Bush Park Wabping!


What the *** is wabping and its not the London Borough? Some of you will have heard of woofing and know that it stands for Working On Organic Farms.Wabping is "Working at Bush Park". Woofing, or more correctly wwoffing (the name changed from "Weekends On Organic Farms" to "Willing Workers on Organic Farms") is best explained on this site for Australia or this one for the UK. The original idea was that you offered your services in exchange for board and lodging. But we actually charge you for the privilege. Well not exactly.

Working at Bush Park is an informal offer for those wishing to join in on the farm and perhaps learn a skill at the same time. Unlike the hosts of true woofers, we do not earn an income from the farm, it simply forms part of the attraction for B&B visitors, so you do still pay for B&B accomodation with other meals by arrangement or from various village pubs. We are not officially organic but run on the same principles. You will have read elsewhere our reluctance to bombard the animals with chemical worming treatments. Even the horses are only wormed once a year.

We do hope to eventually run formal Rural Skills courses that would include, hedge-laying, coppicing, stone walling, etc. but that is for the future. If interested we can run specific courses to order and offer Bush Park as the venue. The cost of the tutor would be split between course members who then would only pay for B&B accommodation. Meanwhile we can offer the opportunity to see what its like to run a smallholding, learn strained wire fencing, gate building (take home your own 10' five bar gate for as little as £30!), gate hanging and tree planting. You can always help mucking out and learn about muck heap management but you have to be a special sort of person to appreciate that! E-mail with any questions.

Some useful links
The Devon Hedge Group
Stonewalls and Hedgebanks
Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust

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