fantastic place: the group had lots of very young children and the absolutely loved the whole of the week. The house and grounds were a huge playground for them and the parents felt relaxed that their children were in fairly safe environment for them to explore.

from Sarah James…………….lots of visits to Dunfield as a camper and as a staff member

Thank you for being so friendly and accommodating, its been a good atmosphere and Dunfield has helped make these last few days memorable.

from James Rathbone…………lots of visits to Dunfield as a camper and as a staff member

Great few days, very good food and helpful friendly staff. We’ve had a fun and energetic holiday. Dunfield is a lovely place to be come rain or shine:)

from James, a guest at Dunfield………..his first visit

Ed and James are very good at football, love to come back one day

From Georgia, a guest at Dunfield……..her first visit

all the staff were very helpful and kind. I would love to come back next year

this very well managed and most attractive hostel is well presented and clearly meets the demands and expectations of its guests. It is most encouraging to hear of the steadily increasing level of occupation in “The Stables” block and the continuing high occupancy rates in the main house.

Since the end of July we have enjoyed the company of a school activity week, a cello choir, a 40th birthday celebration weekend, a church family camp/reunion [details on last blog] a local community led group working with young people from several different countries and now Stream of Sound are practicing this week for a concert in Derbyshire on Friday. We are preparing for a family camp to arrive tomorrow in the main house.

Fitted into this busy programme was a wonderful celebration meal yesterday for a lady who is 90 today. Surrounded by family and friends the sun shone, the sweet pea theme ensured that the dining room looked bright, fresh and delicate for such a special ocassion, it was a beautiful day.

Finally, a group of young adults from South Wales gave up a weekend of their time to come and work at Dunfield creating a quiet garden area where a tree has had to be felled. A bench and bird table compliment this area and will provide many happy hours of quiet contemplation for all of our guests who want some space or time out. Please take a moment to enjoy the view and the wildlife from this very special area when you are next at Dunfield and give thanks for the good work of young people across the country that seldom hits the headlines

Outreach International was the chosen charity this year and the work of this organisation can be seen on www.outreach-international.org.

Outreach International believes the answer to poverty is a future of self sufficiency involving indigenous staff who find results together with their own community in being empowered to share ideas, organise, identify problems and create solutions. Outreach Internationals work benefits over 16,000 school children each year and works with 74 schools in some of the poorest places of the world.

I was so excited to find this Chinese proverb on a banner – you will find it in the main house when you visit.

Dunfield is a special place, some people call it the Dunfield magic that finds the beautiful person in all our guests, whether it is there for all to see already, skin deep or hidden behind many layers of hurt, anger, disadvantage, physical, spiritual or emotional need.

Just last week we had a young person staying whose circumstances suggested they would not be able to cope with their visit. That this person would not cope with the programme on offer and that this person would gain little from the experience.

Add very dedicated school staff, parents who want the best for their child and the Dunfield magic. This young person was able to stay for the whole course, was able to take part in activities that would have been nigh on impossible in the school environment and had a very good time and experience In doing so this young person learnt more about themself, others around them, their own world and the world they live in.

We saw fairness in action, we saw this young persons peer group being accepting, being supportive and being friends. We saw fairness in the teaching staff who gave this young person the opportunity to succeed against all the odds and we saw fairness in Dunfield offering a unique experience at a very competitive tariff. Once again as managers we saw how special Dunfield is to so many people, being even more aware, after last week, of the lasting memories that our guests take away with them from Dunfield.

A recent email from the St Joseph’s church group who visited recently sums it up for us:

What a wonderful place! I personally had withdrawal symptoms and wish I could live there always. More especially, all the kids had a fantastic time. They haven’t stopped talking about it since. The adults too!

my son has just returned home after his school’s visit to Dunfield House. He has had a super time, I understand the food was outstanding. Thank you for running such a wonderful place

The school arrived on Friday evening after visiting the Wyre Forest on their way down, they had a campfire in the grounds, played in the woods and stream, swam, ate heartily, went for a long long walk and took part in activities around the grounds developing their understanding of how our world works and where they fit into that world.

