The Sweet Charity : March 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 !?

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!