Help us create our resilient small-holding and buildings in Podlaskie, Poland

Details

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  Description

  *️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️ Update 4 May 2025. We rebuilt the derelict old main house, and we moved in in October 2023. It's an experimental build with Canadian style woodframe construction filled in with straw insulation. We've been very pleasantly surprised, and life is much more comfortable now than it was for the first eight years here :) We have a number of projects going on at the same time, and of course about 50 animals to feed and look after... There are always plenty of things to do, things to improve. We try to adapt work to our visitor's skills and interests. We love it when volunteers create artwork on our walls. We look forward to meeting you :) *️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️
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  Hi. We're Henry, Kasia and Maia. We're an Anglo-Polish couple and we took the plunge and moved in Spring 2015 to this small farm in rural NE Poland. It's a lovely sheltered spot surrounded by woods and away from the road. It was all run down but we've made a LOT of progress already. We love having volunteers and we will make lots of effort to accommodate you as long as you are willing and able to fit in to our busy working environment. We do work hard and long hours, but we don't expect more from volunteers than is in the Workaway contract (max 4-5hrs).
  
  When we first arrived we were living in a tent and getting water from the well in a bucket. We've since renovated the old garage into a communal kitchen/living/dining space. We built a yurt, and then a small straw bale cottage for my 77 year old mother who peacefully passed away after two years of living here. A couple of years ago we renovated an old goat house for storage space and also converted the end of it into comfy accommodation for two people. We insulated the old goat house and the kitchen with straw and plastered it with clay, which has worked very well. I haven't heard about many people doing this so it's quite interesting maybe. Also the technique for making the continuous arched walls/roof of our strawbale cottage is quite unique and interesting. Eventually we have an old house that we want to renovate/convert and we are getting plans together for that.
  
  We have goats and we get daily fresh milk. Occasionally we make cheese. We have chickens, guinea fowl, ducks and geese living in our woods, so we have fresh eggs too. We have two dogs and three cats, rabbits, and three ponies.
  
  We planted lots of trees and shrubs around the place and expanded our vegetable and herb patches. The goats and chickens have been helping us tidy up our orchards and forest. We're trying to integrate permaculture design and principles into the place. We respect nature and we try to limit our resource, machine and chemical use.
  
  We're looking for volunteers for our gardening and building projects and helping with the animals. We also have plenty to do in our 5ha of forest, and preparing firewood.
  
  There are big forests around, also Poland's biggest National Park about 12km away (we can lend bikes).
  
  Any questions, do get in touch :-)

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  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

  You can see the reality of the early years of moving from a city life to a derelict farm site and trying to convert it into a beautiful living and working space using permaculture principles. Henry is often keen to talk about permaculture and philosophy and we have a fairly good library here.
  
  Previous volunteers have commented that they've learned all sorts of things.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Upcoming volunteering help: forest work, firewood, greenhouse building, wood working (door making, etc.), various building projects including fixing the solar shower, clay and lime plastering, compost.
  
  We have a yurt in our garden and we're preparing a new space for it in the forest. We'll need help to move it at some point.
  
  We're open to other possibilities. Come and create art, make mosaics...

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Polish: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  I'm learning Polish and teaching English
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  Accommodation

  We've now moved out of our straw bale cottage so it's now available for volunteers to stay in.
  
  There is plenty of space for a camper van, or even a tent if that's what you like.
  
  Internet and phone reception is sometimes limited on our beautiful site sheltered by trees (but seems to be getting better).

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  What else ...

  Tourist facilities are fairly limited in the immediate area. The local town is about 10km away - plenty of hardware and food shops, but otherwise pretty basic facilities.
  
  There's rich local flora and fauna, including elk, wild boar and wolves, and it's a great place for bird-watchers.
  
  There's places for walking, cycling, and fairly good tourist centres less than an hour's drive away. We have bikes that can be borrowed.
  
  We try to go away for day trips together with volunteers from time to time if there is an opportunity. We enjoy bonfires sometimes in the evenings.

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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