On Tuesday, August 11, our wellbeing learners enjoyed a lovely visit to Ham House, accompanied by our coordinator Alice and volunteers Anne-Marie, Kirstin, Leo and Sharon.
We started with a walk past the Ham House Gatehouse and down Ham Avenue, where we stopped to talk about the history of the German School and admire the horses at the nearby polo club.
At Ham House, we were warmly welcomed by staff at the entrance. We were given a fascinating introduction to the house and gardens, which gave us lots to talk about as we explored.
The man who spoke to us tailored his talk to our learners – his introduction was interesting and just the right length. We learnt about some of the different owners of the house, and how being able to maintain a lawn was a sign of status.
We then spent time exploring the beautiful gardens together. Everyone enjoyed the lavender and the different games on offer. As the day became warmer, we took refuge in the café for some refreshments and a chance to sit down, chat and enjoy each other’s company.
The students particularly enjoyed visiting the kitchens and finding out more about life in the house.
Volunteer Kirstin reflected
“It was a lovely sunny day, with a nice mixed group of people, some very charming and engaged school-age children, and a gorgeous baby. I saw friendships being formed between women from different countries, and saw women eager to learn about different aspects of British culture and history, who appreciated the beauty in the house or the garden, and were interested and engaged in what they were seeing.”
The visit also led to some very exciting news for LEAH. Sally Connellan, Senior Visitor Experience Officer at Ham House, saw our group during their visit, chatted to one of our volunteers, and got in touch with us afterwards to tell us about their Community Access Scheme. Following a meeting with Sally, we are delighted to now have our own Community Access Card! This means we can take groups of up to 15 LEAH people to Ham House as often as we like, as long as we book in advance.
We are really grateful to the team at Ham House for their warm welcome and for making this opportunity possible. Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make it such an enjoyable day.
Thank you also to our funders. 
