The Sweet Charity : 2020

About

The idea

Sweet Charity is a marriage of my two great passions. Traveling and Charity . I am a couchsurfing member and for years I have been hosting travelers in my house for free. One day I came up with this idea of doing it with a bit of a charitable twist. So the deal is simple : You are very welcome to stay in my house for as little as £10 per night. The money is not my profit, but it is going to be donated to a charity.

About me

My name is Weronika and I am originally from Poland. I live in Broadway with my family – my partner Henry and my daughter Iris . I want to believe , we are very open minded and creative people. The Sweet Charity Project is my very first attempt of raising money to help people. In the past I made some donations myself but I always had a feeling that it wasn’t enough.

What to expect

What can you expect in our house for £10 per night ? Since this isn’t quite the same as AirB&B and the price in minimal , we will expect you to understand some limitations of what we can offer.

Still we are going to do our best to make you feel comfortable and Happy ! You are going to be offered a nice and private space in our lounge. Since the idea of Sweet Charity has its origin in a couchsurfing culture, we will offer you our sofa bed. We are taking large and comfortable sofa bed ! You don’t need to bring any sheets or sleeping bags- Everything will be provided.

You will have an access to the kitchen, where you can prepare your meal, or if you choose- we can cook together. The more friendly- the better.

We have a child in the house, but she sleeps upstairs so she won’t bother you during the night. However during the day she will probably come downstairs and spend some time in the lounge.

The other thing you need to be aware of is that you won’t be given any keys to the house. Therefore your arrival and booking has to previously discussed and agreed with us. We need to make sure that we are at home during the days of your stay. Having said that ,I am a stay at home mum , so it is almost guaranteed that we will be available. If you have any question- just send me a message .

Is this place suitable for couple or larger groups ?

Unfortunately at this moment we can only offer a place for two people. So this is really an option for sole travelers and couples. However, if you have a tent during the summer time, and you would like to put in in our garden – this can also we arranged.

Location

Broadway is a well known tourist place in the heart of the Cotswolds. Beautiful landscape , stunning architecture , romantic Tea Rooms and old history. The only thing that this place lacks- in my opinion -is an affordable hostel or any other sort of alternative cheap accommodation. But here is a Sweet Charity for you. Our house is located close to the Main Street of Broadway. We live in a quiet and safe residential area. The best way to get to Broadway is by driving , but you can also use a public transport. There are daily buses arriving here from Cheltenham, Stratford-upon-Avon and Moreton-in -Marsh

Is there an option for staying for free ?

Yes, there is. Every person who has a couchsurfing profile WITH REFERENCES is going to be accepted on ‘ CS terms’. In return I will only ask to spread a good word about this place ( if you like it !) However , I need to make it clear : people who are willing to make a donation are going to be prioritized.

Safety

You can check my references with people . Hopeful people who are going to visit us are going to leave some valuable feedback.

Can I choose the charity I would like to support?

I support Red Cross ( I have direct debit set up with them) and a charity called Kiva. Because I strongly believe what Kiva does, I will encourage you to give your money to them. However if you prefer to invest your money into a different philanthropy project, you are more than welcome. As long as there is option of one off payment done with a paypal button – we can do it.

How is the donation made ?

When you choose a receiver of your donation, we are simply going to use a paypal button or your card. I do not handle money , you won’t give anything to me. You just choose an organization and before leaving my house you make an online transfer. One thing : I want to witness this transaction , so I know for sure that the money was donated. That’s all

Get in touch with me !

Thank you so much for reading this. Just the fact that someone is curious about this idea means a lot to me. Maybe you would like to give me some suggestion of how to improve this project ? Or maybe you like it so much, you would like to do something similar and we could try to BUILD A WHOLE NETWORK of Sweet Charity places ? Or maybe you like the idea and you are wiling to invite me to your house ( somewhere in Europe) so I CAN DO MY Sweet Charity Holiday !?

Tuesday 20 October 2020

Someting positive in this crazy year

Hello friend! Yes, I broke my rules . I said that I wouldn't host anyone till the end of this year, because currently we are dealing with the covid and the house extension. But when Katarzyna Pracuch Fotografia announced her arrival, I just couldn't say no . I met her online about two years ago . She is a professional photographer, musician and blogger. Wonderful women of so many talents. During those two years, we would exchange messages now and then. Always planning her visit. And then finally she decided to come to England ! She knew that our current life was a mess. Which translates to our house being a mess too. Just before quarantine rules tighten, we managed to meet. We had a wonderful time touring around the villages. Kasia produced some pretty pictures and we raised some money too! We agreed to support my friends son Antek Wojownik SMA ( Yes, I keep mentioning him. Check my older posts). I am so happy that in this difficult year 2020, we managed to do something positive.
Kasia thank you for everything. Indeed, you have more than one reason to call yourself "Catherine The Brave" . You always have a home here if you ever wish to return to the Cotswolds:)

Thursday 1 October 2020

Update

Dear friends. It has been long time since I posted updates about our project. We are doing well. We enjoyed the beautiful summer and now we can't wait to experience a little bit of golden autumn. Because of the covid and all the complications related to it, we only managed to host one guest in this year :( And that was in February! Pandemic made everything so difficult, some things became impossible. We are still struggling with making precise plans for the next weeks and months. Because of the old lockdown and supply shortages our house extension work is progressing much slower than we thought. But it is happening! I think it is safe to say that ( sadly) 2020 is the lost year. Also for The Sweet Charity. With our life being affected and unstable ,we still can't promise to host people in this year:( But we are still hoping for the better future and definitely we are not going away ! We hope that 2021 is going to bring some solutions. This can't go on forever. I truly miss old good times, with my guests bringing some good vibes into my home.

