accommodation for community groups and school trips in Hereford

Dunfield House and Stables is a unique residential centre, run on faith based principles for groups of all ages running their own programme. Guests have the chance to step apart from a world that can be isolating and focused on technology, to engage again in the natural world.

Children can become children again; the opportunity to play outside stretches all of their senses, they can learn to love dirt, paddle in the stream and step into the nature that is on their doorstep. All guests find time to relax, to take in the beauty of the countryside and with plenty of home cooked meals can go home refreshed and renewed.

Sue & Paul and the team offer a bespoke service to each group to ensure a warm welcome prior to and during your visit to enable you to get the best out of your programme. Please take a moment to have a look at our web pages, see our photo albums on Flickr and see how your school, church, youth group or organisation could benefit from a visit to Dunfield.

education visits – music focus

2011 November 9
by Sue

Aldridge School, West Midlands,  has a long and proud tradition of outstanding music provision and we are also proud at Dunfield to have been associated with the school since 1984.   The school  brings two music courses to Dunfield each year and this means we have many students visiting Dunfield, who exemplify the very best in the  outstanding talent that they bring to the school and to Dunfield.

Joe has been on school group visits to Dunfield for the past 10 years, firstly as a student and then as a mentor and staff member – he clocked up his 20th visit earlier this month.

We look foward to Aldridge school visiting  in March & October 2012.  Happy to share their music video of one of their rehearsals, bear with us as we get this set up on youtube.

In the mean time, please contact Sue & Paul on info@dunfieldhouse.org.uk or 01544 230563  and we can send you a link.

Memories from the 1950′s

2011 August 20
by Sue

We recieved an email recently from Angela Holyoaks who was revisiting places she visited as a child, Dunfield House was one of those places when it was the home and business of an antiquarian bookseller. This would have been back in the 1950s. Her father, also a bookseller, used to buy books from the owner and she can remember some of the most cherished times of her childhood staying in the house and visiting the home farm behind which used to be [and still is] farmed by the Watkins family. She was especially friendly with the daughter, Joyce, and infact stayed on my own at the farm on a couple of occasions.

We were able to put Angela and Joyce in contact with each other and they have rekindled a childhood friendship.  Angela very kindly accepted our request to write about her visits to Dunfield,  her feelings and memories of Dunfield are the same as those we try to foster today for everyone that visits.

MEMORIES OF DUNFIELD IN THE 1950’S - Angela Holyoak July 2011

I was about seven or eight when I first visited Dunfield with my parents. My father was an Antiquarian Bookseller and so was Mr Smith, whose wife ran the house as a guest house.

I remember a rambling grey and white old house with lots of gables, like a building out of a fairy tale. I loved it at first sight and felt very much at home within its walls and gardens and eating all the delicious home-produced food post rationing. I used to tumble down the terrace in front and go off to explore, especially the spring with the pump which supplied the water to the house. I also remember tales of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle having lived in the house at some stage, and imagining a dog from ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ baying in the marshes beyond the house as the mists enveloped the mountains. Scary stuff for an eight year old!!

I lived in a town, so the country was an adventure ground to my young mind. As an only child, I was introduced to the children at the Home Farm behind the house; this belonged to the Watkins family. I made friends with Joyce, who was my age and the oldest, and her siblings, Dorothy and Dilys, also a younger brother called Philip. I was in heaven running around the farmyard, helping with the sheep and no doubt collecting eggs and climbing up the adjacent mountain to bring in the cattle and sheep.

I remember the thrill of being on horseback for the first time in my young life, on Pedro, the family’s pony, with Danny the terrier trying to tidy us up. The farmyard sported a hand-held pump with another one in the kitchen next to a huge white belfast sink. Bacon joints hung from hooks in the ceiling, which was yellow with age from years of frying hearty farmer’s breakfasts.
At some stage Mr and Mrs Watkins very kindly suggested I stay with them on the farm; I felt so grown up and don’t remember feeling home-sick at all. Joyce came to stay at our house in Bournemouth when and she remembers she found our town life rather strange. It had theatres, big shops, cinemas and the sea!!

For years all I ever wanted to do was to marry a farmer and have six children. That never happened, but it was the completeness I experienced at Dunfield that gave birth and nurtured the idea. On being reunited with Joyce recently, thanks to Sue and an excellent web-site, the farmer’s daughter assures me that she enjoyed an idyllic childhood. Thank you Dunfield for opening my eyes and heart to a rural way of life. I can honestly say that visits spent there were the happiest times of my childhood.

school group accommodation for over 45 years

2011 July 17
by Sue

James Ferris [West Midlands] emailed…………..

Thank you for an outstanding residential last week ! The children loved it and so did the staff!
Therefore…. to get in early could we please book next year ..

Helen Cole, Cambridge writes:

I brought a school group to Dunfield House for 22 years and enjoyed every one of them. As a family my husband, daughter and son-in-law have stayed and always been treated like royalty. With a large school group our days were filled with visits to museums and Forestry centres and plenty of beautiful walks.

We always knew we would come back to a good meal and endless fun in the grounds.
The children loved the fun of rolling down hills after the flat of Cambridgeshire.Our last evening was always a bonfire and camp songs except for my retirement year when I was treated to a Ceilidh – thanks Sue.

I watched Dunfield House develop to the comfortable place it is today. I admire what you have done.

