The Chisholme Institute

1. Legal Status.

The Beshara School at the Chisholme Institute is the operating name of The Chisholme Institute which is a registered Scottish charity, Scottish Charity number SC008147, and is a company limited by guarantee registered in Scotland, company number 69001. Its registered office is: Chisholme House, Roberton, Hawick TD9 7PH.

Accreditation: The Beshara School at the Chisholme Institute is accredited by the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education.
British Accreditation Council: www.the-bac.org

There is a Board of Directors, currently ten in number, which makes up the legally constituted body responsible for overseeing the running of the Institute according to its stated aims. The directors - three of whom live in Hawick - meet regularly throughout the year at Chisholme House to discuss all aspects of the Institute, including its financing, staffing, maintenance, environmental concerns, building projects, household matters, garden, estate and publicity.

2. Aims

The aims of The Chisholme Institute Ltd as stated in its Articles of Association are:

to develop and improve a critical understanding amongst the public that all life is interdependent as seen in the ecological, economic, cultural and spiritual spheres;
to cause enquiries, studies, research and work to be undertaken to increase public awareness of the unity of existence;
to make known to the public the knowledge gained from these enquiries, studies, research and work;
to establish educational courses to develop in the public an understanding of the unity of existence;
to cause work to be done in: ecological conservation, the development of good husbandry and resource management, conservation of our heritage of buildings, artefacts and craft skills, and spiritual practices.

In furtherance of these aims, the Chisholme Institute Ltd is responsible for providing facilities for the Beshara School, to offer courses designed to promote an understanding of the unity of existence.

Since 1975, the Beshara School, at Chisholme House has conducted both intensive residential six-month courses and shorter courses.

3. Chisholme House

The house was built in 1752 and is set in an estate of nearly 200 acres in the Scottish Borders. It was once the seat of the head of the southern branch of Clan Chisholme but went out of the family possession in the early part of the 20th century.

People connected with Beshara in the early 1970s found the house, by which time it had been left abandoned for 18 years, and was at that point quite derelict. A vast amount of work has been undertaken over the last 30 years by students and volunteers to restore Chisholme House and its grounds. The Chisholme Institute now maintains all the buildings, which include the main house, five cottages and a student accommodation block. (For more information see Early History)

4. Financial administration.

The Chisholme Institute's finances are separated into two accounts: The Institute Account deals with the provision of the place, mortgage, insurance and capital expenditure. The Household Account takes care of day-to-day running expenses.

Institute Income:

There are no large sources of funding for the Chisholme Institute. Many past and present students of the School and others who value it donate small but regular amounts in the form of Covenants. These covenants together with donations and gifts from visitors and supporters comprise the Institute's income. Appeals subsidise this income. For example, a successful appeal was launched in 2004 which raised £11,678 for a new floor and four new stoves for the main kitchen.

British Tax arrangements allow a charity to re-claim the tax on any donation or regular covenant made to it by British tax payers. In most cases this is 22%, more for higher taxpayers. This represents a significant and valued addition to the income.

Institute Expenditure:

These include: mortgage re-payments on the purchase of Chisholme House, rates, insurance, some staff wages, publicity costs, maintenance and repairs, estate expenses, general improvements, and capital costs (vehicles, generators, tractors etc). The mortgage, originally taken out in 1980 and increased to £375,000 to pay for essential building works, is due to be repaid in 2008. This should release funds for further major projects. One intention is now to make Chisholme self-sufficient in its energy needs, using different sources of renewable energy. See Energy Considerations.

The Institute is responsible for the provision of all facilities and for their upkeep, but not for day to day running costs. An example is the provision of electricity. Chisholme is not connected to the national grid and has to generate its own electricity. The Institute Account pays for the purchase, repair and replacement of generators, but not for the cost of diesel fuel to operate them which is paid from the Household Account.

Similarly the Institute Account is responsible for all building and improvement costs and for raising the monies for these. There is no surplus in its income over expenditure to cover any building and refurbishment costs and these are only possible by special Appeals or by sums specifically donated for building works. (See separate Appeals Page which details appeal projects).

The Household Account: Income

This comes mainly from student course fees and donations from guests for their stay at Chisholme. Course fees are deliberately kept to the minimum necessary to cover living expenses, in order to allow the widest possible access to the courses from those who wish to attend them. Provision of the education is free. There is also assistance for needy students who need help with fees.

Payments made by guests at Chisholme are by donation. There is a suggested daily rate to cover all meals and accommodation of £30 for adults, but guests may offer more or less depending on their circumstances. The cost for nine-day short courses is based on this rate. For the current cost of the six-month intensive course, see: Six-Month Course.

Household Expenditure:

The Household Account is responsible for day-to-day running costs and has to remain in balance (i.e. without borrowing). These costs include: fuel for power and heating, kitchen and food purchasing, running the kitchen garden and gardening equipment, half of the insurance costs, office costs, furnishing and upkeep of the house, travel costs and some staff wages. Most people who work at Chisholme are unpaid volunteers. Many volunteers make a financial contribution to their stay. There are however some key jobs which are longer term, and come with a small salary.

This is a short overview of the way in which the Chisholme Institute operates. Specific questions may be directed to: secretary@beshara.org