Those who wanted to visit us should not forget: We are going to meet:) Sooner or later :)

Sunday 5 July 2020

Poppies :)

Hello my good people! I hope you enjoyed your weekend! Hotels and pubs reopened on Saturday . Our village was also very busy, teeming with people . Looks like the Cotswold is officially done with the lockdown. We also decided to celebrate this big change and we went for a tiny trip:)
I am not sure if you guys are aware that our area is famous for its poppy fields? So yeah- here we not only enjoy beautiful architecture . Our lavender fields are big tourist attraction, but not everyone knows about the poppies.
The nearest meadow is located in Condicote, just about 7 miles away from our home . Unfortunately by now the flowers are already disappearing, but if you love taking beautiful pictures, this is the place for you! Put it on your list of places to visit in 2021 😉
We are sending our love to all of you. The coronavirus situation is improving, and I hope that soon I am going to be be able to host again. This has to wait for now because we are about to start the work on the house extension. Not being able to host is obviously a bad news, but it is worth waiting. There soon will be more space for you my friends;)

Sunday 31 May 2020

Hopefully soon...

Dear friends ! Tomorrow is the big day. As the lockdown eases here in the UK , we are going to be able to reunite with our friends and families. Over last couple of weeks I have received few emails with the question about our current hosting situation. I decided to produce this post , so everybody has some ideas of what to expect .
So...
Owing to covid19 restrictions, we need to suspend our activities for ( probably) extended period of time. This is because the visitors share the house with us ,and this itself is against the rules. Here I need to explain that I am not actually very scared of the virus. However I do work with old and ill people. My daughter misses her grandparents and we can't wait to see them. I cannot (and I will not )take a risk of contracting covid knowing, that I may pass it on to someone vulnerable. So the "covid19 case" will have to be closed for good before we can host again.
I understand that everyone is fed up with the lockdown and Cotswolds would make a perfect escape . I promise, that we will resume the project as soon as possible. Just follow me here or on Facebook and hopefully the happy announcement comes within few months. I really hope so !
Stay safe and happy! No matter what;)

Friday 13 March 2020

IMPORTANT NOTE

Hi guys. The weekend is about to start and I hope we all are going to have a fabolous time. As we know, the coronavirus problem is getting worse every day. Just a week ago I was inviting you to my home, thinking that here in the UK moving around and travelling within the island doesn't present an imminent danger . But this is the rapidly evolving situation.
Today I received a message with yet another cancellation of the visit. There was a chance, that my guest had come in the contact with a virus. Looks like UK had already reached the point where we all need to undertake some steps to minimise a damage. So I decided that the best action I can take at the moment is suspending the project. I know I promised a place to few people, and if you really feel like coming , you are welcome. I will however not accept any new request for at least 30 days. I simply don't think , that it is morally correct to encourage people to travel these days. My life is not going to change much. I am not going to start panic shopping or get overexcited about the current sitation. I believe however ,that we all have to show a solidarity with those who are at the gratest risk. I am taking it seriously and I hope so will you. But please understand what I mean by that. Don't lock yourself in the house with your loo paper. Go talk to your neighbours who are old or ill. If they ask for help, do the shopping for them so they don't have go to crowded places. Let's protect the most vulnerable individuals if we want to survive this mess with possibly lowest number of casualties. Don't panic. But also don't ignore:) Let's all stay safe. Let's all stay sane.

Thursday 5 March 2020

Against all the odds

What's up my dear people? Looks like the coronavirus is making this year very difficult for all of us. Some of you worry about the health. Some of you worry about the investments, and some of you think about the practical limitations , that this virus is bringing into our lives. Sadly it surely is going to affect The Sweet Charity. I got some cancellations already or people are postponing their visits for " later this year ". I do understand. Flights are being cancelled. There is a risk that you buy the ticket and won't be able to use it.
Meanwhile here in Broadway everything seems normal. Shops are full of goods and no sign of the panic. We carry on as normal. We learn about the beauty of the slow life. That includes harvesting rhubarb and making kimchi:)
There is another thing I want to share with you. Quiet a few people had sent me a message trying to make an arrangements for the summer or any time " when it's nice and warm ". Sadly it looks like for the majority of this summer we are going to be away. Not only we would like to go on the holiday, but also we are going to do some extension work to our house. In long terms this is a great news because there will be more space for you in our home. But for this year, it will put a big limitation on my ability to host people during the peak season .
So what am I really trying to say? If you are thinking about visiting us we are here until June. We probably will be still able to host for couple of weeks in July but this can't be promised. We should be back at the end of August. I haven't booked anything yet, but it is the most possible scenario. I hope that against all the odds we will be able to raise some money in 2020 !
And for now : Wash your hands and stay calm!

Thursday 20 February 2020

Firt guest in 2020

Despite Dennis. Despite Ciara. Despite the heavy rain. The first guest in 2020 has finally arrived. The name of this brave person was Ania. She stayed with us for two nights and I really enjoyed her company :) Ania had some good ideas about the donation she wanted to make. She chose the organisation called All Together in Dignity - ATD Ireland . We went on the website to hit the donation button and ... We couldn't do it. Again we had to look for different options and an alternative NGO. Not for the first time my guests had to change the recipient , because the website didn't work properly. This can be quite frustrating when you go from organization to organisation, willing to give your money and you just can't! Not sure why the websites are being run so inefficiently, but I just learned from the experience that good 20% has some problems with processing payments. One thing that never fails is Donate Button on Facebook. Not all the charities have it on their page, but that is something worth taking into account when you choose NGO you want to support. Ania also managed to complete her transfer to Womankind Worldwide via Facebook page.
So my dear people! Hopefully winter is going to end soon :) Check your map, plan your journey and visit Broadway!