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Help with Gardening and Restoration at Our Historic Devon House 🌿 🇬🇧

5.0
(4 reviews)4

The experience

We are looking for help with house renovations, gardening, and animal care in return for comfortable accommodation and good food during an interesting and fun cultural exchange. Over 11 years ago we moved to a large traditional thatched house in Devon with sheep, ducks and chickens. There is some outside work and gardening as well as decorating. You will have plenty of free time to explore our area of natural beauty on bikes, buses or drop off.

What you offer

20 hours of help per week

Painting & Decorating: Help with painting or decorating the property facilities.

Animal Care: Help look after and take care of animals.

Gardening: Help grow plants and cultivate gardens

What you get

2 days off per week

Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.

Shared Dorm: You will have a bed in a shared room, which means you will share the same room with other travelers.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.

Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.

Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.

Bikes at your disposal: You can use our bikes any time you want.

Pick Up: We will pick you up when you arrive, and take you to our property.

Use our equipped kitchen: Feel free to use our kitchen and make your own delicious food.

Fast Internet Access: High-speed internet for you to work remotely

Dedicated Workspace: Specific space for you to work remotely

Requirements

Beginner English

Between 18 and 80 years old

Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

Program Details

More detail

We are looking for help with house renovations, gardening, housework and animal care in return for comfortable accommodation and good food during a interesting and fun cultural exchange.

Over nearly 10 years ago we moved to a large traditional thatched house in Devon with a small holding with sheep, ducks and chickens. We are always busy, there is some outside work and gardening as well as decorating. We have undertaken a lot of renovation in the house which now just needs finishing in places and had several workawayers stay with us.

Workpacker volunteers are invited for short stays of 1 - 3 week periods during February to April 2025, as we hope this will enable more volunteers to experience a stay in Devon. Some volunteers may wish to plan more than one placement during their stay in the the UK.

Whilst we supply all food and eat the main meal together, we encourage volunteers to make at least one main meal for all of us, so that we can experience some of your culture too!

If you would like more information do not hesitate to contact us.

Activities & Shift

We expect a minimum of 20 hours per week, worked over four to five days by agreement. This means you will have a minimum of two days off a week and potentially afternoons and evenings.

Specifically there is a pond and wild flower area that need restoration and tender care, vegetable plots that need attending as well as pruning and some tree care. Decorating will depend on where we are up too - mainly painting!

We will supply you with bikes and money for bus fares, Exeter, Sidmouth, Exmouth are all easily accessible by bus, there are also some beautiful coastal walks and bike rides.

We are located in a village 10 miles from the city of Exeter and there is a bus route that runs to the city and the coast every 30 minutes. The village has a friendly traditional pub, restaurants, shop, hairdressers, church and village hall. Exeter is an attractive busy university city with good shopping, bars cinemas, theatres and other historical attractions.

The Jurassic coast (5 minutes away by car and accessible by bicycle - 30 minutes) offers great walking and opportunities for water sports including sailing, kite surfing and windsurfing.

Rules

Respect, enthusiasm and no candles (due to our thatched roof insurance!)