Beech Hill is a small community living together in a large country house in the hills in the county of Devon, about 25 kms from the city of Exeter. The community has an ecological focus, runs occasional courses and is active in the surrounding villages. It is fairly self-sufficient, growing vegetables and fruit. There is an orchard, vineyard, swimming pool, a reed-bed sewage system and a wind turbine. It has a tradition of volunteering.
WORK:
Gardening and maintenance of the grounds and other manual work.
ACCOMMODATION and FOOD:
Sleeping will be camping (weather dependent) or in shared bedrooms inside the house. Volunteers will have their own kitchen and vegetarian ingredients will be provided.
STUDY THEME:
This camp will be part of the international Raising Peace Campaign promoted by CCIVS (Co-ordination Committee for International Voluntary Service). The Raising Peace Campaign aims at strengthening and improving the role of international voluntary service movement in the construction of peace and human rights, through raising awareness, training activists and improving advocacy and networking. There will be extra workshops on this theme given during the project.
LEISURE:
Volunteers will work over most of the two weekends but the Wednesday will be free for optional visits to Exeter and/or the seaside. In the evenings volleyball, swimming, board games. Pub 1 mile distant.
REQUIREMENTS:
Please bring a tent, sleeping bag, working clothes and gloves, waterproof boots (it can be muddy) and raincoat.
LOCATION:
Morchard Bishop, Devon.
TERMINAL:
Rail station at Morchard Road (2 kms) with hourly train to Exeter. Closest airports are Exeter, Bristol or London.
The Quadrangle Trust, housed in a farm built in 1870, is a non-profit enterprise the runs art, well-being, ecology and sustainability education programmes and workshops. It is used by many different organisations and charities and has a particular focus on working with young people, refugees and asylum seekers who have limited access to the countryside. It is situated in the beautiful Kent countryside only 27 miles (43 kms) Southeast from central London.
WORK:
Hard work clearing a small area of woodland:
cutting back and digging up the roots of invasive bushes.
ACCOMMODATION:
Sleeping in a large dormitory, cooking, eating and relaxing in a kitchen and sitting room.
STUDY THEME:
This camp will be part of the international Raising Peace Campaign promoted by CCIVS (Co-ordination Committee for International Voluntary Service). The Raising Peace Campaign aims at strengthening and improving the role of international voluntary service movement in the construction of peace and human rights, through raising awareness, training activists and improving advocacy and networking. There will be extra workshops on this theme given during the project.
LEISURE:
Screening of documentary films and discussion; swimming in the river (if the weather is warm); Scottish dancing; one day visit to London in the middle of the camp.
REQUIREMENTS:
Working clothes and gloves, waterproof boots (it can be muddy), raincoat, sleeping bag.
LOCATION:
Shoreham, near Sevenoaks, Kent. Train from London in 1 hour or less.
HOSTING FEE:
£160 GBP to be paid upon arrival. 50% of this fee will cover the food costs of the project. The other 50% will go to VAP.
NB:
VAP applied for funding which in case of being successful will pay the costs of this camp and in that case we will not need to charge a hosting fee. We will inform our partners of the results of the funding application during the month of May.
« I can say that the best things about the workcamp and this whole experience were the chance of making a real difference to the lives of very needy children. This is an extremely valuable project where volunteers can have a massive impact. Also the possibility of learning a huge amount about a country so different from our own. I learnt ten times as much by carrying out a workcamp than I would ever do backpacking. »
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