Murtle Market turns six months old

We recently marked a major milestone for Camphill School Aberdeen – it’s been six months since we opened the doors of Murtle Market, our sustainable social enterprise charity. And it’s certainly flown by!

The idea behind Murtle Market was simple: we wanted to create meaningful work and training opportunities for the young people at Camphill School Aberdeen, while engaging with the public, sharing our work more openly, and promoting our sustainable practices.

Murtle Market is a refillery, shop, takeaway café, and heritage hub that showcases the rich 85-year history of Camphill School Aberdeen and the arts and crafts created by the young people in our vocational workshops.

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Learning through doing

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At the heart of Murtle Market is our commitment to creating meaningful learning experiences. That’s why every young person is involved with the social enterprise, whether directly or indirectly. For example, all our coffee sleeves are painted and printed in our art workshop, some of our fresh produce has been tended to in our organic gardens, and the crafts for sale have all been handmade by the young people.

Murtle Market offers skills such as cash handling and customer service, expanding the opportunities we can offer. These experiences help to build confidence and nurture independence. It’s a joy to see the young people grow in self-belief as they take pride in their work and see it appreciated by the wider local community.

Young people with learning disabilities and complex additional support needs are both able and willing to engage in meaningful work. Many are eager to contribute and bring valuable skills and perspectives to the workforce. However, employment opportunities are often limited or lack the necessary support structures. At Murtle Market, we aim to support the development of employability skills for young people of all abilities.

A space for everyone

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Young people work in Murtle Market alongside the Store Coordinator, Gwyn. They interact with customers, make drinks, refill stock, and engage in making sure the social enterprise is presentable for everyone who visits.

Over the past six months, the local community in Bieldside and the surrounding areas have really embraced Murtle Market. It has become a regular destination for walkers, cyclists, shoppers, friends and families -we’ve even had people celebrate their birthday by visiting Murtle Market! It’s been great to see the genuine connections built between the young people and the customers who visit each week.

Sustainability and purpose

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Alongside the creation of meaningful skills development, Murtle Market is rooted in sustainability – a founding principle of the Camphill movement. The fresh produce that’s on sale includes many products that have been grown on our site in our organic gardens using environmentally friendly practices and traditional skills passed down through generations.

Nico Nino-Ramirez, Sustainable Development and Social Enterprise Lead, said: “We are very positive to see how Murtle Market is gradually becoming transformational in the local area for people to find healthier and more sustainable options at affordable prices. Seeing young people learn and develop while actively contributing to this project is something that has really caught the attention of the local community.” 

Looking ahead

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We’re so proud of everything Murtle Market has achieved in just six short months. Recently, we’ve started a collaboration with The BreadMaker, a fellow local social enterprise employing adults with additional support needs, to sell their sandwiches, wraps, and bread rolls. This is the type of collaboration we’re looking forward to developing with others.

Looking ahead, we hope to collaborate with even more local food businesses and social enterprises, begin a pre-order system, and further progress the involvement of young people at Murtle Market.

Interested in volunteering at Murtle Market? We’re looking for individuals who can work in the shop on Saturdays. Get in touch with n.nino-ramirez@crss.co.uk to find out more!

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