19 th October 2018 to 18th October 2019 European Solidarity Corps with the Othona Community at Bradwell on Sea 2018-2-UK01 INFORMATION SHEET Contact Information Hosting Organisation: Volunteer Action for Peace 16 Overhill Road London SE22 0PH United Kingdom Tel. +44 0844 2090927 www.vap.org.uk Contact person: Cedric Medland, EVS Co-ordinator 01983 753467 07543309219 [email protected]Hosting Project: The Othona Community East Hall Farm, East End Road Bradwell-on-Sea, near Southminster, Essex CM0 7PN, UK Tel. 01621 776564 (International 0044 1621 776 564) [email protected][email protected]https://www.othonaessex.org.uk/ Contact persons: Tim Fox, Centre Manager, Richard and Debbie Sanders, assistant managers. UK National Agency ECORYS Vincent House Quay Place 92-93 Edward Street Birmingham B1 2RA United Kingdom T +44 (0)845 313 74 55 E [email protected]www.ecorys.com
Transcript
19th October 2018 to 18th October 2019
European Solidarity Corps with the Othona Community at Bradwell on Sea
You will be for the period of your service a guest of Volunteer Action for Peace. We are full members of the Co-ordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service which is an umbrella organisation representing a worldwide movement of associations dedicated to the cause of lasting peace through international voluntary service. http://www.ccivs.org/
Volunteer Action for Peace grew from an anti-war movement called Christian Movement for Peace which began in French-occupied Germany in 1923. Since the 1960s the British branch of CMP, later Youth Action for Peace has brought international teams of volunteers to work with like-minded non-profit organisations in the UK and sent UK volunteers to the projects of our international partners.
We have been co-operating annually with the Othona Community at Bradwell on Sea every year since at least 1970.
Please verify that your passport is in order and up to date for the next twelve months before you attempt to enter the UK. Please also remember to contact your family after you arrive at the project and leave with them the contact details of your sending organisation and your contact number in the UK in case they need to get in touch with you.
Looking forward to the chance to meet you and work with you,
Cedric
Cedric MedlandErasmus Project Co-ordinatorVolunteer Action for Peace [email protected]
The Othona CommunityOthona was originally a Roman fortress from the 4th century. From the ruins of its gate house the Saxon chapel of St Peters-on-the-Wall was built around the year 650AD. It is one of the oldest churches in Britain. It was abandoned when the settlement moved inland and spent most of its history as an agricultural out-building, luckily too remote to be robbed of its stone walls.
The Othona Community was founded in 1946 as a Christian community which fully involves non-Christians. Its original purpose was to promote reconciliation between people from lands devastated by the world war. From the beginning it was a diverse international gathering. The community uses the restored chapel for informal community services which are an important element of community life. You do not need to be religious yourself but you should be willing to participate in all activities.
From a temporary summer encampment in the 1940s the Othona Community has grown into a permanent residential centre for people of different ages, nationalities and backgrounds, all seeking a common understanding in the cause of peace. The community has developed solar and wind power for its electricity (with a reserve generator) and all sewage is naturally recycled through a reed bed system. The grounds are cultivated organically and protected by trees and areas for wildlife so that the whole area of the settlement is a miniature wildlife reserve.
At present there is a permanent manager, Tim Fox and two assistants, Richard and Debbie, who all live on site. Other staff come in to do specific jobs and there are often members of the wider Othona community in residence, particularly in the summer months. Paying guests usually come for a week in the summer months or at weekends in the quieter months.
In the 1960s a second Othona was created from an abandoned convent in Dorset, another beautiful location on England’s south coast. It is under separate management but we expect to be able to give you an opportunity to visit it at least once during your project.
Please take time to explore the community’s website https://www.othonaessex.org.uk/ From this you will learn something of the community’s ethos and the type of events included in its programme of activities for paying guests.
LocationOthona is in a beautiful, remote corner of Essex, just behind the sea wall on the estuary of the River Blackwater. Currents are strong and there is a huge difference between high and low tides. Safe swimming is available in a designated area at high tide.
Nearby is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, classified as “an area of outstanding natural beauty”, a famous salt marsh and bird sanctuary. The centre is otherwise surrounded by flat countryside and the open sea with huge skies. Idyllic in the summer it may appear windswept and bleak in winter. At all times it is a place of peace and quiet which makes it ideal for contemplative and creative activities.
During the Second World War the area was heavily militarised with sea defences and airfields. Now the major structures to be seen are a nuclear power station and giant offshore and onshore wind turbines. The village of Bradwell, with a couple of pubs and one community-run shop is 4km away or about a 30 minute walk.
