Past Students

Some of Our Past Students

James : Came to help me half a day a week as my General Horticultural Assistant from August 2016 until September 2017. Nothing was too much trouble. He was hard-working, diligent, and a good learner. It was a pleasure to work with him. He now has a job as a horticultural apprentice.

Josh : Assisted us for a term in 2017 as part of his Geography degree course at Bath University. His brief was in Environment. He also produced the scale map/guide of the garden. Josh has now successfully graduated.

Charlotte : Came from the University of the West of England to help out a day a week during the summer vacation 2017.

David : From Switzerland was the first residential student (October-November 2017). He is skilled in horticulture, a keen nutritionist, an excellent cook, and a semi-pro sportsman. He assisted development of new projects and made several improvements and changes to the garden and proposed some ideas on marketing and development. He is good natured; good humoured; courteous; great fun. He got involved in local life. He is now a Trustee. And I have visited him in Bern.  We stay in touch.

Bastien : Was David's successor- also from Switzerland. He arrived on 10th. November for a study holiday until 22nd.December 2017. While here he helped with the total transformation of the Alpine Garden- quadrupling it in size and adding 3 cubic metres of soil. And generally helped with winter maintenance & planning.

Ryan : from California, U.S.A. was staying with us on a private study holiday from 26th.January to 23rd. February 2018. He is very keen on English football (plays for Utah Valley University) and has had training sessions with Malmesbury Town F.C. and Calne Town F.C. and is an accomplished pianist. Ryan was generally helping out and developed some new ideas for the garden. He has been back to visit us. And he is is now a Trustee. We stay in touch.

Theo : from France was with us on a private study holiday volunteering from 20th. February to 29th. March 2018. Top capoeira athlete; plays chess, volleyball & basketball. He was assisting with early Spring clearance, preparation of the vegetable ground for new planting, reducing overly tall hedges. We stray in touch.

Simon : from Germany was with us volunteering from 26th. March to the 10th. May. He was very industrious and repainted and then sealed the five very large wooden arches and one of the garden arbours; and pressure washed some of the stone paths of 4 years of grime, general gardening, & delivered a tonne of rocks! He was often in our Gym. We made lots of excursions together. He also produced ideas for Trust improvements & marketing. He is now a Trustee. Stephen spends two holidays a year in Germany each year as a guest of the Simon & his family. And Simon visits here twice a year.

Jung : from South Korea was with us on from 1st. to 31st. May. He spent a week alongside Simon. They had trips to Bath & Bristol. He was able to improve his English language. He familiarised himself with the British garden style. He worked hard and helped us on many aspects of gardening at this time of rapid growth.

Gabriel : An engineering student from France was here 6th.June to 4th.August. A keen basketball player who was good at cooking crepes. For July he worked with Julian. He repainted all the garden furniture, pots and tubs. And pressure washed some of the patios and paths. He regularly used the gym often played football at Stanley Park with Julian

Julian : from Germany was here volunteering  July. Passionate and skilled in woodwork he constructed 5 large wooden troughs. He rebuilt and enlarged our waterfall to 1.6m, built several stone walls, and made various repairs. Used the gym and pool regularly. He joined the local woodcarving club. Was often cycling and playing football with Gabriel. We stay in touch.

Giovanni : from Italy was with us on volunteering throughout August 2018. He demonstrated his artistic and colour skills repainting the large garden arbours and re-shaping some of the trees. And every day he is having intensive workouts in the gym. He worked alongside Gabriel and they spent a weekend visiting Bristol.

Lucas : From France was with us from 16th. September to 10th.December 2018. Very keen on soccer and used to train weekly with Derry Hill United football club. He got to know one of the local families extremely well. He helped us with all aspects of the garden and is now going into the French navy as a helicopter pilot.

Niklas : From Germany was with us from 28 November 2018 to 22 January 2019. A very keen basketball player he fixed himself up with training sessions with teams in Swindon and Chippenham. He helped us in clearing the garden over winter and preparing for the Spring and repainting the gates and fences. He is now going to university. We stay in touch.

Giovanni & Luise: From Germany were with us from 29th.January to 27th.February. They were involved in a variety of tasks to finish off the winter clearance and commence the Spring preparation: including extensive pruning back of tall hedges. In particular they relocated, improved and rebuilt the brick barbecue, including re-paving the patio & seating in the woodland area. I see Gio when I visit Simon.

Levin : From Germany was here from 26 February to 17th. April.He helped us with a lot of repainting of garden furniture and buildings. He also erected a fence in the woodland and spread fertiliser over much of the garden and was handy with repairs too. He explored the local area, went on trips all over the region and joined the village wood-carving club.

Vito: From Germany Undertook an internship here via his school in Berlin- which requires all Year 11 pupils to spend 3 months abroad. He was engaged in various projects, maintenance, and painting of buildings and fences etc. And eracted a long run of closeboard fencing with Levin. He also made an excellent film about the garden and trust which is now out on YouTube.

