the whole ethos of Botton could be lost because of the proposed changes. It works so well as it is. How sad that people are being forced out after giving so much to the community. Shame on the Trust." Judy Deans
"Camphill Communities are outstanding examples of how to share life with a variety of different individuals in a healthy way. It is something that is more important than ever to learn in today’s time. The earth´s and humanity's future is dependent on our decisions we take today, on whether or not we will learn how to share this planet in a healthy way. Though we became strong individuals, we live in a connected universe. We are interdependent. In our society it is difficult to feel these connections. Globalisation made dependency indirect; it made us no longer dependent on single individuals, but on the system, on money. We often misunderstand freedom. Freedom for me means to be free to create, free to choose, not to be alone. Connectedness in small communities is direct, when you wake up in the morning you feel needed, and when you go to bed you know what you were working for. It is important to have places where such experiences are possible if we want to get aware of interdependency. Living together in the way it is practiced in Camphill allows space for deep connection and learning about each other. Just through that it is possible to develop empathy for the unique beauty of every individual. I want to share my experience how as a volunteer in Camphill I was put together with a “random” group of people, expected to share life for a year. I might not have chosen those people before and we might not have become friends outside of a Community. But sharing live allowed us to get to know each other in a special way. We need those deep meetings between people. We can learn so much about ourselves and life in that way. There is a piece of truth in every person and in order to walk into the future we need to understand every piece of the whole. I feel how especially those with different talents and needs can teach you so much about the sense of our existence. Camphill Communities allow true meetings between people. There is no difference between those who care and those who are cared for. I often felt among friends/family. During my time I might even have received more than what I gave, but maybe that doesn´t matter. I just know that I did something meaningful, every day. I am sending love to all you people fighting for the future of Camphill. I feel strongly connected to the Camphill movement and feel with you. Maybe all this trouble enables new things to be born, for a new future of Camphill. Don´t give up hope, sometimes darkness brings the possibility for a new light to shine. Remember that even if everything is taken from you, nobody will ever be able to kill the spirit of Camphill itself. And by sharing your story with the world, this spirit gets spread. Thank you for your commitment." Kristina Möller
"Dear Board, please take into account Botton Village in its original form as an example of human education and social work! With my best wishes, as a friend of Botton Village for over 30 years."Frans Lutters ( MA) Netherlands Frans Lutters
"In Holland we don't have an environment like Botton. If we had a similar community my son would have been a much happier person. So you have my full support. Keep on fighting for all you achieved." Wilhelmina van der Veek-Franssen
"Botton Village should go on!" Hans Schenkels
"Botton should go on with its work, it's gold that they bring into this world!" Harry van Trotsenburg
"Please let people decide about their own lives and don't impose your narrowmindedness on a flourishing community." Rick Bovendeert
"Please, realise the immense importance of Botton Village for the people that form the future of our society." B. Muijres.
"I stayed in Botton for a few weeks several years ago and was blown away by the beauty and care of the community. I have an older brother who is Autistic and currently lives very isolated at home with my ageing parents. I remember wishing whilst in Botton for something similar to exist in New Zealand. There is so much value in the community and the way of living together. What kind of world are we trying to create people?! In my imagined future, care, community and love are of deep importance to foster and protect. Love and support to Botton Villiage from New Zealand." Skye Chadwick
"I want to support Botton, because I have been a Camphill co-worker many years ago and I blieve in the values of Camphill community." Ester Kühn-Norlander
"Let care and friendship come before money."Julie Wittersø Næsheim
"It hurts to see this happening! But I also believe that Botton with all its supporters will succeed!" Mariana Rudolph
"Don't forget that people have a heart, a life, a reason why they are where they are. Look them in their eyes, and ask yourself 'what do I see?'" Requested anonymity
"I fully support the pledge of the people who have devoted their lives to the Botton community to continue their work in the spirit of its initiators." Karin de Boer
"My son who has special needs lives at Camphill Special School. It is CRITICAL that the co-workers live with in the community to enables our children and adults to live a nurturing and productive life. Don't change something that is not working." Rosemary Huether
"There are no words to address this travesty. Why would anyone want to create upset in a beautiful well intended community. It sickens me and my heart hurts." Marybeth Wood
"Botton is purely idealistic. Keep it that way, the world needs courageous communities like Botton!" Sylvana Boaz
" I joined Botton Village as a volunteer co-worker 13 years ago. I had my struggles in an environment which was so different from what I was used to culturally. One thing for me though has always been unquestionable: the beauty of a model of care where everyone, according to their own ability, can contribute positively to daily life and the dignity of everyone is respected. Obviously, changes need to take place and even Camphill Communities need to update their way of creating care. This does not mean that the identity of Camphill Community needs to change. Why is there a necessity to destroy somethings that is clearly working? By asking volunteer co-workers to be employed or to live separately from the people with complex needs that are in Botton, a simple act of inequality takes place: the one that wants to make people with special needs different and recipient of someone else's care, which is not given freely. This is the opposite of what Camphill Communities have tried to achieve for years. I hope that the Campaign is successful and that Camphill communities can stay the beautiful places they have been for years." Eva Cerolini