Please understand that although on a small map of England Othona may appear to be close to London when you are there you may sense its remoteness and isolation. The journey to London by public transport usually takes at least two hours.
Your ProgrammeThis is a twelve month placement and we want you to stay for the whole time to reap the maximum personal benefit. The project follows a successful project run from October 2018 to October 2019.
What follows is not intended to be a complete description of all your activities in your year of voluntary service. For example there will in addition be some structured courses of study and other activities may be arranged for the quiet winter period.
This project starts as the season of winter arrives. Othona does have a programme for winter visitors but is much less busy than in the summer. With long dark nights and cold weather this may be a challenging time for volunteers. This will be a good period for study and research, to explore the area, visit other places of interest and work online to promote VAP’s overseas programme.
Up to four volunteers will be recruited for this project. During their time at Othona they will be on a rota to cover the routine duties necessary to maintain and run the community and its buildings. As Othona is a seven day operation including evenings with the busiest times at the weekends you will be rotared for an early or late shift five days a week and this rota will change over the weeks and months. Each week there will be two days free of work. Every month you will earn two days to take as holiday.
Regular tasks will include:-
Catering: Helping with cooking, food preparation and preservation, washing up and cleaning. This will involve some special skills, for example making bread. All volunteers must undertake a course leading to a food hygiene certificate. Culinary ideas from your own country will be welcome.
Accommodation management: Cleaning bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas, washing and replacing bed clothes and ensuring that all the accommodation areas are clean and safe; building maintenance.
Administration: Assistance in the office helping with computer-based administration. Each volunteer will also be expected to contribute to social media through uploading video or photos and maintaining blogs.
Gardening in the grounds of the community and learning about the energy, waste and food systems used by the community.
Late this November an Othona staff member will receive training and information on permaculture at a centre in India as part of a global permaculture project organised by CCIVS, running to September 2019. Permaculture methods and approach will then be put into practice at Othona. VAP and Othona thus join with International Voluntary Service groups throughout the world in our commitment to climate justice through a sustainable ecology maintained by ethical practices of food cultivation. Volunteers will be expected both to take an interest in this project and to lend a hand in the practical work of planting, growing and harvesting next spring and summer. An important element of the project will be to record and evaluate results communicating them by Skype and email to groups running parallel projects in other countries.
April to September is the busiest time for Othona with their main programme in full swing. You will be hosting visitors as well as carrying out your regular duties. If your timetable allows you may join the visitors in their programmed activities.
Summer is also the season when VAP holds its short term workcamps of 7 to 15 days. Three of these are held at Othona but there are others elsewhere in England. These include Buddhist festivals, a women’s retreat, a festival for classical musicians, work with gardening and nature and projects in other residential communities. You may be asked to assist in coordinating a workcamp. VAP will train you for this role.
During this time Othona is joined by a number of short term volunteers which enables you to be released for this other work. There is also a project in London in December and another project on the Isle of Wight next January doing restoration work on a museum. You can see here a film made about the last London workcamp https://www.facebook.com/193838147321030/videos/1674961089208721/
In addition to the tasks described volunteers are encouraged to complete a small study or project of their own. That might be based on some aspect of Othona, its history and surrounding area that is of interest but there is no compulsion as to the subject selected. Internet research may be used to compile a paper about any subject of interest to the volunteer.
As you approach the end of your volunteering in October 2019 you will be evaluating and reporting on your experiences of the last year together with planning the next chapter in your life’s history. Both VAP and Othona will be there to assist you to find good advice and contacts to guide you to achieve your next goals.
AccommodationThe volunteers will stay at the Othona Community and sleep in the core building with the other residential staff and international volunteers. They will have their own room but will share a bathroom. Wifi is available. Food will be healthy and home made. Vegetarian diets can be catered for.
Training and SupportThere will be on-arrival training provided by the Othona staff on the weekend of October 20/21st and volunteers will be immediately engaged in hosting the busy week ahead. Further training will be provided by VAP during the 12 month programme. Each of you will design your own learning plan with objectives which we will support you to achieve. It is a primary objective of this programme that it empowers each volunteer by providing and encouraging opportunities to learn new skills, try out new things and to assist with finding work or study appropriate to their interests after the placement.
For this reason we ask you to keep a careful record of your activities for the report stage of the project. Assessment for English language improvement is compulsory under this programme and we encourage you to learn other languages.
It is planned that the VAP co-ordinator, Cedric Medland, will meet you each month or two months to ensure you are OK and that your agreed personal objectives are being worked towards. Volunteer Action for Peace also asks you to join us in London for our meetings over three weekends in the course of the year. You will also be given On Arrival Training and Medium Term Evaluation training provided by the UK National Agency for the Erasmus Programme. These training sessions will be in cities in the UK
where you will meet other international volunteers on the same Solidarity Corps programme.