Mark : From Hungary was here for two weeks as part of his requirement to undertook some volunteering studies abroad during his summer vacation. He helped with a variety of tasks around the garden.

Antoine : From France was here for four weeks as part of his university course which requires students to spend 3 months abroad each summer. He helped with garden projects and maintenance. He also did 3 triathlons.

Renaud : Was here on a 4-week placement as part of his official internship from Montpellier University in France where he studies tourism. Whilst here he undertook extensive winter clearance preparation of the garden for our 2020 summer season. He also built us a new website, and he made a film.

Davide : From Italy came to us in February 2020, intending to stray for 6 or more weeks. Unfortunately Covid19 intervened and he managed to get the very last flight back to Italy in mid-March. He likedwas a regular participant every Sunday in the local Church. He was also very helpful in the garden attending to winter clearing and spring preparation. As with most of our past students we remain in contact and plan to meet up in future.

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Feedback From Some Past Students

SIMON :    I can't really put it into words how nice it was to be allowed to stay with Stephen for 6 weeks. It has been a big new experience to help Stephen in his garden and with his charity. Stephen has a terrific personality, so living with him for those 6 weeks was wonderful. He has such a great humour, so we were making jokes all the time... It was immense fun.          Stephen is a very kind person and takes care of you in a way that you will feel like being home. He is one of the persons who does really understand what Workaway is all about. So working hours will never be longer than 5 hour's, infact you will work most likely only 3 hours each day.        Since he was a teacher some years ago he will be able to show and guide you around all the lokal city's and sights like Stonehenge and give you a lot of interesting information. The accommodation and food in general is very good too.          Stephen speaks a very clear English, that's why I was able to improve my English so rapidly.         I have learned a lot about gardening and building too because Stephen offered me a verity of different working projects. I was allowed to choose from and explained to me how it's done each time which is very helpful too. I got in touch with a lot of people from the village because Stephen took me quite regularly to the pub. Being surrounded by native people got me even closer to the English culture.           I even became a Trustee of his charity organization because I really like the mentality and purpose of this trust. Stephen and I are already planning to meet up again in the near future, since we became really good friends.          Stephen thanks again for having me around your house and garden and taking care of me during those 6 weeks.

Simon: Germany

DAVIDE:    Originally, I was scheduled to stay at Stephen's for 6 weeks, but I couldn't stay more than three because of his terrible jokes! Just kidding, we got along very well actually, and his sense of humour helped me feel at home right from the beginning. It's obviously a question of affinity as well, but I think he's just a nice human being: open, knowledgeable and funny. And a lot more, but I hope you'll have the chance to know him in person so you can judge yourself. I had to leave early, in mid-March, because of the Covid pandemic. As a workawayer, I think the hours of work to put in every day are fine (about 4h 5 days a week). When I wasn't feeling too well for a couple of days, he didn't let me work. Derry Hill, the village, is a nice and peaceful place to stay, it's quite small, but you can reach bigger towns or cities by public transport. The hills and meadows in the vicinities are really very beautiful, as is the garden! Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to see the garden in "high season", which would be late spring and summer. Stephen and I are keeping in touch, and I am grateful for the opportunity and the time at his house.

Davide: Italy

RENAUD : I'm not afraid to say, be gone to Stephen's home was one of my best experience. He is great man , always with the smile with good value.      Stephen is not afraid to give you responsibility and always trust in you. He is able to change his mind about how to make an garden task , he is not like a "Chief". If you think , you have an better idea to make it , he will listen to you and folow your lead. It's quite satisfying, you feel useful.         He has the "classic" english accent , so its pretty easy to understand whats he's saying. His home is great, a real typical english house, with an private garden that you never seen before ( I swear ! )        Stephen is also a great "Life teacher" , He has a realy big knowledge and will learn you some stuffs about differents subjects, you just need to ask question, you will see !        Stephen is clearly passionate about nature and flora, and its so great to listen to him when he speak about his passion, you will learn a lot...       As a conclusion, Go to Stephen's home will make you change your perception of the world ( at least , a bit ) and it's the best gift that he can offer , you will grow up after this. Thx Stephen .

