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Hello fellow work awayers. My name is Katya! This is a big DIY project. A whole old blank house to play around with and transform into a magical, mystical and enchanted fairy house. I want to use as much recycled and natural material as possible to do up this house and I want your help to do it! My mother has just brought a house in a quest Northern village which is in need of some TLC and personality. This is going to be a very hands on but flexible and casual help away full of creativity, music, colour and fun! But there is plenty to do and so I can provide duties to your wishes. I hope to do woodwork, tiling (including making my own tiles), carpentry, painting, panelling, murals, make lamps and tables, chairs and anything you can think of! I will listen to your ideas and see if we can make it work with our four hands and the budget.We can go to local markets (there are many and they are very cool and unique) together and look for additional features for the house. Go to thrift stores, junk yards and old furniture stores and see what we can create out of old 'junk'. It'll be up to you how much energy you wish to put into the project. If you want more or less tasks, this just needs to be communicated and there will be no judgment from me. The house is in a beautiful area in in Lancaster and on the boarder of Yorkshire. Less than an hour away from Manchester by public transport or 100 minuets on a bike. I encourage you to take free time as you like to go do whatever you wish in the area or to chill in the house. I have done many work aways and I am aware of the struggles, so I wish to be a very accommodating host and a friend. I am looking for people to keep me company on the project while also contributing and helping to create a magical wonderland house. So it is important to me that we are friend's while you are here and hopefully after too. I hope you feel inspired to add your own flare and personality into the project. I am a very creative and artistic person and so this house will not be the usual do up. I want to transform it into a magical, fairy land house full of character and colour. I want to have fun on the project and hope the house has energy and good vibes while you are here. I will be inviting friends to come help and you can also invite your friends to join and help us some days on the project or to chill with us in the evening and have some dinner parties, drinks, movie nights, gatherings etc. However, you are also free to be by yourself whenever you wish and I will not be offended WHENEVER you need your alone time. I am also an independent person and love to spend time with just myself sometimes so I hope you also understand this when staying and can entertain yourself from time to time. We can cook and eat together too. I can cook good veggie and vegan meals. You can feel free to cook for us too. or if we are too tired some days we can get take away. I like to do yoga, run, paint, hike, cook, make music. All of which we can do together if you wish :) I can also teach you some art skills like Lino printing and acrylic murals.
Art Projects
DIY and building projects
Creating/ Cooking family meals
You can be apart of a big project and help transform a very basic old Northern house into a magical home. You will learn how to create things out of recycled material, from big (like tiling the bathroom) to small (making our own pillow covers and curtains). This is a blank canvas, so if you are a creative person this work away will be perfect for you. I am not a controlling host so will not get you to do whatever I say. You can contribute to the project and feel apart of it. The area is gorgeous and you get a real sense of clarity in these parts of England. I can teach you to paint and I can also make music on my laptop which I'd be more than happy to teach you how to do too.
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Will include basically be helping me in whatever way you can to transform our house and garden. This most likely includes stripping carpets, laminating floors, painting (walls, ceilings and stairs), building book shelves, bay windows and more exciting things like making concrete sinks, painting murals, making stain glass windows, building a bunk bed, building anything DIY you and me can think of. If you have any skills in these areas, especially construction, carpentry, woodwork and/or electrics then this'll be a HUGE bonus. I would love to have a grow patch in the garden and also grow some indoor plants and food so if you know anything about permaculture then this'll be amazing.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
This host offers a language exchange
Spanish
A private room you may share with another volunteer or friend of mine if they come a visit. But if no one else is here then it'll be all yours.
Bacup is a lovely town with cozy cafes and pubs. The town is in the Forest of Rossendale and the upper Irwell Valley. You can do lots of hiking and walks and feel the crisp air of a Northern English town. There is a town just next door called Todmorden which is another proper Northern English market town full of character. Next to this town is Hebden Bridge which is known for its quirkiness, its relaxed vibe, colourful characters and all-round festival atmosphere. You can get to big Northern cities such as Manchester in less than an hour. Which I will be doing often to see friends there and go to music gigs and nights out etc. Its nice to go there and get some excitement and return to the relaxed, cozy village vibe.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
I don't have wifi, but you can connect to my unlimited data. Good enough to watch Netflix so should be alright
We have space for parking
Yes, I love pets
More than two
Maximum 3/4 hours a day, 4/5 days a week