Braziers is home to about twenty people most of whom work part-time within Braziers. Some also work outside or are retired. There are also several younger residents  Ages currently range from 17  to 90.

Some of the residents live in rooms in the main building, alongside volunteers from UK and overseas who spend up to three months here working for their keep and participating in the life of the community. There are usually between two and six volunteers depending on time of year and how much work to be done.

The main areas of responsibility are called ‘Pods’  – Household, Kitchen, Office, Estate and Maintenance each have one or two residents as main organisers, with support and input from others according to need and enthusiasm.  At a meeting at 9am each day, the day’s work is allocated: often cooking, cleaning and gardening dominate, with maintenance and office tasks also on the agenda.  Residents generally work around 25 hours per week in exchange for board and lodging.  In practice, it can become a full time job living  here although some residents do have part time paid employment outside Braziers.

If you are interested in learning more about living at Braziers  check our vacancies page.  Becoming a resident can take quite some time and all candidates for vacancies are  required to complete our application form before possibly being invited on several visits before short-listing takes place – the selected applicant is then offered a 3 month trial period with reviews, which may lead to residency.

Applicants need to demonstrate an interest in Integrative Social Research as well as experience and skills in the required areas, an ability to contribute fully to our community way of  life, help with problem solving and conflict resolution and provide references.

Volunteer!

Volunteering is a good way to get to know us-  Volunteers work 6 hours a day, 5 days a week  (including  at least one weekend day),  the work includes a high proportion of house cleaning, bed making and food preparation as well as the chance to spend a day or two working outside in the garden or on the estate.  There are sometimes opportunities to join in outside or internally organised classes here. 

Mid Week Work Parties

There are also regular mid-week volunteer days for locals and anyone who wants to try a couple of days working in a community or has time to spare every week.  Every Wednesday and Thursday are for day volunteers (overnight stay is optional with £5 contribution) these are also generally our outdoor project days.

 If you are considering volunteering take a look at the volunteers page here