Gareth Jones visited the Corbenic Camphill Community to see the benefits creating a new path has had for those that live and work there, and the wider community

Opening up a scenic route in rural Perthshire has brought visitors in their droves to a community for those with learning disabilities, and even caught the attention of top artists and poets.

The Camphill Community at Corbenic has been in operation for 41 years – with 120 people, 40 of whom are adults in need of special care, living, working and volunteering in the scenic surroundings near Dunkeld.

And a conversation about what residents would like to improve in the community almost eight years ago led to the creation of a project which has delivered more benefits for Corbenic than could ever have been imagined.

The Poetry Path has opened up the stunning 101 acre estate to residents and the wider community.

“We had an estate celebration day, where everyone gets together to talk about the estate and say what they would like to see in the future,” said Corbenic care and support manager and renowned poet Jon Plunkett.

“One of the things people in the community said they would like was more access to the estate, in particular to the River Braan.

“At that time, residents had little access to the wider estate and we then set about creating a path round the estate and down to the river.

“I have an interest in poetry and Martin Reilly, who also works here, is a stone carver so we started talking about what we could create along the path.

“The work started about seven years ago and the path was opened four and a half years ago, since then it has continued to develop.”

The path was created by residents and staff, and since then an array of sculptures and pieces of poetry have been added to make the walk one of Perthshire’s top cultural attractions.

The project has grown organically and now features the work of Mary McDougall, John Glenday, Nikki Magennis and Margaret Gilles Brown.

Local hotels have bussed guests up to Corbenic so that they can enjoy the walk, artists regularly visit the path and the community has hosted installations and events.

The opening of the path has allowed visitors to enter the community and interact with residents, but has also created a cultural project that the community has taken ownership of.

Jon added: “One of the biggest things the path gives us is connectivity, both with the area but also with the wider public. It has really enhanced the relationship that Corbenic has with the local community.

“It gives people a reason to come to Corbenic, they can walk around and see all that goes on in the community."

“It creates a real improvement in wellbeing for the people we support,” said Corbenic general manager Colum Pooler. “The life of someone with learning disabilities is often quite an insulated one.

“They have their home, they may work and then their social life often comes last. Through the Poetry Path, they can have access to an open space – which particularly benefits people with autistic spectrum disorders who may need space sometimes. They feel like they have a place to go to and it is also a place that they also have ownership of.

“It’s been a huge benefit for the people who we live with and that we support, but also as an organisation we have been able to welcome people in who may not otherwise come here – which is great.”

Set in the grounds of the old Drumour shooting lodge and estate, the path meanders through a variety of terrains including open hillside, moorland, ancient native woodlands, hazel coppice, and riverbanks. The path has been designed with a variety of surfaces to be as sensitive as possible to the wild terrain it passes through.

The path has led to students from the Budapest School of Fine Art volunteering at Corbenic, and creating unique and diverse pieces of sculpture for the community.

“We are an international community,” Colum said. “We have about 15 different languages spoken in the community.

“The volunteers that come here get an introduction to Scottish social care, but also become a part of the community. The people who live here get to experience languages and cultures that they may not otherwise, which is amazing.”

An exciting future lies ahead for Corbenic, with a £3 million development for a new community centre on the estate in the early stages of planning. The project aims to build upon the links with the wider community and the cultural movement at Corbenic, whilst helping the organisation become more sustainable and improving amenities for residents and workers.

The Poetry Path is also set to be included in a new Art UK project, with an online exhibition of the UK’s best sculptural works being created.