Minsteracres Retreat Centre is looking for new volunteers to join the teams of people who already give their time to help serve those who most need support and also to help maintain the 110-acre grounds and gardens.
One of the North East’s best kept secrets, Minsteracres is situated just off the A68, five miles from Riding Mill. The centre provides accommodation to groups and individuals who wish to find peace and quiet away from modern life. Set in an historic house dating back from the 1750’s, the centre offers retreat options to those of all religions or none.
Retreat Centre manager, Geoff Bockett said, “we are very fortunate that our volunteers are dedicated and give their time generously but year on year we are finding there is a greater call on our services and of course this means we are always looking for more help. Most of our volunteers help serve in the dining room where our greatest need lies but we also have people working in the Peace Garden and with our outreach team. Our mantra is if you have a skill, we can probably use it.
We don’t ask applicants to have any experience and we aren’t prescriptive about the number of hours we expect from individuals. Some of our volunteers come once or twice a month whilst others might just offer a couple of weekends a year. For those travelling a distance or who are helping for over a period of time, some our volunteers welcome the facility to stay as part of the quid pro quo for giving their time so generously. Not all our volunteers are of the catholic faith, what matters to us is reliability and a shared belief in our values.
“It’s not all work though, we have social events such as a summer picnic to celebrate volunteer’s week and a Christmas ceilldh and we hold regular meetings so that we can share our news and check out how we’re doing.”
Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a volunteer at Minsteracres should contact Minsteracres Retreat Centre on 01434 673248 or email Jean Haldane at jhaldane@minsteracres.org.
Take a look at the website at www.minsteracres.org
Cover Photo by Andrew Curtis
