The Warren

11 Mansel Street, Carmarthen

Book the Cwtch Book a table
The room at The Warren, full of people, wooden tables and fairy lights

VolunteerHowever much or little

We are doing something special.

Join the magic. The Warren is being put back together by the people who love it, one Thursday morning at a time, and there is room for you in that.

Count me in

32 people have offered so far, and given 452 hours between them.

  1. 32 people have offered
  2. 22 have been in
  3. 452 hours given

That is 452 hours of work across 26 Thursday mornings since 13 August. There is a great deal still to do, and every pair of hands makes the next one easier.

From the sessionsWhat a morning looks like

This is what a Thursday gets done.

Every one of these was a Thursday morning, a few people, and a pot of tea.

A volunteer sweeping the passage beside The Warren with a long broom.
The alley, swept
A volunteer trimming the ivy on the front of The Warren while neighbours chat on the pavement.
The ivy, cut back
Two volunteers clearing the back garden, one up a stepladder.
The garden, cleared
The kitchen range at The Warren, scrubbed clean.
The range, like new
A volunteer working along the planters in the side yard.
The planters, weeded
A smiling volunteer behind the freshly cleaned bar.
The bar, polished

Volunteer ThursdaysEvery Thursday

Come and help out, and get some lunch.

Every Thursday, 9:30 to 1:30. Four hours behind the scenes helping build the dream of a community run business, and then we all sit down and eat together. Stay on for an optional afternoon session from 1:30 to 3 if you like. No experience needed, just come ready to get stuck in.

Right now that mostly means cleaning down and clearing out, getting a building that has been shut back into a state where it can open. There are much bigger plans behind that, and the people who are here for this bit are the people who will be here for the rest of it.

One volunteer has already picked up a proper role out of it, and we think we can support a good few more.

  1. 9:30 to 9:45 Arrive, sign in and say hello
  2. 9:45 to 10:00 Briefing, and the jobs for the day
  3. 10:00 to 11:30 First work session
  4. 11:30 to 11:45 Tea, coffee and cake
  5. 11:45 to 1:00 Second work session
  6. 1:00 to 1:30 Lunch together
  7. 1:30 to 3:00 Afternoon session, optional

A few practical things

For health and safety, everyone needs to arrive inside the 9:30 to 9:45 window, sign in, and be at the briefing at 9:45 where the jobs are handed out. Anyone arriving after the briefing has started cannot join that session, because that is where the safety information is given.

Once you are working, stay with your allocated job and area, follow the session lead, and work carefully around the rest of the day going on in the building.

Thursday is the day that seems to work best for now. It is a trial, and it may change.

We reserve the right to remove volunteers for disciplinary reasons.

Time CreditsWith Tempo

Every volunteer earns Time Credits.

The Warren is a Tempo Time Credits partner. Give us a Thursday morning and you earn 4 Time Credits, to spend at places across Wales: castles, leisure centres, theatres and more. They never expire, and you can give them to someone else.

Ten places near Carmarthen to spend them

  1. Carmarthen Leisure Centre A swim, or a gym session 1 to 2 credits
  2. Carmarthen Library A family history session, or a DVD 1 credit
  3. Kidwelly Castle Entry 4 credits
  4. Laugharne Castle Entry 4 credits
  5. Dinefwr, Llandeilo Entry to the National Trust park 3 credits
  6. Dolaucothi Gold Mines Entry 3 credits
  7. Pembrey Country Park A full day of parking 4 credits
  8. Museum of Land Speed, Pendine A day ticket 2 credits
  9. Ffwrnes Theatre, Llanelli A ticket to a show 2 credits
  10. St Clears Leisure Centre A gym session 2 credits
Check your balance on Tempo See every place to spend them

Time Credits are run by Tempo, a Welsh charity, on their own website. They have no cash value and do not affect benefits. We never see your Tempo account.

Tell us you are comingOr just say hello

Count me in.

Telling us you are coming helps enormously: it means there is enough lunch and the right jobs ready before you arrive. You are still welcome if you have not, but a heads up makes the day much easier to run.

She, he, they, or whatever is right. Only if you want to tell us.

The screen on the bar that everybody taps in on, so other volunteers can address you properly. Leave it unticked and we still use them, just not there.

A name and a number. We would rather have it and never use it.

Access needs, allergies, anything that changes what work suits you or what we should have ready. Only what you want to tell us, and only the Warren team sees it.

Only if you want to be. You can change your mind any time and we will take them down. Leaving this unticked changes nothing about what you can help with, and we will keep you out of shot.

Separate from helping out, and entirely up to you. No more than one a week, written by Deri, and one click stops them.

Volunteering here is unpaid and there is no obligation either way, on any given week. On your first session you get a short walk round: fire exits, the kitchen, where things live. The Warren carries insurance that covers volunteers while you are helping.

Loading the form. If this message stays, JavaScript is switched off, and the quickest thing is to email [email protected] instead.

Already a volunteer?Get your link again

Everybody who volunteers with us has their own page: your Thursdays, the hours you have given, what we hold about you, and which of our emails you want. It opens from a private link we email you, and that link stops working after sixty days. Put your address in and we will send you a fresh one.

Not on the list yet? The form just above is the way in, and you will get your own link with the welcome email.

The Warren 11 Mansel Street Carmarthen