Country Cousins UK Hosting

13/05/2025

Hello all you lovely hosts! ☀️

Hope you’re doing well in this beautiful weather! We’re still placing students with families for this summer and we’ve got a few more looking for a welcoming home 🏡

If you’re not already signed up for this year, or if you know someone who wants to host for a couple of weeks to a month starting 28th June or 5th July, we’d absolutely love to hear from you!

You can pop your details in here if you’re interested:
👉 https://country-cousins.com/homestay-registration/

Thanks so much! We really appreciate you so much💛

Become a host family and welcome students from all over the world to your home

28/08/2023

🎡🥳🇪🇸 ILFRACOMBE CARNIVAL 2023 🇪🇸🥳🎡

A big well done to the students from Grupo Prodidac, Saville Spain who arrived in Ilfracombe on Saturday and last night took part in the annual Ilfracombe Carnival.

They were fantastic from start to finish. Singing and dancing, representing Country Cousins as they walked miles through the street and down to the harbour - in the rain ☔️ (of course - this is England!). They spoke to thing local people lining the street as well as other carnival participants and posed for lots of selfies!

This event raises money each year for local charities and these students contributed to that. We are very proud of you. Thank you for taking part 🙏🏻

09/12/2022

25/11/2022

🤩 2023 HOSTING 🤩

VERY exciting news… we have increased our Homestay payment for 2023 to £30 per student per night (£210 per week)… that’s a staggering £840 PER WEEK if you are able to accommodate the maximum of 4 students at one time. We are now one of the highest paying homestay providers in the UK as I believe it is vital that you are recognised for the crucial part you play in the student experience.

Bookings from student groups for 2023 are coming in thick and fast now and I am sure it will be a very busy season. We are accepting bookings from as early as February. This is a great opportunity to make extra money after Christmas and help heat your home or save for a nice holiday!

For many of our parents and students, their allocated host family is definitely the most important thing for us to get right. We have students from many different nationalities and of all age groups so we are always looking for different types of host families. Some of our families have children at home, others are families who love animals and have pets and we also have some that don’t. Other families have older children who may have left home and who would like to offer their spare room. There is no fixed formula for how to be a good host family but we do know that our host families do a great job and our students really enjoy staying with them. Becoming a host family is very rewarding.

Please note NEW FEATURES that have been made to make your hosting experience easier and worthwhile.

📣 Arrival transfer tracking – live updates. No more waiting around!

📣 Local businesses perks package – discounts for establishments including days out and food & drink

📣 24/7 manned emergency phone number

📣 Private Face book group

📣 Host family buddies – your own support network of friends near you

📣 In person training days and awards night

📣 £30 per student per night


Interested? Please visit our host information page. The FAQ section is particularly useful. Should you have any questions which have not been covered, please do not hesitate to ask by calling us on 01271862834.

https://country-cousins.com/about-us/homestay-host-information-page/

The link includes the registration of interest form. If you are interested but would like more time to think or more information, please complete this and I will be in touch with you shortly.

If you know you would like to go ahead and be one of our 2023 hosts, please could you complete the 2023 application form at your earliest convenience and we can begin the enrolment process. This form includes details about your home, student preferences, payment, the children’s act and a fire risk assessment. You can save it and continue at a later date as it may take about 30 minutes to complete.

If you will be attending Ilfracombe’s Lighting of the Lights tonight – please do come and introduce yourself (I will be positioned outside of the Post Office sorting office) It will be lovely to see some familiar faces.


Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Wishing you a fantastic festive period.

Becoming a Homestay Host For many parents and students, their allocated host family is definitely the most important thing for us to get right. We have students from many different nationalities and of all age groups so we are always looking for different types of host families. Some of our families...

24/11/2022

Look out for us at this event (we will be outside the sorting office post office) - sharing the love for hosting and hoping to recruit some new families 🏡

Interested in hosting? Talk to us!

Already hosting? Pop by to say hello 👋🏻

Only one more sleep!
* Important Info below *

We are really excited to see the community come together for tomorrow's (Friday 25th November) Christmas event on the High Street.
We thought it may be helpful to share some key information about timings, road closures, bus routes and other things that are important or will be asked.

🎄 If you are bringing a child with you, please consider attaching your mobile number to them somehow. If you do happen to get separated from your child then the Lost Child point is The Ilfracombe Centre. All of our stewards are DBS checked and most are on a radio network and can assist you if anything happens.

🎄 If you see a first aid emergency please flag down a steward as we have event first aid who can be there in moments, or for general first aid issues they will be stationed next to the Ilfracombe Centre.

🎄 Timings:
🎄 The road closes at 5pm.
The closure is from Co-op to the junction of Portland St/Fore St including access to Springfield Road. Oxford Grove will also be closed, but there will be access to Oxford Grove Car Park.
You can freely drive up and down Marlborough road, and down Fore St.
Wilder Road, Jubilee (The Landmark), Ropery Road and the Quay car parks will all be open.

🎄 The event starts at 6.30pm when the lantern parade leaves the Candar. The parade will be led by Ilfracombe brilliant fire crew in their fire engine.
If you are in the parade please assemble by the Candar/library from 6.15pm.
*CHILDREN MUST NOT BE LEFT UNATTENDED*

🎄 There will be a small stage area outside the Baptist Church where there will be a couple of speeches, a Christmas blessing, the cast of White Christmas and most importantly a chance for us to say a proper thank you to our wonderful town crier Roy Goodwin who has retired after many years of dedicated service.
The lantern parade will stop here to watch it.
At around 7pm there will be a countdown and our mayor will declare the event open by cutting the ribbon.
The parade will then carry on to Northfield Road and everyone is welcome to enjoy all of the late night shopping, buskers, stalls and general festive merriment.

🎄 The event finishes at 8.30pm and the road reopens at 9.30pm.

🎄 Filers 301 Bus.
The 17:00 and 17:10 buses from Combe Martin will be allowed through on their usual route.
The two later buses will terminate at the traffic lights at the junction of Hillsborough Road/New Barnstaple Road.
For the buses that come from Barnstaple, if they have passengers who wanted to get off on the High St they will drop off at the junction of Marlborough Road and Northfield Road.
If you are wanting to go to Combe Martin from Ilfracombe the bus will go back up to Tesco, down New Barnstaple Road and onwards to Combe Martin (so there are no pick up stops between Marlborough Road and Hillsborough Road).

I'm sure there will be more questions, so ask away and we'll answer as soon as we can, but hopefully that will answer most for now.

We really look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

08/11/2022

🏡 Ilfracombe
🏡 Berrynarbour
🏡 Combe Martin
🏡 Braunton
🏡 West Down

Contact us today for more information 👇🏻

📞 01271862834
📧 [email protected]

28/01/2022

Recruiting homestays now.
https://country-cousins.com/host-family-enquiry/
We can't wait to welcome our first groups of students in April after two years! Please get in contact with us.
Here's to a busy season like it used to be.

25/04/2020

From next Monday the 27th of April, Country Cousins will be home delivering the shopping for those who are most vulnerable or not keen to leave their home.

We have teamed up with North Devon Click and Collect. Please visit https://clickandcollectnorthdevon.co.uk/collections/drive-thru-deliveries/products/home-delivery-ilfracombe-orders-in-by-3pm-day-before-delivery for more details and areas that we will cover.

We are proud to support Ilfracombe and district during these difficult times. To get your delivery on Monday, please order by 3 pm on Sunday.