Volunteer

We have a friendly, laid back but determined team, fuelled by tea (and sometimes cake!), but we've got our hands full and would really appreciate some help. It's an exciting time to get involved as we have planning permission and are aiming to start building this winter, creating 21 affordable homes for local people, including flats for young people and adults with learning disabilities, and 8 open market houses. It's a unique project, combining affordable housing with shared facilities, permaculture design and low environmental impact, and we have a lovely 7 acre site where we're restoring and creating new habitats.

There are a variety of things you can get involved in so please take a look and if you have any questions please contact Nicola on info@transitionhomes.org.uk or 01803 867358.

• Landscaping – we’re looking to make some improvements to the public footpath as it enters and exits the field where it gets extremely boggy! Our suggestion is putting in a boardwalk or stepping stones, and removing the stiles. If you’ve got experience in this area and could advise or install a suitable solution please get in touch.

• Site maintenance – if you’re not fond of meetings or computers but you like doing practical things, we’d like someone to help us manage the site. This would include things like organising volunteer sessions to e.g. remove the remaining barbed wire or look after the fruit trees, arranging scything of the meadow, keeping an eye on the condition of things on site (fences, trees, barn etc) and helping arrange other site maintenance as needed.

• Renewable energy – we’re in need of someone with finance and renewable energy expertise to help specifically with putting together the business model, cashflow forecasts, etc for our networked PV array with an eye to securing debt funding.

• Business planning – as well as the PV array we’re looking to develop a business plan for the community building in order to attract funding.

• Communications – an opportunity to join the Core group with a focus on communicating what we’re doing to the outside world. This would involve attending one 2 hour meeting a week/fortnight.

• Allocations, marketing & management - the exciting task of marketing, selling and allocating homes will begin once we've started on site. We have a small subgroup which would appreciate another team member - some kind of real estate, sales or marketing experience would be wonderful, but isn't necessary.