Privilege of Priory Visit

VOLUNTEERS at a Tendring charity were treated to a private tour of St Osyth Priory for this year’s Volunteers Week.
Community Voluntary Services Tendring (CVST) arranged for a tour of the historic site and lunch as a way of showing how valued its volunteers are.
Nicola Vella, volunteer co-ordinator at CVST, said: “This is a thank you to our wonderful volunteers who work 24/7 for their communities.
“They give their time and really care about the people they support at our groups and activities.
“I’m so proud of what an incredible group of kind-hearted volunteers we have at CVST so it means a lot to me to be able to say thank you, especially during national Volunteers Week.
“The Priory was so fascinating and we felt really lucky to get a private tour.
“The volunteers had a fabulous time and even made new friends who volunteer in different areas.”
Lynne Barker, Harwich volunteer, said: “It was a very good day, and somewhere very different to see.
“It was a privilege to see places not open to the general public and I’m really happy we had the opportunity to come and have a special day.
Volunteers were treated to tractor tour rides of the estate, tours and talks, a visit to the Education Centre, and a chance to view Darcy House.
They were also shown around a chapel, a secret garden, and had lunch in the grounds and scones from Sailship, a charity that supports people with learning disabilities in Clacton
Sonia Grantham, Trustee of St Osyth Priory and Parish Trust, said: “We did two tractor tours and a guided tour, went into Darcy House and had a potted history of the Priory by Nigel Jeskin.
“The weather was chilly, but spirits were high.
“They were a great bunch, and we were really pleased to be part of their day.”
CVST has volunteer roles for friendship groups, walking and cycling groups, ongoing or seasonal projects, and more.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer for CVST call 01255 425692 or sign up to Volunteer Essex at www.volunteeressex.org