If working at a care farm with people, animals and surrounded by breathtaking countryside is your thing, then read on!
As Countryways CIC celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, we are looking for some talented people to help take us forward.
Countryways is a care farm based on a working farm outside Great Missenden who supports people of all ages and stages with additional needs,  mental, physical health challenges, isolation, schools and special interest groups. If you would like to help at our care farm, or are interested in any of the specific volunteer opportunities below, please do contact us. You do not have to be outside: it’s helpful to have someone to make a cup of tea and be involved with arts and crafts, let alone other paperwork! We do have an application form for our volunteers and often require you to have a Data Barring Service check.

Here are some of our current Volunteering Role Vacancies:

Volunteer Finance Director – View the job advert here
Road Farm Countryways CIC is looking for a Finance Director to join the existing leadership team of 5. This critical role impacts the efficient delivery of wellbeing and skills to a wide community of ages, including those with learning, physical and mental health challenges.
It’s an exciting time to join us as we enter our 10th Year and have a new Business Plan to deliver!
Brief Summary of the role:
  • Approx 3-5 hours a week of input. Based from home with period meetings on the farm
  • Ensure day-to-day financial accounts are maintained on income and expenditure, including online salary distribution
  • Provide the board with advice, governance and guidance on financial matters, including new ideas
  • Preparation of forecasts and budgets, especially relating to new business plan delivery
  • Ensure annual accounts and all statutory returns are promptly completed and submitted, including tax returns and reports for regulatory bodies
  • Act as a signatory of statutory documents and bank account
  • Participate in active discussion and propose ideas at board meetings as well as communicate via email and telephone
  • Be interested in the delivery of opportunities linking farming, nature and countryside skills to a wide range of individuals, especially those with needs.

Please email Amina at vols.rfcountryways@gmail.com with your cover letter and CV (of no more than two pages).

Care Farm Support Worker (Volunteer) – job ad to follow.

We are seeking an experienced person to support young adults with special needs to attend Countryways CIC weekly and participate in real life farm experiences and learning. In this role, you will be positively supporting young adults (and their key workers) in undertaking activities on the farm.

This volunteer role is mainly outdoors or in barns, all weathers, all year.  It requires calm and patient individuals who are able to provide non-judgemental encouragement, be confident alongside farm animals and able to make quick decisions.  We are looking for people who can commit to a regular weekly time slot so that our Farm Helpers can be reliably and consistently supported.  Experience of this client group is highly desirable, but in-house training will be provided.  Nearly all our Farm Helpers bring their own a support worker with them to ensure our safeguarding and risk assessments can be safely met.

This post would ideally suit someone with a background or interest in working with people with special educational needs; previous experience in an educational or care setting, and/or prior knowledge of occupational therapy, physiotherapy or speech therapy.
Time required: regular 2.5 hours per week (morning or afternoon sessions, to be discussed, either 10am – 1 or 1-3pm)
Overall Commitment: Minimum 6 months
This volunteer role is subject to a satisfactory enhanced DBS check.
If this is of interest to you, please email Amina at vols.rfcountryways@gmail.com
If these roles aren’t quite right for you, there are a number of other ways you can help as a volunteer. Other volunteer opportunities include:
  • Bookkeeping
  • Liaising with schools and encourage outdoor learning linked to the curriculum
  • Adult sewing activity planner – We need someone with an interest in sewing to generate some simple, meaningful sewing projects for our young people to build their skills.
  • Admin and website maintenance
  • Food preservation – We need help with reducing waste from our orchard and we’re planning a few more simple activities which young people could be involved in but need someone with jam/chutney/preservation enthusiasm and expertise they are willing to share. Requires existing skills and preferably a Hygeine certificate (although this can be arranged).  We also have a demonstration fruit mill, press and dehydrator, not to mention goat’s milk and honey!
  • Cleaning – help keeping our internal spaces clean and tidy
  • Helping at specific events, such as Open Farm Sunday

 

Countryways CIC would be very grateful for your financial support to help provide unique, positive opportunities to others of all ages as they journey through learning and personal circumstances.

❤ DONATE

Whether a one off gift or regular donation, we are thankful that you are enabling this service to run.

Please use the secure “Donate” button or alternatively, post a cheque payable to ‘Road Farm Countryways’. Address: Countryways CIC, Road Farm, Aylesbury Road, Great Missenden, Bucks. HP16 9LS.

We now hand turn beautiful items from carefully selected wood, most of it grown on the farm and crafted by our Farm Helpers into beautiful Pens, Fancy Pencils, plant dibbers, key rings, door stops.  We also use pallet wood to make interesting boxes, Wonderful Wellie Offers and other items.  Please email us if you’d like to purchase items.

  • Feed the goats for 4 weeks
  • pay the farrier for a visit
  • vet contingency
  • We also have an ongoing need for overalls, wellies and hand hygiene items (soap and towels) together with basic stationary.
  • Hand tools are also welcome, as are tea, coffee, white sugar, juice and biscuits!
  • Should you be able to provide larger sign-age or publicity sponsorship, we would be delighted to hear from you and gladly include you on our links page.
  • Support us by purchasing something from our Current wish list – perhaps you could help us fund one or more items that we are in need of to help with the smooth running of the care farm and our other projects.

Please use the contact form provided or telephone 01494 862413.

A Community Interest Company is a not-for-profit business designed for social enterprises where the assets and profits of a CIC are either permanently retained within the CIC and used solely for community purpose or transferred to another “asset locked” organisation such as another CIC or charity.

Within CIC law, wages must remain within reasonable limits, the company must demonstrate that it operates for community purpose and financial surplus must be reinvested into the company for its community benefits. Any assets owned by the company are “locked” for its community purpose.

Countryways CIC is separate to the working agricultural farm business.

The 2.6 Challenge was launched to help save the UK’s charities in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Could you help us through by taking on a fundraising challenge? We need to raise funds to enable the continued delivery of amazing experiences for vulnerable people and encourage education here.  Specifically, we also need to improve the fencing for our goats to ensure their safety and the best management of our grassland and trees.  Could you help us?