Wish List May 6, 2012

play room

As you can imagine, some everyday items need replacing regularly in a house as busy as this! If you would like to contribute, you could donate an item off the wish list.

It’s always worth checking by phone or email before buying/bringing any larger items in case we no longer need it.

What we most need at present (May 2012):

A printer

Printing paper

A TV that can take more than one scart lead

some things are always welcome!

We always need ….

Printing paper
Photocopying (for newsletters etc.)
General stationary – biros, pencils, address labels, markers, lever arch folders, box files
Outrageous clothes/wigs/hats for the dressing up box
Energy saving light bulbs
Felt tips, paints and brushes etc for play room
Glasses
Metal forks, cork screws
Tea towels and oven gloves
Bath and hand towels
Old newspapers for the fires

For the house

Insulation foam (eg kingspan)
White or grey undercoat, white gloss and various sized good quality paint brushes
Hi fi system (x 2)
Baby/toddler sling (good condition)
Baby monitor
Plants (indoor) and plant pots (not plastic)
Lockable tool cupboard
Bedside / table lamps
Oil filled radiators
Hot water bottles (non-leaking of course) and covers
Cushion covers
Sewing box
Metal coal scuttles / buckets / pokers / tongs / brushes
Storage baskets
Good quality used carpet / rugs (preferably dark)
Contributions towards new mattresses

For the kitchen

Food storage jars/boxes with lids – large and small
Electric food processor
Herb drying rack
Metal steamer stack
Electric tin opener
Cake tins, spatulas, wooden spoons, pastry brushes

For the garden

Garden spades/forks/metal rake
Fruit trees – apple, pear sweet cherry (not wild), plums, mulberry, apricot
Fruit bushes – black/white/red currant, gooseberry, rose hip (not raspberry)
Other edible plants and seeds, inc herbs (especially perennials)
Compost
Garden solar lights
Plastic green house and small propagators, inc seedling trays
A garden bench
A patio table & chairs
Garden netting

In our wildest dreams!

just putting it out there!

New carpet for the hall, stairs, landing & bedrooms (preferably dark)
New flooring for the bathroom
Built in cupboards & storage boxes for the toys in the playroom
Wooden play frame for the kids in the garden
Chipper for making wood chips from branches etc

There might be other things we can use that are not on this list, so contact us if you’re not sure.

At times we might welcome a fridge, freezer, cooker and other items of furniture – please contact us first if you are looking for a new home for any of these

Thank you for your support!

Please check first before bringing us other things you’d like to donate – it’s difficult for us to store things, and then we may have to spend time getting it somewhere else. We will assume that it is Ok to pass anything on to someone else who can benefit if we don’t actually need something that has been donated – 4 step ladders can be two too many!
Thanks!

Support May 6, 2012

How can you help?

How can I help?

There are really easy ways in which you can help. The WHC is able to offer low-cost holidays on the basis that all guests take responsibility for helping to keep the house clean and tidy. Ask a worker if you are struggling to find a job to do – they’ll be able to tell you!

Telling other women about the house, and paying the most that you can afford also assists the house. The payment system is operated on trust, and so the workers are not responsible for establishing how much each guest is able to pay. The “prices” web page offers guidelines on this. The sliding scale is designed so that women on (the lowest) benefits can stay for a week at the WHC on their usual income.

Donations

There is a wish list of items that the house needs – as you can imagine, some everyday items need replacing regularly in a house as busy as this! If you would like to contribute, you could donate an item off the wish list. There is also a donation box above the fireplace in the dining/sitting room.

For women who would like to make a longer-term financial commitment to the WHC, a covenant scheme is in operation (a worker can explain more about this). You can agree to give as little (e.g. £2) or as much as you like each month to the house directly from your bank account, and we can claim tax back on all money donated in this way at the end of the year.

the Women’s Holiday Centre

Promote Horton please!

If there is anywhere that you could put a small poster or some leaflets for Horton, please send an s.a.e or ask for one to be e-mailed. With our limited budget, it’s always difficult to reach new women, so we rely on your help. Lots of our visitors find out about us by word-of-mouth, so if you’ve enjoyed your stay, then please tell others (and if not, then please tell us!)

