ALL COURSE PRICES INCLUDE FULL BOARD ACCOMODATION

 

Monday 15th- Friday 19th March

Purely Patchwork

Led by Janice Alloway

Lee £247.00

Course  FULL but reserve List enquiries welcome.

Friday 9th-Sunday 11th April

Living Life to the Full in the Later years

Led by Gordon Smith and Caroline Coode

Living life to the full is for most of us a desirable aspiration...but many find physical energy and functioning beginning to decline as we enter "the later years". Fulfilling the aspiration is less than simple! What can it mean in the realities of our experience?  This weekend will give us an opportunity to reflect honestly on some of the possibilities and some of the problems and if we choose, to share, support and learn from each other.

Gordon Smith is a father, grandfather and a psychotherapist interested in "late developers"! He will help us explore our issues, encourage our best hopes and reach for the sense of the later years as a very precious time to work to work towards some joyful harvesting. Caroline is a mother, grandmother and a practicing artist. She will provide a variety of art materials and guidance for anyone who would like to use them in their reflecting. Both are active members of Newcastle Quaker Meeting.

Fee £137.00

Monday 27th April - Friday May 1st

Boot, Boat & Goat

Led by David and Marjorie Ball

Visiting various parts of the Lake District by minibus, this holiday is suited for those, both able and less able, who would welcome the companionship of a small group. There will be opportunities for short, gentle walks and a cruise on the lake. We will also have a day excursion using Mountain Goat. Stout footwear and suitable clothing will be required. Single rooms are available and all excursion costs are included

Fee £297.00

Course FULL but Reserve List enquiries welcome. 

Friday 30th April-Monday 3rd May

Integrating Body and Mind in Meditation

Led by Andrew Taylor-brown and Kate Shirra-Gibb

In Zen practice body and mind are seen to be one. During the weekend we will explore this relationship in meditation. We will practice sitting and walking meditation in a formal setting. We plan to spend some time together "just walking" as a group in the local countryside. There will be time during the weekend to ask questions and share our experiences. Loose comfortable clothes are best for meditation and stout shoes and waterproofs will be needed for walking outdoors. If you have your own meditation equiptment eg a bench or cushion, please bring it with you.

Andrew and Kate are practicing Buddhists within the order of Buddhist Contemplatives; a Soto Zen tradition. They have been meditating for many years. Prior to becoming a Buddhist Andrew was closely involved with Quakers for 15 years.

Fee £205.00 

Tuesday 11th May- Friday 14th May

Creative Expressions of the Spirit

Led by Judy Clinton and Judith Smith.

Come prepared to experiment, individually and as a group, through writing, art and movement, in periods of activity interspersed with times of quiet reflection. Expect the unexpected! Please bring writing materials and any art materials you have- some will be provided. For more information about the event contact Judy at judyclinton@googlemail.com or on 01452-863627.

Judy has been facilitating writing workshops for personal development for over 10 years within Quaker and non-Quaker settings. Recently she has extended this work to include movement and art. She believes passionately in the power of writing and sharing to reveal and heal. Judith shares this passion and facilitates a Writing the Spirit group in her Local Meeting, also facilitating retreats and Quiet Days which involve exploring our own creativity and/or responding to that of others.

Fee £215.00

Monday 17th - Friday 21nd May

Circle Dancing

Led by Jackie Spearpoint

This course is full but there is a reserve list where we can add your name

Fee £235.00 

Friday 25th-Sun 27th June

What Kind of God, What Kind of Healing?

Led by Jim Pym 

Spiritual Healing comes from the Divine Source we call God. In order for healing to occur, we need to have a conscious awareness of the Divine, both within ourselves and those who seek help. Based on Jim's booklet of the sanme title (published by Friends Fellowship of Healing) we will seek to clarify our understanding of this Source, and develop our awareness of its potential. The course will include talks, discussion, meditation and practical healing. There will also be space for individual healing if required.

