Woman:
Hello, Winsham Farm Centre.
Man:
I want to arrange a weekend away for myself and some people from work and we heard about your centre.
Man:
I wonder if you could give me some details.
Woman:
We are a residential centre attached to a working farm and we organise educational activities for those guests who want them.
Woman:
Um, what else would you like to know?
Man:
Well, firstly, what kind of accommodation have you got?
Woman:
We've got eight rooms altogether and we can sleep thirty-eight at any one time.
Woman:
Three of the rooms have got six bunks and five of them have got four bunks.
Man:
And what other facilities are there?
Woman:
We have separate toilets and showers for each of the rooms.
Woman:
There's a large dining room and a large meeting room which can be booked by groups in advance.
Woman:
But I'm afraid we had a flood in there last month and the floor was slightly damaged so unfortunately it's out of use just now.
Woman:
We've got workmen coming in next week.
Woman:
When were you thinking of staying?
Man:
In three weeks time, the 28th of September.
Woman:
Oh, it should be OK by then.
Man:
Oh, well, that's OK then.
Man:
And what about food?
Man:
Do you provide meals or is it self-catering?
Woman:
We're very flexible.
Woman:
As long as you give us enough notice, we can cater for you or, if you prefer, you can just bring your own food and use the kitchen facilities.
Woman:
And some people prefer to eat out, which is also fine.
Man:
And I heard that your farm is organic.
Man:
Does that mean that you only have crops and no animals?
Woman:
It doesn't, actually.
Woman:
A lot of people seem to think that, but we do rear livestock as well.
Woman:
And so we have a wide range of food.
Woman:
Organic means it's all produced without the use of artificial fertilisers or pesticides.
Man:
Could you tell me what sort of recreational activities are available, either at the centre or in the area?
Woman:
Here at the centre, we offer farm tours.
Woman:
They're very popular.
Woman:
One of the farm managers shows people around and explains some of the principles of organic farming.
Woman:
And for any visitors who are really keen, he'll let them drive a tractor or feed the animals and so on – with supervision, of course.
Man:
I think a lot of our group would be interested in that.
Man:
It'd make a change from factory work.
Woman:
Well, if they fancy it, tell them to come prepared.
Woman:
Plenty of old clothing, especially footwear.
Woman:
It can be very messy and wet.
Woman:
And another type of activity we do is survival courses, but that's only for groups of five or more.
Woman:
And they've got to be acquaintances.
Woman:
They have to co-operate closely.
Woman:
These courses are very popular, especially with school groups, but adults seem to enjoy them too.
Man:
What do they involve?
Man:
Things like map reading?
Woman:
Well, not exactly.
Woman:
What it is, we've got a large area of woodland on the farm, and we run this course there.
Woman:
It's mainly about collecting food and water, lighting a fire without any equipment, that kind of thing.
Man:
This weekend could be hard work.
Man:
What about the area around the centre?
Man:
What is there to do?
Woman:
If you look at a map, you'll see that we're very well situated here.
Woman:
Our centre's about midway between the Exmoor National Park, which is very popular for hill-walking, and the South Coast, which has very good beaches.
Man:
Are they both within walking distance?
Woman:
Well, they're both a bit far, unless you're very fit, but they're only about 30 minutes by road.
Woman:
And there's also a cycle path, which starts quite near here, about 10 minutes' walk away.
Woman:
You can hire bikes at the starting point.
Man:
What is there to do if the weather's bad?
Man:
I hope it won't be, but you never know.
Woman:
Yes, that's right.
Woman:
Well, on most Saturday evenings we show films here, and then once a month a group of local musicians performs in our meeting room.
Woman:
And then Sherbourne is only 14 miles away.
Woman:
It's only a small town, but it's got a very good museum and an old abbey, which is well worth a visit.
Man:
Well, it sounds perfect for our purposes.
Man:
I'm not sure yet, but there'll probably be about 15 of us.
Woman:
We charge a standard £14 a head for accommodation, whether there are 10 or 20 of you or whatever, and about £7 for cooked meals, depending on the menu you want.
Woman:
Use of the kitchen facilities is extra, as is the hire of the meeting room.
Woman:
It depends, really, what exactly you want and for how many people.
Man:
Well, I've made a note of all that, and I'll discuss it with the rest of the group.
Man:
Then I'll get back to you with a firm booking.
Man:
Can I do that by phone?
Woman:
But once you've made a booking, we would need a deposit within five days to secure it.
Woman:
Then you just pay the balance when you're here.
Man:
Could you give me the address, please?
Woman:
It's Winsham Farm, Cotehele Road, that's C-O-T-E-H-E-L-E, near Sherbourne.
Woman:
And the postcode is S-H-12-1-L-Q.
