STRUCTURE OF OUR SOCIETY

SHAREHOLDER MEMBERS

At the heart of the Society is our membership of currently over 190 Society shareholders.

Every shareholder is a member and co-owner of Lauriston Farm Limited and has a stake in key decision making such as deciding who is on the Board and on resolutions at our AGM.

Under the law governing Charitable Community Benefit Societies, regardless of how many shares you own, everyone has one vote.  
​Our rules permit us to pay interest on the community shares we issue, however it is unlikely this will happen within the first five years, and only then will it be at the discretion of the directors.  The benefit of share ownership is therefore more social and environmental, knowing that your involvement is enabling a sustainable future for the farm.
​Other direct benefits of membership include:

Farm Member Days
Bird Watching Events
Fruit and Vegetable Harvesting Events
Art Days

You will also get first call on all our farm produce which includes biodynamic organic beef, lamb, eggs, vegetables and fruits.  In the future, as we expand, chicken and pork will also be available.  
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All our workshops, talks and other events are circulated to members ahead of the general public.

We warmly welcome members getting involved.  There are a wide range of areas you can help in.  For example, existing members volunteer in the garden, help with craft activities, take photographs for publicity, assist with administration, help with accounts and give advice on aspects of working with vulnerable adults.

If you have a particular interest or skill then there may be the opportunity for you to use this as we develop and grow our Community Benefit Society.  The ability to bring people together is one the key reasons we chose the CBS model for our farm business.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Board of Trustees ensure the Society complies with its rules in a legal manner. Trustees generally do not receive a salary for their work. Our Board consists of a Chair, a Secretary, a Treasurer, two Trustees and the Farm Director.

​Monika Curry
Chair of the Board



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Phil Culley
​Trustee
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Philip has managed the Biodynamic farm at Thornage Hall independent living for over twenty years.
He supports both the Biodynamic impulse along with the Camphill ethos for the Thornage community which is set in the Gaven valley in North Norfolk.
The vision at Thornage is to offer meaningful activities within the 70 acre estate as well as a range of indoor therapeutic workshops for vulnerable adults keen to develop skills in their chosen workshops.
Phil lives close to the community on the North Norfolk coast in the village of Weybourne and hopes to be able to support Lauriston to continue to develop with the Camphill community ethos at the heart of all that wishes to be achieved 
Odilia Kirst
Trustee
Odilia grew up in Kings Langley surrounded by Anthroposophy and Biodynamics. She teaches children with severe learning difficulties, helps to run the Biodynamic allotments in Kings Langley and is involved in the local Transition activities.  She has been a member of the Biodynamic Association for over 20 years and is now a trustee. She is a director of Ways to Quality UK and Ireland and a member of Lauriston Farm Limited.
Spencer Christy
Farm Director
Spencer was born in Maldon, Essex and begun building the farm business at Lauriston in 2004.  Within the CCBS, he sits on the Board of Trustees too.  Spencer is an active member of the Anthroposophical Society, a trustee with the Biodynamic Association and an attendee at the Maldon Quaker Meeting.
Jenny Chittenden
Secretary to the Board
Jenny was born in Essex and lived in Maldon and Latchingdon until she was enticed away by the bright lights of London as a teenager, intending to spend perhaps five years there. Forty years and early retirement later she has moved back to Maldon and is enjoying building a new life there, of which her involvement with Lauriston is an important part.
Naoya Tatsuzawa
Treasurer
​Naoya has previously worked in various fields including advisory and compliance at a large accountancy firm, as well as business development and marketing. He and his husband, Michael, attended the biodynamic training at Lauriston between 2013 and 2014. With Michael, he currently owns a 20 acre small holding in SW France near Bordeaux, working with biodynamic principles (not certified by Demeter).
EXECUTIVE TEAM
The Executive Team are responsible for the day-to-day running of the farm.  It is made up of paid employees and volunteers.
Spencer Christy
Farm Director
Spencer was born in Maldon, Essex and begun building the farm business at Lauriston in 2004.  Within the CCBS, he sits on the Board of Trustees too.  Spencer is an active member of the Anthroposophical Society, a trustee with the Biodynamic Association and an attendee at the Maldon Quaker Meeting.
Andre Kleinjans
Biodynamic Farmer
Andre oversees all the general farm work including livestock and all the use and production of the biodynamic preparations at Lauriston.  He was born in the Netherlands and graduated in 1981 from the Dutch Biodynamic College Warmonderhof.  He has been the farmer and horticulturalist at a number of settings in the Netherlands and the UK, including Plasdwbl in Pembrokeshire and Laverstoke Park in Hampshire.
Monique Kleinjans
Biodynamic Gardener
Monique oversees all the vegetable and fruit production at Lauriston.  Monique was born in the Netherlands and graduated in 1982 from the Dutch Biodynamic College, Warmonderhof.  She has been head gardener in a number of settings in the Netherlands and the UK including Plasdwbl in Pembrokeshire, Michael Hall in Sussex and Laverstoke Park in Hampshire.
Jenny Wilson
​Social Farming Coordinator
Jenny has been coming to the farm since 2012, initially as a weekly volunteer.
 She took up the role of Social Farming Coordinator in July 2019.
Jenny grew up in rural Essex, she has also lived in Gloucestershire, London and Barcelona.
She has taught English as a Second Language and worked as an Early Years  teacher.
Jenny loves working outdoors and with people and animals. She enjoys walking, swimming, cooking,
yoga, reading, dancing and life generally. 

Stephanie Valentine
​Office Manager
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 Steph joined the farm part-time in January 2021 and also has another job as joint founder and MD of a local heritage tourism business. 
She enjoys cycling to work and supporting the other team members in their roles.  Steph has lived in Maldon for 35 years and loves this special part of Essex's Saltmarsh Coast.
Lois Gardener
Wool Craft Volunteer
Lois runs the farm's Wool Craft workshops.  Having been born and bred in New Zealand, Lois' love of sheep is unsurprising.  She keeps a few Wensleydales, and keep to produce articles 'from sheep to shop': shearing, carding, spinning, natural dyeing and weaving.  She became a farm volunteer after hearing Spencer give a talk, and finds Biodynamics an inspirational beacon of common sense.