At Birkhill House CIC is an animal assisted activity and crafting centre near Earlston in the Scottish Borders. Our mission is to improve mental health in the Scottish Borders through caring, creativity and collaboration.

Working with local makers and artists, we offer a mixture of modern and traditional crafting opportunities ranging from pewter casting to embroidery, stained glass to paper making. We are in the process of developing our fleece and fibre programme, putting an emphasis on traditional hand-processing techniques such as skirting, picking, carding and spinning. Making the most of our connections with local fibre artisans, we offer workshops in knitting, crochet, weaving and felting. We also stock kits with patterns specially designed by local makers for At Birkhill House. Our workshop programme, kits and products allow us to support our animals and our partnership projects.

The focus here is on wellness and mindfulness – taking a moment out to be compassionate and nurture the creative side in all of us.

Set on nine acres of beautiful land about 30 miles south of Edinburgh city centre, the workshops take place in renovated stables dating back to the early 1800s. With a rich farming and equine history, the property is now a busy small-holding, whose residents include Huacaya alpacas, rare breed Castlemilk Moorit sheep, pygmy & Golden Guernsey goats, Ragdoll cats, hens, ducks, peafowl and more.

Please visit our website for detailed directions to Birkhill House >>