United Kingdom
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We are Saffron and Alex a couple in our early 50’s with 2 grown up sons and a grandson. We live with our dog Nettle a lively lurcher and our kitten Mishka near the Welsh border between Hay on Wye and Hereford in a beautiful peaceful spot on the top of a hill with amazing views and walks.
We lived in an intentional farming community with 50 residents/members for 11 years with our children, looking after animals and growing food together, we enjoyed working on projects in groups. During this time we hosted lots of volunteers ( workaway and Wwoof) and enjoyed the cultural exchange.
We have now moved to a house with 1.5 acres of land where we have a polytunnel, vegetable beds, and a small coppice area and orchard which we work organically using permaculture and some forest gardening principles. We would like to host volunteers and have lots of projects and work we need help with. We only grow food and store wood for ourselves and are not selling/ a business.
We both work part time Alex is a music teacher and plays most instruments including guitar, trumpet and piano and plays in quite a few bands, I am a speech and language therapist working with children with special educational needs and I love being outside, growing stuff and walking. We both enjoy cooking and do quite a bit of preserving food.
We are mainly vegan but do eat local eggs and are thinking about having chickens and maybe alpacas!
The kind of work could include:
Clearing brambles and nettles
Making steps and paths
Hedge laying
Coppicing
Storing wood
Pruning fruit trees
Sowing, planting vegetables
Turning the compost heap
Scything our small field
Making preserves, picking and preserving vegetables
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Sharing knowledge about growing, organic gardening permaculture and forest gardening
Sharing food and cooking together
Listening to music and playing music together, learning to play instruments
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
We have lots of projects and work we need help with including:
Clearing brambles and nettles
Making steps and paths
Hedge laying
Coppicing
Storing wood
Pruning fruit trees
Sowing, planting vegetables
Turning the compost heap
Scything our small field
Making preserves, picking and preserving vegetables
Cleaning
DIY
Help with garden building projects
Some work would be together/in a group with us and some alone depending on the task
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Sign language (American): Beginner
German: Beginner
This host offers a language exchange
We would be interested in learning most languages but particularly German as our son lives in Germany.
Saffron teaches basic sign language.
Alex teaches music/ mainly trumpet and guitar and would be happy to share/exchange
Good size bedroom with comfortable double bed
Own toilet and sink
Shared kitchen and bathroom
Sitting rooms with cozy wood burners
WiFi
Evening meals would usually be together and lunch if we are at home or food available if we are working or out.
We are in between Hay on Wye and Hereford.
There is a bus within 1.5 miles distance that goes to both towns, we have bikes to borrow although it’s quite hilly!
Hay on wye is famous for its book shops, literary festival and lovely hill walks the Brecon Beacons are near by. Hereford has some nice independent shops and cafes, river walks and a cathedral you can use ‘Beryl’ bikes to get around the town. You can visit Bristol, Cardiff and Birmingham by train from Hereford
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
1 large parking space available for a van
Possibly but would depend on whether they would get on with our dog/cat and we have lots of sheep in surrounding fields so would have to be well trained or not interested in sheep
Two
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