"I wish you all the luck you can get to win this battle" Neil Bye
"Let's hope you can continue with the excellent work you are doing!" Ken Day
"I witnessed the very happy lifestyle of the Botton community, my son having attended the school there for years and dined each day at a house in the village. I met and talked to many villagers there. Botton is a unique, amazing place which works very successfully." Christine Grattage
"I have visited & stayed in Botton many times in the last fifteen years. I have observed first-hand the quality, and more importantly the compassion and care, of the support that the co-workers provide. It is a disgrace that this environment is to be destroyed by faceless bureaucrats who cannot have any knowledge of the damage they are doing." Mark Harrison
"Botton Village has so much to teach society about social care and from my experience society has nothing to add to Botton's wonderful caring ethos. I 've been connected with Botton for many years through visits, Kindergarten teaching observation and studying there on the very first NESTT course. It holds a special place in my heart, always has, always will. I feel heartbroken at the thought of these changes and the betrayal of CVT. You have my full support." Lisa Tindale
"I hope the loving community which has grown at Botton can be saved. Co-workers ousted would lose their homes & their friends as well as their way of life. Their love & dedication should not be disrespected and rejected. This model of community has enabled many people to live fulfilling lives who might otherwise have been the passive recipients of care. It deserves support not exploitation." Mary Wilkinson
"Myself, friends and my children have visited/stayed and enjoyed everything about Botton many times. I am alarmed at the disturbing sounding changes and would like to offer my full support to keep Botton running the way it has." Rebecc Mihill
I wish you all the love and light and strength you need to go through this! Thinking of you a lot!" Tanja Manz
"I was born and raised in Botton - along with my 5 sisters and brother. My parents met in Botton as co-workers - married in Botton and now my dad's ashes are scattered above Botton. Botton is home, shared living for so many people. The love, the care, the community living is what makes this place so special - DONT DESTROY our home - Leave the peace and family life here alone! Saskia ffrench
"As the mother of a former co-worker I have visited Botton on countless occasions for more than ten years. It is a unique place, and a living, thriving village community. The thought that it might become another 'care home' with paid careworkers working shifts and coming in from outside the village to work is quite unbearable, and a total contravention of the principles under which the original CVT was set up based on the ideas of Rudolf Steiner. The relatives of some village residents move heaven and earth to get their loved ones a place there, and not anywhere else. The obfuscating platitudinous language used by CVT (in common with all care institutions) in order to justify their proposals is not worth the paper it is written on. I wholly endorse the observation made by another correspondent about access to Botton in bad weather. It is not infrequently cut off in bad winter weather, sometimes for days and days at a time. I wish your campaign every success." Anonymity requested
"I used to live in Camphill for 6 years. I wholehaertedly believe in that way of life and have many friends in Camphill Communities or connected to one. I have been in Oaklands Park through the changes and later in the Grange (as a holiday cover). Very sad, because I lived in Oaklands Park in the "olden days". Thank you for what you're doing!!!!!!" Klara Skarabelova
"Botton is whole life to someone. It needs to be protected from destruction and unwanted changes." Seohyeon Kim
"I am in full support of the co-workers at Botton Village and a future where a live-in care situation is possible as it has been in the past. I have visited Botton Village myself and highly value the beauty there." Daniel Evaeus
"I love Botton!" Meredith Wylie
"Courage!" Hilde Paz
"If it works (which it obviously does) don't fix it." Alan Findlay
"Botton in its present form provides a wholistic environment in its well thought out and caring attitude towards its Villagers. Co workers and their families form an integral part in establishing a family unit in the houses, providing support and nurture, all this with little or no remuneration. What does the CVT hope to achieve in destroying the ethos of Botton and places like it? Why upset a workable, happy and unique concept, don't its people matter?" Jacqueline Seymour
"I pledge my support." Clare Law
"I fully support Action for Botton and believe that the CVT are destroying the heart of Botton and other communities based upon a flawed argument. There is clearly another agenda here." Kay Bamford
"I have worked in Camphill myself many years ago and this experience has been a constant guide throughout my professional life. I would be deeply sad knowing that a place like Botton Village could be hindered to continue living in this unique and wonderful way. CVT should be nurturing this place instead of destroying it." Christine Meyer
"Please allow Botton Village to continue running true to its values." R Wake
" We are dismayed at the news regarding Botton Village changing its structure, which clearly undermines the ethos of the work and equally undermines the value and status of disabled people. To offer care as a friend or family is vastly different from being paid to care for someone. This changes power. The original vision to support disabled people without pay is extraordinary, truly inspiring. Botton village has impacted on attitudes nationally and word wide. Why narrow this vision when there is still so much to do?" Lena Sass
"Members of my family and myself visited Botton yesterday and were overwhelmed by the happiness emanating from all residents and co-workers who we encountered. Nothing should be done that would reduce or destroy this wonderful lifestyle for the residents who after all are the most important people involved, seconded equally I think by the paid and volunteer staff and lastly the higher management of the Trust." Chris swift