We currently have 40 infants playing outside in the sunshine, they are here on a music course – they have eaten a cooked breakfast with the home made porridge being enjoyed by many.

Paul and I had last weekend off [thanks to Barbara and Stuart for looking after Dunfield our staff and guests so well] ……………..we stayed in somewhere called ‘the stables’ – not too far from here [hehe] and visited places in Herefordshire that we had not been to before, Hampton Court & Gardens near Leominster was fabulous, the sunshine making it even more spectacular, we can certainly recommend the food in the Orangery. Shopping in Leominster is always quirky, unusual and fun. Sitting by the river at Bredwardine was a time for a summer time snooze, reading and watching the kingfisher go about his business – fleeting glimpses but rewarding to see.

The Stables was fab, everything we needed – when talking to guests we chat about the main house being on the same site and that offers a fully catered service primarily for children and young people – what we didn’t realise was how much we appreciated hearing the children playing in the grounds, not loud enough to disturb us eating breakfast outside reading the papers in the glorious sunshine but that summer time sound of children playing in woods, streams, playing football better than England and scoring more goals

We found that we need to put something up in the showers to hold toiletries so we don’t have to put them on the floor, bedside lights for reading would be helpful and comfy sofas to relax in at night – we can make the small changes now and work towards the bigger ones over a slightly longer period of time.

We can recommend the Stables to family groups, friends getting together, church and youth groups – the setting is healing, set apart from our everyday life, envigorating and life changing whatever your needs. The walks in the area are fab and we are still finding different routes after being here for nearly 6 years. Please contact Paul and I to discuss ways we can personalise your programme to make sure you get the most out of your visit – each and every group is unique.

We have a dedicated staff team at Dunfield who worked on a really hot day to clean the house and stables ready for Beechwood school to arrive for their residential trip. Our cooks have already served nearly 400 meals since yesterday and are now preparing jacket potatoes, tuna, cheese & beans and salads and chocolate pudding and chocolate sauce for tonight.

Well, the last vehicles left Rally at 3pm and Beechwood school arrived at 3:50pm. The children are now unpacking and making their beds ready for tea and play in the grounds, they are so excited.

Recent comments from the Open House weekend in May, a Rally weekend led by Hannah James and Community of Christ Young Adults include:

very good weekend, thoroughly enjoyed it - Barrie Lewis

open house was brilliant, it was great to see new people and the leadership was fantastically brilliant! – Daniel Fox

Dunfield provides a secure and safe environment for all the family. It is clean and I felt at home. Jenny Goodier

it was great! Food was nice and I had a great time - Rory Vickers

Today we have parents arriving to attend a performance their children have been working on over the past 4 days. Children from 4 schools in Solihull have worked hard together learning lines and chorus’s, making scenery, learning new peices to play on instruments along with treasure hunts, campfires and lots of free time to enjoy the grounds.

Previous group programmes have been varied including an infant course with music awareness, music & drama workshops, a celebration day and one group visiting the Elan Valley, boat building and sailing, nature studies and walks.

On the 12th June the Trustees of Dunfield House, Paul and myself met to discuss the ongoing opprotunities we have to share the facilities primarily with young people but increasingly with church and family groups of all ages who appreciate the service we offer.

The Trustee’s give of their time in a voluntary capacity which enables us to remain committed to providing an affordable residential experience primarily for young people.

We have been away, it was our daughters graduation in the States so we had time to be the proud parents along with being with Jack and Sal for a family holiday afterwards…………………..Barbara and Stewart stepped beautifully into our shoes and looked after Dunfield in our absence.

A card received today sums it all up.

we both appreciate the success of retreat was in part, thanks for your watch care over us. Dunfield looked beautiful, as is usual now. Barbara and Stewart and the staff were very kind and helpful, a true reflection of all Dunfield stands for. much love to you both, all is well, may God continue to bless you and your visions. Jean

Dear Sue & Paul, I am writing this letter to tell you how much I enjoyed Dunfield. Firstly I would like to tell you how much I loved playing in your forest, it was really adventurous and playing in the stream was great, seeing all the fish swirling round in the water.