Jill and Linda from Nuneaton said it was a wonderful experience, even for those with limited mobility, thank you

Have a look around our Stables

2011 June 19
by Sue

We have limited midweek and weekend dates available in September, October, November & December 2011 still available – plan some time away with family and friends, have something to look forward to over the autumn/winter period.

Get out and about with some amazing walks to suit all ages and abilities, have fun [or some exercise] in our indoor heated pool, play football, volleyball, table tennis, chess, or board and box games indoors and then relax in our cosy lounge with its woodburner.

Once onsite you can leave the car in the car park and we suggest that you won’t want to leave at the end of your stay.

Catered or part catered option available on request.

Contact Sue or Paul for more information by phone 01544 230563 or email: info@dunfieldhouse.org.uk

The Stables

2011 April 12
by Sue

We have finished our Stables refurbishment - its been a busy few months but so worth the efforts of so many people to make this happen, from the decision makers to the builders to the Dunfield staff, to those who prayed for the project in its vision stage through to completion,  everyone had a part to play in making this happen two weeks sooner than anticipated and in budget!

St Aldates Church Group from Oxford arrive on Friday evening and had a wonderful weekend of fellowship, prayer and praise – the weekend exceeded their expectations.   The Stables is also popular as a centre for school group accommodation either to remain onsite and use the facilities we have or use the centre as a base to explore the area. 

The Stables is also a very popular centre for family holidays. The level access facilities, swimming pool and 15 acres of grounds promote something for all ages from the very youngest in your family to the grand and even great grandparents, there is nothing better than all members of the family being together – lasting memories are made of times like this.

The picture below is a taster of the work that has been carried out  - please see our Flickr album for more photographs of the Stables. If you would like to book the Stables please do not hesitate to contact us on 01544 230563 or email on info@dunfieldhouse.org.uk

our school trip to Dunfield 2010………..

2011 March 3
by Sue

Please click on the link below for an amazing video into what can be achieved

in one weekend at Dunfield

a sunny day at last……………..

2011 March 3
by Sue

beautiful blue skies today, warm and just right for showing people around, one of whom came as a child and wants to bring the people he works with to the centre.  A visitor last week came 23 years ago with her school [who still visit now] and never forgot what a fabulous time she had.

It has been a busy February, with groups in every weekend, the builders beavering away in the Stables and it is looking really good and our staff alternating between their day job and our ‘team building days’ of decorating and spring cleaning.

At the end of January we held a young adult training weekend and it was brilliant to see so many committed young adults wanting to make a positive difference in the world – why do we never have guys like that on the news????

Happy New Year

2011 January 1
by Sue

Dunfield looked amazing in the snow during December, but behind the scenes we have been busy keeping the buildings safe and free from damage from the snow and ice. Only one group had to cancel which was amazing given the forecasts we were having and those guests that did stay during December saw some beautiful scenery, had some fantastic walks and even got to go sledging. For anyone that has visited Dunfield, you can imagine what it was like to sledge down the four banks in one go at the front of the house :) Regrettably the snow was not good for making snowmen!

Please download the pdf at the bottom of the page for a little about our Christmas activities.

Paul and I would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year and all the best for 2011. We trust it will be a year of joy, love, hope and peace and that you will continue to make a difference in the community that you find yourself in. We also look forward to a busy year and welcoming all of our guests for 2011, those making a return visit or new guests who will be visiting Dunfield for the first time, a place that people can come to and call it home.

Dunfield News December 2010

school group accommodation…..and so much more:)

2010 November 9

Dunfield House provides warm, clean bunk style accommodation and a catered service offering good wholesome homemade meals for schools, youth, church and training groups wishing to run their own programme.  We are situated in a rural area within a short distance of a wide variety of outdoor activity centres, educational visit providers and fantastic walks from the doorstep.

Onsite with have 15 acres of grounds for art, science, geography projects, an indoor heated pool, campfire sites, football and volleyball nets and games room and chapel for worship……but most of all, the opportunity freedom and safety to play and explore. 

This makes us an ideal centre for school group accommodation, we have some schools who have been visiting for more than 20 years.

However, we also respond to lots of other enquiries and on Saturday we provided our venue for a one day event for a group of churches from Hereford to come together for a day to remember.  It was an opportunity for 5 church parishes to meet together for worship,  drama workshops, crafts, football, playing in the grounds, desert island discs, a coast  to coast walk slide show and reflective worship along with just being able to take a step back busy lives and just relax!

With arrival for tea/coffee, soft drinks and homemade biscuits, a lunch meal and tea and homemade cakes the celebration day was rounded off with soups and hotdogs and a firework display – brilliant :)

Jeremy, one of the organisers wrote that…….Relationships have been strengthened and new friendships made, and I am sure that our churches will greatly benefit in all sorts of ways.

Please contact Sue and/or Paul if you would like more information or would like to discuss the option of running a day event or residential course at Dunfield House.

trefoil group sleepover

2010 November 3
by Sue

as part of the 100 year celebration of guiding 18 Trefoil members and friends from the Kington area had a sleep over at Dunfield on the 27th October.

Following their monthly meeting when 22 christmas boxes for children were handed over to local organiser the group headed up to Dunfield.

The evening was taken up with making beds, playing games, a camp stew for supper and apple pie and ice cream, trampolining, a night hike and a campfire around an open fire with smores at the end.

The majority slept really well and after an early rise and shine we shared breakfast together before everyone returned home.

You can never take the guide out of the girl :)