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Hello! We are looking for a friendly, conscientious and hardworking people to join us at The Forge! Opportunities to help in the home, and in the garden / with renovation work. Come and share in our recipes and teach us some new ones, take part in our living / learning home ed collective, offer creative projects, help with home restoration, garden landscaping and daily care, place making and maintenance, organic food growing etc.
A bit about us and our place - we are a British Colombian family living in the UK with two young children (8 and 4). We have just bought a property on the edge of a beautiful Dorset village - with cottage, outbuildings and an acre of gardens with a lovely view across the valley. We are aiming to create a hub here for learning, collaborative living, self cultivation and sustainable gardening.
We live in a four-bedroom cottage and home educate our two young children Serena and Emilio in collaboration with other families in the area. Ryan has a background in theatre, and is currently working as Feng Shui consultant and Qi Gong teacher. Elisa, also with a background in theatre, is a Doula and forest school leader. We eat well - good organic food, seasonal and local and enjoy music, walking, learning and nature. We keep chickens and also have a wonderful and slightly nuts sheepdog called Simone, a new puppy called Chica, and a very chilled out one eyed ginger cat called Jack. Something of an ecosystem....
We are on the site of an old Forge, and as well as our cottage there is a large barn, coach house (converted to studio and annexe accommodation), greenhouse and a small woodland area. We are 3 minutes drive from Sherborne - a beautiful town with a famous Abbey, plenty of excellent independent shops, 2 hours from London.
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Babysitting and creative play
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
This is an opportunity to visit a beautiful part of the UK, to be part of our family for a few weeks and enjoy life here in this beautiful village. We are happy to help you with your language learning - we also speak Spanish - but if language learning is your priority there are probably better arrangements for you. This is much more about taking part in a kind of lifestyle the is a little oblique to the mainstream. Ryan is a qualified Qigong instructor, Ba Zi (Chinese Astrology) and Feng Shui Consultant. The fresh air and open space here is amazing and a real privilege. If you have a particular skill in say carpentry, garden landscaping etc, we offer the opportunity for extra paid hours.
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Tonnes of things to do in the garden, helping with the renovation sometimes with simple jobs, lots of cooking, some cleaning and tidying - your contribution depends on your skills an interests but it important to say it isn't a job! Its a cooperation in our way of life, a sharing of the everyday and a collaboration while we are together for a few months. We are flexible...
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
Couples will be provided with private annexe accomodaton in the Coach house, with its own shower and little kitchenette. You will be invited to join us for lunch and dinner most days, but we can also provide you with food and/or shopping budget so that you and prepare your own meals in the annexe. For single people helping with house holding, there is a lovely room in our cottage.
There is no public transport from our house, but we travel regularly into Sherborne and are happy to drop you in on days off etc. There re beautiful historic houses to visit in the area, and the wild jurassic coast is a 40 minute drive away.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Two
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
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