Blackthorn Trust
| Formation | 1986 |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Charity |
| Purpose | Medical care and rehabilitation through work and community |
| Headquarters | Maidstone |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 51°16′08″N 0°29′14″E / 51.2688°N 0.4873°E |
|
Region served
|
Kent |
| Leader | Charles Bicker (Director), Jan Prior - Chief Executive |
|
Budget
|
£84,000 (1994) |
| Website | Blackthorn Trust |
| Remarks | Company Limited by Guarantee No. 05964574, Charity No. 1117979 |
Blackthorn Trust is a UK disability charity in Maidstone, Kent which offers medical care, specialist therapies and rehabilitation through work placements in the Blackthorn Garden. They offer help to people with mental or physical health difficulties or learning disabilities. The charity's work is based on the work of Rudolf Steiner (an Austrian philosopher, social reformer), and the charity aims to assist individuals to progress towards their full potential.
In 1983, Dr David McGavin was a GP in general practice in Maidstone. Through his work in the local community, he found out that conventional medicine was not able to help patients with chronic illness and were becoming increasingly passive and inactive, which was not helpful for their illness. He then met Hazel Adams (an art therapist) working on anthroposophical principles of Rudolf Steiner. As they worked on few of the Dr' McGavins most severe patients, several noted improvements were made. More therapists were brought into the small practise but this became impractial. So he decided to set up a new trust and a new medical centre.
This is owned by the Blackthorn Trust and part of it rented to the Practice. It was built in 1991, designed by Camphill Architects (from the Camphill Movement) and opened in December. As a result of the fundraising and hard work of patients, their families and friends, local and national industry, grant making trusts and the National Health Service. They may be prescribed anthroposophic or homeopathic medication and one of a number of anthroposophic therapies which are available on a one-to-one or group basis. These include biographical counselling, eurythmy therapy, rhythmical massage (developed by Ita Wegman) or art therapy. Therapies are offered at the discretion of the doctor. The medical centre had (in 1991) four GP principals, a practice manager, six part-time receptionists, a practice nurse, two district nurses, an 'outreach co-ordinator,' a counsellor, an art therapist, a music therapist and a eurythmy therapist (the three therapists work part-time).
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