We plan that there will be weekly meetings with the Centre Manager or another member of staff to check on practical matters. For personal support you will each be offered the service of a volunteer ‘mentor’. Othona insists on your completion of essential food hygiene training and offers to fund a range of other online training courses.
Accommodation in LondonIf you want or need to stay in London we recommend International Students House. The address is: ISH, 229 Great Portland Street, London W1N 4SH Tel: (0)20 7631 8300 ([email protected] / www.ish.org.uk). To reach it, take the underground train to Great Portland Street Station. Leave the station and cross the street and you find it immediately opposite. Contact them directly to enquire about prices. It is in the centre of London and equivalent to a high standard youth hostel. Another cheap hostel is Generator Hostel, 37 Tavistock Place, Russel Square, London WC1H 9SE ([email protected] / www.generatorhostels.com)
InsuranceYou will be covered by an insurance policy provided by the EU programme plus the public insurance policies of Othona and VAP. As a citizen of a European Union country you should bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This will allow you to benefit from free or reduced-cost medical care when travelling in the UK. The EHIC is free of charge. Check that your tetanus vaccination is up to date.
Things to bring with you For all our projects we advise bringing a sleeping bag for events and weekend visits. Bring rainproof and warm clothing, rough clothing and strong waterproof comfortable shoes and gloves; a towel, bathing costume and toiletries; any medications you are likely to need. If you can play or sing bring your musical instrument. Think of music you would like to share, pictures of your family and friends, your home and town or region. If you need to use electrical equipment from mains electricity (e.g. a telephone battery charger) you must have an adaptor to cope with the strange British electricity sockets. You can purchase this at the port/airport as soon as you arrive or at stores in London – but not at the Bradwell village store….
Travel directionsOthona is very remote! Whichever way you arrive in UK you need to take a train to Southminster which is the nearest rail terminal. This usually means coming into central London and then finding your way by London’s underground railway (“the tube”) to Liverpool Street station. If you arrive by Eurostar train or by bus or at Heathrow Airport take the underground train to Liverpool Street. If you arrive at Gatwick or Luton airport take the train or bus to central London and the underground to Liverpool Street. If you are arriving at Stansted Airport, take the bus to Stratford (£15 return). The trains shown below stop at Stratford 7 minutes after Liverpool Street and the ticket will be slightly cheaper.
Most trains from Liverpool Street go to Wickford (train going to Southend Victoria), which takes about 35 minutes. Leave the train at Wickford where you will have to wait for the train to Southminster. It is normally from the same platform. From Wickford to Southminster is a 30 minute journey. Southminster is the last station on the line. The Wickford – Southminster train runs approx. every 40 minutes. There are some direct trains from Liverpool Street to Southminster.
Southend Airport is very near Othona and avoids travel through London. From the airport station take a train to Wickford (4 stops) and change as shown above. There are flights to Southend from Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Geneva and Venice.
You may wish to consider travel options that produce less carbon. Coach travel may be available from a nearby town with a company such as Eurolines or Megabus. Eurostar trains come direct to London from Brussels, Paris and Lille. Many ports on France's northern coast operate ferries into south of England ports all of which have direct train links into London. London may be avoided by taking the ferry from Hook of Holland (Netherlands) to Harwich from where trains will bring you to Southminster via Wickford.
From Southminster station there is a very small country bus D4 Stephensons of Essex which will show its destination as Bradwell. Ask the driver to take you to the Othona community and he will extend the journey for another 4km. The bus will also collect people from Othona if ordered in
advance. If you miss the last bus call Othona for help.
Bus connectionsFrom Southmister railway station to Bradwell-on-Sea (The King’s Head)SATURDAY: 8:50, 11:05, 12:42, 14:15 MON-FRI: 8:50, 11:05, 12:42, 14:15 and 17.42. SUNDAY and public holidays: no buses
Walking (or driving) from Bradwell on Sea, opposite the King’s Head public house turn right so the big church is on your left. This is East End Road with signs to St Peter's Chapel. After some houses and bends in the road it becomes straight, passing the Cricketers public house and then a caravan park on the left. Some 150 metres before the chapel car park take a left turning marked by an old plough and signed to East Hall Farm and Othona. Go straight ahead passing the farmhouse on your right. As you pass some farm buildings you will see another Othona sign directing you to turn right along an open road between fields. As you approach Othona there is a barrier across the road. If you are in a vehicle, stop and wait for the light to turn green before passing the barrier. (Vehicle drivers need to collect a token from the Othona office in order to operate the barrier when leaving.) Coming to a row of tall trees you are directed left to the Othona Community and its car park. You have arrived. WELCOME!
