Support

Chisholme is maintained through love and generosity from students and volunteers – by time freely given and donations small and large, all of which enable the Institute to be owned by no-one and everyone.
It is not, and has never been dependent on any single donor or on funding from particular interest groups.
Chisholme is largely supported by course fees, covenants, legacies, one-off donations, and of course by the grace and goodwill of many, many volunteers.

Student Funding and Special Projects

Since the very first retreat course at Chisholme in the winter of 1975, it has been important that anyone who has a taste for and a wish to undertake the immersive courses here, should be able to attend regardless of their means. In these current times, where inequalities of opportunity are so evident, this principle is most relevant.

Many of those who have benefitted from the courses continue to support this intention, inspired by the impulse of generosity and gratitude that springs from the courses themselves.

Please contact secretary@chisholme.org to donate by debit or credit card or by bank transfer

Also contact us if Gift Aid can be claimed when you donate.

Recent Projects

The Woodland Kitchen
Storm Arwen and friends all but destroyed the kitchen shelter. However some of the shelving units were saved and a new Woodland Kitchen has now sprung up, largely with volunteer labour. All the new wood has been sawn on the estate from trees brought down in the storm, and others felled later. Windows and some additional floorboards have been reclaimed from the Gate Lodge renovation.

The Pavilion Roof
A new canvas roof has been lovingly contructed by Moggie of moggiesyurts. This was ready in time for the RUMI 750 Gathering at the beginning of September 2023.

The Summerhouse
With the aid of a large donation, the Summerhouse has been renovated, modernised and refurbished. It is now available for holiday rentals. The first guests were welcomed in October 2020, and surplus income from bookings is being applied to further refurbishment projects.
The Summerhouse can be booked at a reduced price if done directly through the website summerhousestays.co.uk

The Gate Lodge
Work continues on refurbishing the Gate Lodge, with outside drainage now improved and new windows installed, all according to new designs drawn up to allow for flexibility of use.

Water supply
We have been approved a grant for up to £8K, for the modifications to our water supply. This will mean that the water purification system in the Main House could be replaced, so that it links to all the buildings at Chisholme. There would no longer be the need to carry drinking water to upstairs rooms in the house and to other accommodation on the estate. Further changes are required, but phase one of the project is now complete and after inspection some of the funds will be released to enable work to continue.

Corona Virus
What could have been a critical situation when Chisholme was unable to host in-person courses, was mitigated thanks to government funding from the Third Sector Resilience Fund administered through The Corra Foundation and grants from the Scottish Borders Council.

Please contact accounts@chisholme.org for more information.

Over the years, the Institute has received project grants from Historic Scotland, the Millenium Forest Project, and the Energy Saving Trust.

The Institute is most grateful for ongoing support from The Beshara Trust.