Region: Veliko Tarnovo

Hi, My name is Cliff. I live in Bulgaria and run and accommodation/activity center. I live on my own. I am a rock climber and teach people to climb. I have lots of Bulgarian friends and climbing friends. I support Wolverhampton Wanderers, the greatest football team in the known universe. I need lots of help throughout the year to keep the place clean and tidy and to improve the place.

Region:

On a smallholding overlooking the largest lake in Bulgaria we are attempting to be as self-sufficient as possible. We are hoping to increase our efforts this year. The area is fantastic for outdoor pursuits, wakeboarding and waterskiing and lots of mountain walking. We are currently looking to move to a more suitable small holding in the same area. This will mean an increase in livestock numbers and more patching up of ancient buildings. Loving this adventure.

Region: veliko tarnovo Bulgaria

Hi, I am Annie I am renovating an old house in the village of Hotnitsa 15km from the town of Veliko Tarnovo. The house will eventually become a retreat centre. I am a yoga teacher and Holistik therapist and anyone coming to stay is welcome to join in on classes for free. I have 3 dogs and 3 cats and as soon as the chicken run is completed 10 chickens and hopefully a goat and some horses. But first the accomodation for the animals needs to be renovated. My plan is to take on rescue horse's and then have a small trekking centre, where people can come for day rides to the Beautiful Hotnitsa waterfall or guests staying and doing Yoga etc can also enjoy clip clopping around the beautiful village and surrounding area. However at the moment I have a run down house, falling down barns and an over grown garden (3000sqm), which will next spring hopefully be turned into an organic vegtable/herb/fruit garden. Basically I need help to turn the dream into a reality. I am looking for someone with some building/restoration knowledge, you dont have to be a master crafts person, but if you are that would be fantastic. I am looking for workaways with a good sense of hummour and who are willing to give everything a go. I would like this to be a happy experience for both me and you. The accomadation is in the half renovated house, I will fill the fridge with food, sometimes I cook, sometimes you can cook, some meals together others just sorted out by yourself. I am vegetarian, but if you want to cook/buy yourself meat thats your choice. The dogs and cats are very much part of my family, they are all over the furniture, very playful and sometimes a pain in the bum. If you dont love animals this really is not the right place for you. I also volunteer for a charity called Little Angels Rescue BG, which means I will sometimes have foster dogs staying with me. I ask for 25 hours a week work in exchange for bed and board. I have travelled extensively throughout the years and have many a funny travel tale, I also enjoy listening to other peoples tales and learning about others and their culture and languages.

Region: Europe

After having a long and steady flow of really lovely and interesting people for the past six years, we're taking a bit of a break from lots of volunteers this year...BUT...we do need some help right now. My daughter has damaged her back -bending over and digging are the hardest things for her right now and it's spring! There's lots of work to do in our field - mostly preparing the ground and planting. You dont need to have loads of experience or skills - just a willingness to work at the same pace that we do. It's fun and interesting here and we hope that you'll come and check it out. Your help will be greatly appreciated. General info: Come and experience a wonderfully different life in a small village in Bulgaria. I have the pleasure of taking care of a lovely piece of land which I am slowly turning into a beautiful garden. I also grow loads of vegetables - all the usual gardening jobs- and I have more fruit trees that I can handle so if you want to help me pick apricots/cherries/plums/apples/pears/peaches and walnuts and make jam, juices and chutnies, please get in touch. There are also loads of other jobs to do eg pruning the vines, weeding, looking after the veg and the trees, making fences, painting...just about everything that needs to be done around a big and very basic piece of land. The deal is that you work 30hours a week and I provide food and accommodation. You dont need any experience to be here just a load of common sense, a willingness to get up early (its very hot in the summer), break sweat a bit out in the field and then sit around in the garden and eat my great food. check out my website link above for all the info on volunteering here - you might also want to read my winter blog - see what this place is all about and if you think its for you, get in touch when you know what dates you'll be available. I only have one request - please be reliable! Only book a place if you are 100% going to turn up. It rarely happens that people let me down but when they do, its a real hassle. Along with that, when you contact me, please be clear if its just a general enquiry and you haven't actually made a decision - I usually reply immediately to requests so if you really want to be here, give me dates in your first email. Also, I would really appreciate it (all hosts would) if you tell me 'yes' or 'no' after i have offered you a place...it doesn't take minute to press the reply button and say 'thanks for your offer but i've found somewhere else' ...thanks. Be warned - 11 of my volunteers have already bought houses here and another 5 are plotting and saving to move here - they loved it so much - this is a great place to get a new experience of traditional rural life - the people are lovely, the climate is wonderful, the food is great and we make our own alcohol -look forward to hearing from you. kathy

Region: Popovo

Paul and myself are living on a (mainly) organic small holding attempting to be self sufficient. We are growing our own fruit, veg and animal feed, have lots of fruit trees, preserving food by various methods, making yogurt and cheese, a lot of what we are doing requires us learning as we go. We have volunteered ourselves, during which time we learnt a lot and met some great friends. Having experienced the other side of the coin we offer to provide you with good wholesome food, the opportunity to join us on trips out, the use of our bicycles, internet access and most importantly - an enjoyable experience. We have chickens, 4 sheep (Timmy, Pickles, Aggie & Larry [the only ram]) and a constantly changing number of rabbits. Plans include getting goats, pigs, ducks and geese, BUT only when we have improved the animal housing, possibly something you may be interested in helping with. We have a long drop toilet as opposed to a flushing loo but we do have a fully functional shower room, and washing machine. It is really good fun and hopefully you will learn many life skills, mind you hopefully you can teach us a few also. Summers are generally very hot and winters very cold - take your pick. Due to renovation works the woodburning stoves have been disconnected in the main house, so it is currently unheated. we feel it only fair to inform any potential volunteers of this up front due to the approaching of winter.