Mara (she/they)
Gardener & ResidentCould you tell us about your role and responsibilities at Braziers Park?
I'm a gardener at Braziers, and I primarily look after our beautiful walled vegetable garden. We grow dozens of different things, from aubergines to potatoes. All the food we grow is for the community, and we use no-dig in most of the garden.
On a typical day I'm watering our greenhouse and polytunnel, weeding the beds, and planting crops. We have a lot of help in the garden from both residential and non-residential volunteers, so I also look after them and make sure they are comfortable with their tasks. I’m still learning a lot about growing food and there are always ways to improve how we do things, or what we can do better. My favourite thing about my job is seeing a seed turn into a little seedling and then into a full plant that we can harvest!
Aside from my gardening job I'm also the community's health & safety officer, so I keep an eye on our first aid provisions and fire safety and work with the rest of the community to make sure everyone in the estate stays safe.
What is it like to live at Braziers Park?
Living at Braziers is really fun and also, at times, really intense! There’s always a lot going on, but we also have a lot of structures in place that keep things organised. Having previously lived on my own, one of the best things about Braziers for me is having lots of social interactions: whether that’s sharing meals, playing games or going to the pub together.
As well as the social aspect, my experience at Braziers is also shaped by nature. I’m outside every day and go for walks, runs and bike rides when I can. In the mornings I’m usually awoken by an effusive dawn chorus and in the evening I can see the bats and hear the owls. Having such extensive grounds around the house is a real privilege.
Our unique historic building has some amazing rooms and features, and it also requires quite a lot of work to keep it in good shape. Part of living at Braziers is working together to maintain the building and facilities. Living where you work and working where you live can sometimes be a bit much, but as a community we discuss challenges frequently and openly.
How would you describe Braziers to someone who has never heard of us before?
I think Braziers is lots of different things, and can be different things to different people. It is an intentional, intergenerational community, and the longest-standing non-religious community in the UK. This means that it’s a big house and estate where a few dozen people, aged 20 to 95, all live together.
Braziers is also a School of Integrative and Social Research, and the ideas of the founders are still practiced today. As a community, we aim to embrace our differences and air any disputes or disagreements openly. We have mechanisms in place to make sure that community members stay in open dialogue with each other.
We’re also a place that welcomes a lot of visitors, whether that is through the festivals that take place on our estate; on our educational courses; or as B&B guests. We host artists who get inspired by Braziers, and researchers who want to learn more about various aspects of the community.
Braziers is also a historic building with a substantial estate, that requires a lot of management and upkeep from residents and employees. We have lots of wildlife on the estate, as well as hundreds of trees and over a dozen outhouses. A lot of care and thought goes into ensuring that biodiversity is maintained and the estate is maintained.