Botton, North Yorkshire

Botton is a small village within the North York Moors National Park in North Yorkshire, England which is mainly a Camphill Community for people with learning disabilities.

The origins of Botton Village
Founded in 1955 Botton Village was the first Camphill centre to offer supported living opportunities to adults with learning disabilities and other complex needs. Botton Village currently supports 60 people in their supported living services. There are 48 properties in total at Botton Village which include a mix of shared supported living households. There are organic social farms located around the village. The community works together on these farms, each person contributing according to his or her ability.

In the village there are many different workshops where the community members make products which are sold to the public via a number of outlets. There is a Botton Village Store which is made up of four concepts: a gift shop, a farm shop, a convenience food store, and a village grocery store. You can purchase items made by the community members from the workshops and items from outer rim suppliers.

Botton village received the Deputy Prime Minister's Award for Sustainable Communities in 2005; the award cited the community's dedication to the ethos of sustainability and mutual respect, as well as their concrete achievements in these areas. Also in 2005, the village featured in a Channel 4 documentary entitled Botton, the strangest village in Britain.