About us
About Thornage Hall
Thornage Hall Independent Living is a non profitable organisation that provides supported living accommodation in five houses located in the beautiful surroundings of the Thornage Hall estate.
We run a biodynamic farm which provides food for those living in our houses, as well as sales to local organic outlets. We have built on the success of the farm and have converted farm buildings into studios for our Day Services offering a range of workshops - greatly enriching the lives of those people with learning disabilities who have a thirst to develop new skills within a working environment.
Recognition of 100 Norfolk and Suffolk businesses actively leading the way in sustainable and environmental business practice.
History of Thornage Hall
Thornage Hall was established as a Camphill Community in 1989.
The Hall, built in 1482 is an impressive building overlooking the village of Thornage. A former grange of the Bishops of Norwich, the Hall and 70 acre estate was gifted to the Thornage Camphill Community East Anglia, by Lord Hastings in the 1980’s. Staff, volunteers and some of the first tenants helped to renovate the Hall to create the accommodation and convert the barn for communal use.
Iceni house was built in the early 1990’s and Hawthorn was added in 2006. In 2008 we formed a partnership with Freebridge Community Housing so that they became the landlords for our tenants. In 2016 Hawthorn received an extension and we welcomed Gregories Barn shortly after in 2019.
We continue to work closely with Freebridge enabling us to benefit from their experience of housing and estate management.
A Camphill Community
Thornage Hall Independent Living is a Camphill Community. Camphill Communities were established as intentional communities based on an ethical foundation that recognises the uniqueness of all individuals and seeks to respect, value and enhance the strengths and potential of everyone. Inspired by the teachings of Karl Konig and Rudolf Steiner they were founded upon the three spheres of social arrangement proposed by Steiner:
- the economic
- the politico-legal
- the spiritual/cultural
Central to the philosophy was the development of biodynamic farming to provide food for the communities, to care for the environment and also provide meaningful work for those living and working there.
The original values are still reflected within our community through a commitment to:
- Provide meaningful work with everybody working together within a community setting
- Equality, where the contribution of everyone is equally valued
- Safeguarding the rights and responsibilities of everybody in the community
- Allowing freedom for individuals to explore spiritual and cultural aspects of their lives.
- Care for the environment
For more information visit the Camphill website.
Celebrations and Festivals
At the heart of our care and support approach is a commitment that goes beyond just social aspects. We value the spiritual and cultural dimensions of life, which is why we embrace a calendar filled with Camphill festivals and celebrations throughout the entire year.
These festivals aren't just dates on a calendar - they're occasions for our community to gather and celebrate together. It's our way of creating meaningful connections and shared experiences that go beyond the everyday, making our community vibrant and enriched.
This calendar is also followed by many Camphill Communities across the world. As well as this, we follow a marketing calendar to ensure no events go unnoticed.