Renaud: France

NIKLAS:    My time with Stephen was, and I can only agree with my predecessors, unforgettable. I have enjoyed my time here sooo much. I was able to come down, sort out my thoughts, and prepare for the coming studies.        Derry Hill is very small and cozy which can be a welcome change to a city life. The area is perfect for walks, hikes or to go jogging as I did from time to time.        First I had to get used to the house itself, but soon I felt almost at home, which is due to the very considerate behavior of Stephen. Even if you live in the same house you do not have to give up your privacy.        All this first to the environment. The work is absolutely feasible, too, for people who, like me, have barely had anything to do with gardening in their lives. Stephen explains everything very closely, is always nearby and will not judge you for any questions or mistakes. Stephen himself is a great man. He is a very interesting character with whom you can talk about the whole world and in my experience has no prejudices in any direction. But it should be said that he has a special sense of humor that you might not expect from a man of his age. This should not be meant negatively, I found it very refreshing and could get used to it well. Nonetheless, with this feedback, I obviously want to prepare future workaways for their stay with him as best as possible.        Finally, a few personal words. Stephen, thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to meet you and Wiltshire. I noticed from the first second I met you, that you really care about the person you work and live with and that's definitley not the case everywhere! I had an unforgettable time and I hope I can visit you again sometime. Best regards from Germany -Nik

Niklas: Germany

JULIAN :    Stephen is a great host, he really cares about your interests, to make the stay as nice as possible for both sides. After I mentioned that I enjoy working with wood, he got me into the local carving club and gave me a lot of things to make out of wood.       I liked to tell him that he didn't have the hang of hosting workaways: Instead of making them work hard to then feed them with a watery soup, he wants you to work only 4 hours, but often it's less. Thus, if you've been at other workaways before, Stephen might be a nice holiday! (That's at least how it felt like for me, as I more or less had the change described above.)        The region he's living in is great, you've got Stonehenge and other prehistoric sites within range, as well as major cities like Oxford or London.       And on top of that, Stephen is a great tour guide, who knows everything about the history of a place. He generally has got an amazing amount of knowledge in so many different topics. I had many great conversations with him heard brilliant stories, from which I learned a lot, whether it was about English culture, or when Cider is ready to be consumed.      By the way, talking about alcohol, Stephen makes his own beer! Which is great, unfortunately I had a bit too much of it at the beginning so I kept away from it for the rest of my stay.      Dear Stephen, thank you very much for everything, when I'll be around your area the next time I will definitely pay you a visit to see how things are going! Cheers, Julian.

Julian: Germany

JUNG:    When I first arrived here, I saw someone waving at me smiling: He was my new host! He made me feel very welcomed and at ease. That was our first meet. After I was getting to know about him.        He was garden-lover. He was not only knowledgeable but also tried to give me understanding for the future. His purpose is to live with nature and other people. When it comes to working. Although people every work is hard, this placement was really good and easy.        During my working time he was always showing me everything I needed to know and explaining everything. If you are interested in gardening. You can extend your knowledge of garden. That would be great for you.       Yes he is really patient and respectful. He is like a guru to me! Because he knows many things and also taught me English a lot!!! And we had conversations on many subjects. Especially what he would say to me was about history of the U.K. such as King Alfred the Great and many other things! Come here and learn and live up with your host!       All I regret now is my English!! If I had a good English skill I would have talked to you a lot more! Thank you. I will never forget you and the time being here.

Jung: South Korea

THEO:    Stephen is a brilliant man, very kind and funny ! I was so happy to have him behind me for support and jokes ! Thank you very much for your help, your host and your joy ! You were a sunshine wich crossed the clouds and the snow this winter ! Theo: France.

RYAN :    Stephen is great! Wiltshire is great! I definitely enjoyed my time here. It was great to see what life is like in a village in rural England. Stephen is such a great guy. He will take care of you.        The Garden is beautiful and will continue to build popularity in the community as a place to visit. I truly had all the time I needed to do the things I wanted to do. Stephen is very accommodating. Transportation can be tricky since it is not right in a city and he doesn't have a car. However, Stephen has thought of that and has a bike so you can pedal into town. There is also a bus stop right in front of his house with a bus that comes every 20 minutes so getting into town is easy if you know when you're going.        I would highly recommend giving Stephen a visit if you want a rural England experience. He makes a great effort to make sure you are comfortable, enjoying your stay, and are doing the things you want to do. I will definitely be back to visit. I met such great people in that area that I have lots of love for.

Ryan: California, U.S.A.

BASTIEN :      I spent six weeks with Stephen and it has been some really good time. The work in the garden is interesting and not so hard. Stephen is more than a simple host because he has exactly understood, I think, the purpose of workaway. He doesn't want workers only for the work they do, but to give them what they were looking for in their travel as well. Stephen is a really funny dude and full of historical knowledge ! Thank you Stephen and happy Christmas!

Bastien: Switzerland.

DAVID :     My stay with Stephen is unforgettable. He was the best host I've ever had since now.      During my stay we became friends. Stephen and I spent many evenings together drinking beer, making jokes and laughing together. He was very interested in my well-being and as he knows a lot about history. I learned a lot about the English history and tradition. His house is a typical countryside cottage. He decorated it nice. The garden is very big and contains different themes.       The work in the garden wasn't to hard and it was really nice as we worked together in the garden and talked. (Only working is boring.) I went often for a walk/run/bike tour as the house is situated in the beautiful countryside of Wiltshire. Thank you very much Stephen for this unforgettable stay.

David: Switzerland