Friends of Horton

‘Friends of Horton’ are women who support the house in other ways than through the Management Committee or the Co-op, possibly through house-sitting or other specific projects.

House-sitting

So that the workers can take a break from the house and get some well-deserved rest, house-sitters sometimes come and look after the house and guests. We are always on the look out for new people to do this important and rewarding job.

To become a house sitter, a little training is required, and special training weekends are organised for this. To register interest or find out more, please contact the workers

view from the garden

Other ways in which you can offer your time include coming to work weeks, or getting involved in the Management Committee, or the Access Project.

We want you to feel you have a place to take your concerns, questions and ideas about Horton, so please use the various contact options on these pages. Also, if there is anything you want to bring to the attention of the management committee, please get in touch with them. If you would be interested in becoming part of the management team, please contact us, and we will send you the info pack and application form.

Plans for the future

Our six main aims for the next five years are :-

• Developing a fundraising strategy and increasing our funding.
• Creating worker’s self-contained accommodation.
• Increasing the visitor numbers and widening the user base.
• Improving Energy Efficiency.
• Increasing accessibility of the accommodation
• Increasing user involvement

If you feel able to play a part in making this happen then we would love to hear from you!

Workers May 6, 2012

the vegetable patch

Two workers co-ordinate the day-to-day running of the Women’s Holiday Centre (W.H.C.) including administration, house keeping and maintenance and dealing with all aspects of visitors’ stays.

Our current workers are Tess and Isis.

If you are interested in working at the house in the future, then it is advisable to visit the house prior to applying if you have not been before, so that you are familiar with the holiday centre. Interviewees will normally be expected to stay overnight on the night before the interviews (free of charge).

Please note that you are welcome to contact us at any time for more information about working here. We hold applications from women we invite for interview, and we can contact you with future interview dates.

It is a maximum 3 year live-in post, with an initial 1 year contract, and subject to annual reviews.

If you think you would be interested in working here, then email us for an application pack. Also, please read the Equal Opps policy and make sure you are prepared to uphold it.

Click here to go on the e-mail list for future vacancies.

This is a unique job!

previous worker with guest

We recommend that everyone who is interested in the job books in and experiences the house as a visitor.

The centre is open 7 days a week and there is a minimum requirement of 30 hours per worker, per week. In addition, workers are responsible for providing adequate cover between them. Workers are eligible for 2 full days off per week, to be negotiated between co-workers. This has to be shown to be satisfactory to the Management Committee.

This is a living-in job and is definitely not 9-5. In fact, weekends, holiday times and evenings are the busiest times. Work patterns will vary depending on the day of the week and the number and type of visitors. For example, Friday usually sees a big turnover of visitors and a great deal of housework, restocking etc. before waiting to settle the visitors in at whatever time(s) they arrive. Midweek can be quiet and a time for routine jobs, admin etc. and days off. When there are lots of small children the day may start earlier; whilst at other times the visitors may expect to be able to find a worker on hand to answer questions when they get up much later! Some workers have done specific shifts e.g. early or late; others have preferred to work together most of the time. Whatever arrangements are set up, the essential requirements are flexibility and the ability to negotiate, compromise and communicate with your co-worker.

This is a challenging, yet rewarding job. Originally workers had to apply as a team, via a joint application, but in the interests of equal opportunities it has become open to individual applicants. This does not necessarily prevent women who want to make ‘linked’ applications from doing so. The nature of the job means that you will be living and working with one other worker, with whom you will equally share the responsibilities of the day-to-day running of the house. However, you will each have individual support, on a regular basis, from a personal supervisor. There will also be meetings with the Management Committee every six weeks where you will have the chance to discuss any practical issues.

beautiful surroundings

But you don’t have to work all the time! There are beautiful walks right from the doorstep, two pubs and a café in the village and women’s events, discos, etc. about an hour away in Leeds, Lancaster or Calder Valley. And you get to live in a lovely house in a beautiful setting!

Sometimes you may find aspects of the job difficult e.g. the constant changing of visitors, being bombarded with endless questions and a lack of personal space. Other times you will meet the most amazing women and young people as you sit round the fire, swap stories or songs and bask in their appreciation of you as the workers who have provided them with such a wonderful holiday.