Registered charity running retreats and community events in Sutton Courtenay, UK

Details

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  Description

  The resident team is complete for now but we're looking for volunteers able to join us for the summer season.
  
  We get a lot of applications - so take your time in applying carefully or we won't consider you. Thank you.
  
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  We are a registered charity, founded in the Christian faith and housed in a beautiful English medieval manor with an ancient courtyard and a magnificent timbered Great Hall, dating from the 13th century. It is situated in extensive grounds where deer roam freely and where there is also a walled garden.
  
  Over the past 40 years the charity has run a range of group activities including retreats and other spiritual events, lectures, concerts, yoga classes, creative workshops, community projects and group meetings. Guests and visitors are warmly welcomed from all faiths and none.
  
  Following a period of temporary closure we are currently recruiting Workaway volunteers to join and to help us run activities (see the calendar to see if we are currently recruiting). We are particularly interested in volunteers with house-keeping (including ironing) experience, ground maintenance, gardening, growing vegetables, cooking, cleaning, DIY and so on.
  
  The Abbey is situated in Sutton Courtenay, a small village in the countryside 10 miles south of Oxford and 60 miles from Central London. If you want to be a Workaway volunteer please write to us saying why you are attracted to the Abbey and what you hope to contribute. Please do not on any account turn up without us having agreed to have you - as we will not be able to accommodate you.
  
  The Abbey is a quiet and peaceful place, well suited for rest, reflection and respectful communication. It isn't a place for late night parties, illegal drugs and a city lifestyle -- but our small community can still have fun eating vegetarian meals together every evening and enjoying living and working together communally in a friendly relaxed environment.
  
  PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING ABOUT APPLYING:
  1. Do not apply if our calendar is full (brown) for the time you want to come.
  2. Let us know the dates between which you are looking to volunteer.
  3. Let us know which of the skills that we need that you can offer and any experience or qualifications you have with these.
  4. If you are travelling from outside the UK let us know the nature of your visa and if there are restrictions on how much time you can volunteer for.
  5. If we accept you and you change your mind - please let us know as soon as possible. Don't just not turn up.
  6. We will need to do a DBS check and also an identity check (passport and visa) when you arrive.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Charity Work

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Do come and join our small and cheerful team of volunteers in order to help run this beautiful ancient Medieval building.

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  Registered charity

  This host is a registered charity in the UK and is looking for help with their charity project. Guidance on charity worker sponsorship by a UK registered charity, can be found here.

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  Help

  We expect Workaway volunteer to help 25 hours per week. We are happy to negotiate with you when you do those hours across the week. You must be able to help flexibly, both independently, and as part of a group, and without us having to chase you. Most of the help is very straight forward and does not require special skills.

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  You will have your own unique room in this ancient building. Most of the rooms are not en-suite but there are showers and toilets nearby. The majority of the rooms have beautiful views of the Abbey's extensive grounds where deer roam freely.

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  What else ...

  We are in the village of Sutton Courtenay, 10 miles south of Oxford, and 60 miles from central London. Both are renowned for their tourist appeal and we will be happy to advise you about what is on offer there and also in our locality. You may also be able to attend some of the events that are arranged here during your stay. We are surrounded by beautiful countryside and there is a 10 minute walk to the Thames river and a place where you can wild swim.
  
  Coming by car: we are thirty minutes from the M4 Junction 13 and M40 Junction 7.
  Coming by rail: Culham is the nearest station, useful if traveling with a bicycle, but there are no direct transport links from Culham to Sutton Courtenay. Didcot Parkway rail station is on the main line from London Paddington. Taxis are available from outside the station (10 minutes away) and regular buses run from Didcot to Sutton Courtenay.
  Coming by bus use: Thames Travel X32/X33/33. Buses of the Thames Travel X1 service run through Sutton Courtenay via Didcot, Abingdon and Oxford.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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