ammerdown

Spring Break

Led by: Gwyneth Evans and Lynn Douglas

This week is especially designed for senior citizens looking for a break in lovely surroundings and good company. Great care is taken to devise a programme that offers something for...

Jane Austen’s Georgian Miscellany

Led by: Hazel Jones

Georgian Miscellany Part 2 explores the realities of the Georgians’ daily lives through a fascinating glimpse into their families and houses, their sports and pastimes, their education and...

Redwork Embroidery

Led by: Annette Bolton

Redwork dates back to the 1800’s in America where penny squares were embroidered with simple stitches, using just one colour. A very relaxing and rewarding technique covering a variety of hand...

Willow Weaving

Led by: Norah Kennedy

Enjoy a weekend of basket making as you submerge yourself in the art of weaving a willow basket. The course will start after lunch on Friday and you can expect to make a small round basket suitable...

Developing the Sensitive within: Trusting your intuition

Led by: Sue Brayne

This weekend workshop explores how our intuition is constantly calling us to relate to the world in a profoundly meaningful way. It also explores how we communicate on many different levels, and how...

Finding Stillness and Strength

Led by: Sue Glanville

How can we find that still point in a busy world? How can we remain calm when there is so much unrest? How can we remain standing? This interactive weekend will include sacred texts, poetry, music,...

The River of Faith- Where next?

Led by: Margaret Silf

The story of the human relationship with the divine could be compared to the flow of a river, originating from a simple and sacred source, and then evolving through many phases: early innocence...

Timeless Guides on Rocky Roads

Led by: Margaret Silf

The Jesus stories that have come down to us through two millennia can easily get filed away in the Sunday Slot, their relevance to contemporary life largely marginalised. Yet many of these stories...

PRESENCE - become fully aware - fully powerful - fully active

Led by: Isabelle Gauthier

We rarely remember the words someone said to us the first time we met them but we surely remember how we felt about them. Is it because of their appearance, their attitude, their charisma, or...?...

Women Prophets

Led by: Rachel Montagu

We will look at Miriam, Deborah, Huldah and other women prophets. A prophet’s role is to pass on God’s teaching: we will consider the actions of these women described in the Bible and...

Mindfulness Weekend

Led by: Veronica Sheasby

A perfect introduction to Mindfulness for anyone needing to take stock and de- stress. Through a variety of simple meditation practices we will learn to tune in to what the body is telling us, get...

Artist’s Sketchbook: Coptic Binding

Led by: Josie Brown

This course, across 4 days, will introduce the remarkably versatile Coptic Binding, an ancient and highly useful binding which is particularly appropriate for artists as it lays completely flat when...

Living Theology Summer School

Reading the signs of the Times – where do we see the Spirit blow in the modern world? ‘The wind blows where it pleases...’ John 3:8. We will reflect on the writings of Pope Francis...

How might a Novel Speak of God?

Led by: Paula Hollingsworth

For thousands of years, men and women have told and listened to stories to entertain one another, and to make sense of how they understand their world, themselves and their God. Much of the narrative...

Flower Embroidery

Led by: Annette Bolton

This course will cover several interesting ways of incorporating garden flower designs into a piece of hand stitched embroidery. Interesting and inventive embroidery stitches past and present will be...

Mindfulness for Doctors

Led by: Rev Dr Mark Radcliffe, Dr Gwen Adshead and Dr Shaun Bhattacherjee

This retreat offers doctors from any specialty or grade a chance to practise mindfulness in a group with other doctors and is run by three doctors with a long-standing interest in both...

In Friendship and Love – The Enneagram and Relationships

Led by: Karen Webb

Most – if not all – misunderstandings, conflicts and alienations spring from the fact that type has a narrow and fixed point of view. Its purpose is to protect us and to help us cope with...

Bobbin Lace

Bobbin Lace making is fun, creative and stimulating especially when like-minded students come together to learn new skills and extend their knowledge. The course is suitable for students of all...

Drawing and Coloured Pencils

Led by: Dawn Oliver

Dawn’s course is suitable for anyone with some (if only a little) experience in drawing and using coloured pencils. It will cover a wide range of subjects and techniques using this lovely...

Crewelwork

Led by: Clare Clensy

During the course you will learn how to stitch beautiful Jacobean-style motifs using a variety of hand embroidery stitches such as grid stitch, French knots, long and short, chain stitch and stem...

The Earth is the Lord’s: Environmental Spirituality in Judaism and Christianity

Led by: Sr Margaret Shepherd and Jonathan Gorsky

An exploration of Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ magnificent encyclical on the environment in the light of Jewish and Christian spirituality. Topics will include Sabbath and Creation, The Wilderness...

