Last year the list was huge. This year it's even more huge and daunting. Enter the volunteers: through three websites, people who want to join us and take part in the work along the route can find us and we can find them - something like a dating agency without the romance factor! So now we provide food and accommodation for a steady stream of people staying with us, in return for having many pairs of hands to work on the various projects that we've got going. So far this year have been John & Allen from the US, Aishling & Joan from Ireland & Catalonia, & Callum & Cath from Australia. Together we've dismantled the broken poly-tunnel, planted seed, built filled & planted a new raised bed, chopped & stacked wood, planted strawberries, sanded down and re-oiled the outdoor furniture, re-enamelled the gas hob, and eaten some wonderful meals together.
The internet has, of course, facilitated all this - it is what enables us to find one another and decide to spend time together - and everyone benefits. Of the 3 websites we've joined, Workaway is, in my opinion, the best. The website is user-friendly and it's easy to find out about one another (hosts & volunteers) and have sufficient information to make the right choices. Helpx is similar, works equally well, and is an older website without the subtleties of Workaway website design. Catching up with them both is TaTuTa, the Turkish representative of WWOOF (willing workers on organic farms). If you are thinking of travelling, or learning how to do something, or if you have offspring setting off on the proverbial "gap-year" then these four websites provide a useful point of contact for hosts & volunteers - keep up the good work!
www.workaway.info
www.helpx.net
www.bugday.com/tatuta/
www.wwoof.org
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