Jim is a spiritual healer and meditation teacher with over 40 years experience. He is also the author of Listening to the Light, publshed by Riders.

Fee £157

Friday 17th - Sunday 19th September

Painting Poetry

Led byMelissa Harwood, painter, sculptor and eurythmy teacher.

Enter the world of poetry through the mediums of eurythmy (expressive movement) and painting. This course is for anyone with a love for exploring new ways of experiencing poetry and painting. By looking into the inner movement of the sounds chosen by the poet to express his/her thoughts we can also find a new way of understanding ourselves. Simple exercises in eurythmy will help connect us with poetry in a new way by finding the movement of the sounds of speech and the colour mood of a poem. This will be followed by painting an imaginative colour mood or expression of the poem with water colours or with pastels. The course will be fun and thoughtful and will bring a new depth of appreciation to both painting and poetry. No prior Knowledge of painting, poetry or eurythmy needed to enjoy this exciting journey.

Fee £157.00  

Monday 27th September - Friday 1st October

Boot, Boat & Goat

Led by David & Marjorie Ball

See notes for April's Boot, Boat and Goat

Fee £297.00

Monday 11th- Friday 15th October

Autumn Photography in the Lakes

Led by Jasmine Piercy

Explore the stunning natural world in a meditative way through the lens of your digital camera. There will be some sessions of a more technical nature and an opportunity to create a visual poem putting together a slide-show of images with accompanying music or narrative.

Jasmine runs retreats for Quaker Voluntary Action, is an Associate Tutor at Woodbrooke College, and enjoys all kinds of music and image-making.

Fee £280.00

Friday 15th - Sunday 16th October

Ashram

Led by Sita Brand

Drawing on the teachings of the world renowned Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh we will develop our practice of being aware and awake to the present moment. Kind attention, silence, simplicity and mindfullness will be the pillars of the weeked which allow us to develop inner peace and cultivate an open-hearted relationship to life.

Sita Brand is a member of the order of Interbeing and a Buddhist Prison Chaplain

Fee £137.00

Monday 1st - Friday 5th November

Yoga for Health

Led by Julia Slater, who has trained with Dru yoga & taught aromatherapy & reflexology

Julia welcomes all levels and abilities,-individual needs are taken into account providing a spontaneous angle on the teaching.

Fee £218.00 

Friday 19th - Sunday 21nd November

Glenthorne Conference: Mountains of Vision

Led by Beth and Pater Allen

Participants will use music, discussion, and times of quiet to consider their experiences of mountains of vision and valleys of despond, linking all our reflections to Quaker thought and practice. If the weather allows, we may spend time outside with some of the local mountains. There will be opportunity for one-to-one talks with the course leaders.

Fee £117.00 

Sunday 21st- to Friday 26th November
Beat Fatigue with Yoga

Led by Fiona Agombar

A gentle Energy Yoga course to relax the body, increase energy and promote full health. Fiona has developed Energy Yoga as a way of working with the breath to take students deeply into the practice to connect with stillness within. The course is open to everyone regardless of age, injury or fitness, including hose with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Sessions are fun and include classic postures, flowing movement, breath work, mantra, and deep relaxation.

Fiona had ME for 15 years but recovered thanks to following a yogic lifestyle. She has been teaching yoga for ten years.

Fee £282.00

Please note: Price does not include evening meal on Sunday - we regret we are unable to cater on this evening.

Friday26th-Sungay 28th November

Experiment With Light

Led by Catherine King Ambler (& others t.b.a)

Quaker faith and life are not based on authority, but on experience."This I knew experimentally", said Fox. But what is this experience? Over the weekend we shall look at what the experience was, at the beginning of the Quaker movement. We shall then undertake an experiment to see whether that experience is still available to us. Part of this will be a meditation in which we try to experience "the light" as early Friends understood it. This can be a searching and powerful experience. Finally, in small groups, and in the larger group, we will try to make sense of what happened and reflect on the significance of the light for our lives today.

Fee £137.00