Individually Guided Retreat

Led by: Sr Felicity Young

This Individually Guided Retreat offers the opportunity for up to five people to spend several days in silence with Sr Felicity Young, an experienced Spiritual Director, who will guide them in their...

Jesus and the Jews

Led by: Prof Sr Maureena Fritz

It is now generally understood that Jesus was and always remained an observant Jew. From the New Testament we learn that he was trained in the Law’s observance and had respect for it, and that...

Autumn Break

Led by: Gwyneth Evans and Lynn Douglas

This week is especially designed for senior citizens looking for a break in lovely surroundings and good company. Great care is taken to devise a programme that offers something for everyone: a...

Individually Guided Retreat

Led by: Judy Holyer

This Individually Guided Retreat offers the opportunity for up to five people to spend several days in silence with Judy Holyer, who will accompany them in their praying, reading and reflecting in...

Chinese Brush Painting: China in Blue, Green and Gold

Led by: Julia Martin

On this course we will explore four beautiful subjects using wonderful deep mineral colours and gold ink. Subjects include: Bronze Vessels - a variety of different shaped and patterned vessels can be...

Playing in the Presence of God

Led by: Anna Garvie

In the busyness of life where time is often spent serving others, it is all too easy to forget the childlike delight and wonder essential to appreciating the gift of the Kingdom of God. Stepping away...

Spiritual Gifts and the Enneagram: Subtypes and Soul

Led by: Karen Webb

Within each of the nine types are three subtypes, also called instincts as they describe basic survival behaviours in the three main arenas of life: self-preservation, social belonging, and...

Finding Fulfilment

Led by: Jill Benet, Antonio Benet and Jacqueline Evans

…Except for the point, the still point, there would be no dance and there is only the dance. How can we reach the Unknowable? What are the obstacles within us? In this retreat we’ll be...

Lift up your Voice with Jane Harris

Led by: Jane Harris

A weekend of song in the Ammerdown chapel led by accomplished choir leader, Jane Harris. Learn vibrant songs from a wide range of harmony singing traditions and develop your voice and singing styles....

Listening and Gathering: Holding Space with Spirit

Led by: Katie Evans and Meredith Freeman

Do you hold space for others? Or feel drawn to try? Perhaps you’re someone who listens and accompanies; gathers and grows community; or facilitates conflict resolution. This course invites you...

Calligraphy for all Levels

Led by: Josie Brown

This course, across 5 days, will introduce beginners to the art of writing beautifully – covering the basics of using a broad-edge pen, using colour, principles of layout and design and also...

Silver Jewellery

Led by: Pauline Payne

An opportunity to learn traditional silversmithing techniques such as saw piercing, soldering and polishing so you can develop your own ideas into beautiful pieces of jewellery. Suitable for complete...

The Art of Memoir Writing

Led by: Rosie Jackson

Following on from a very successful weekend in 2017, Rosie Jackson is back to lead a longer course in 2018. Rosie says: “Writing your own story is a wonderfully healing and fulfilling process....

Applique Embroidery

Led by: Annette Bolton

Applique has been, and still is, carried out in many rural and industrialized communities, following traditional styles that have not changed for centuries. Applique design can be inspired by many...

Hand Embroidery Workshop

Led by: Clare Clensy

This is a hand embroidery class for students to finish off some of those UFO’s- Un Finished objects!  You can bring kits and samples from previous classes or work of your own for expert...

Stitch Textiles Artists

Led by: Siân Martin

This weekend workshop is suitable for experienced textile artists and is part of a continuous series of weekends (two weekends per year) to help participants develop confidence and an adventurous...

Quiet Weekend – Transitions of Life

Led by: Rev Narinder Tegally, Dr Jan Mojsa and Christine Clinch.

A weekend to be still and reflect on times of transition in our ordinary lives: new beginnings, joys and sorrows, death and dying. We gather together in the quiet space of Ammerdown to reflect on our...

Advent Retreat

Led by: Rev Richard McKay and Mary Hooper

ADVENT - SEASON OF GROWING LIGHT; How do you grow light in the darkness. By listening to the pain of the world, the pain of our sisters and brothers, walking alongside them with a loving, listening...

Ammerdown Christmas Houseparty

Led by: Ammerdown Volunteers

This is what came back to us:- “Christmas at Ammerdown was as wonderful as ever, thanks to the love and dedication of all who helped make it happen – plus the food was better than...