Patrick Lydon; farmer, co-founder of the Camphill Community at Ballytobin, Callan, Kilkenny with his wife Gladys in 1979 where they have raised their four children.
The Camphill movement is a worldwide group of communities following the philosophies of Rudolph Steiner, the Austrian philosopher and educator. The first community was established in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1940; in the years since, about 70 similar communities have sprung up in Europe, the United States, South Africa. There are presently nine in Ireland.
Patrick was also involved in the founding of Kcat – the Kilkenny Collective for Arts Talent, an art studio for people of mixed abilities in Callan,– was established in 1999 by the Camphill Communities of Ireland. It offers art training and mentorship to people who can’t participate independently in mainstream education without extra support. The Camphill philosophy of working and living together was the inspiration for developing an open access course that would be truly inclusive.
Most recently Patrick is a member of the coordinating team of the Nimble Spaces Project.

Nimble Spaces is a project developed by Camphill Callan in collaboration with a creative team of future residents, artists, architects and activists and led by the curatorial team at Callan Workhouse Union.
Nimble Spaces is a creative and citizens-led approach to how society can develop new patterns of housing that:
– Promote an arts-led participatory design process
– Meet the needs of many different citizens
– Enable active citizenship and participation
– Encourage social inclusion and positive relationships
– Incorporate smart design that is good for people and the environment.