Programme of Events, Courses and Special Interest Holidays 2024
NOW AVAILABLE: Download a copy of the 2024 brochure (PDF)
These events are only available for bookings made over the phone 015394 35389 or emailing info@glenthorne.org
What is Prayer?
12 places, £240
Friday 9th – Sunday 11th February
Led by Jennifer Kavanagh and Annique Seddon
Many of us have a problem with the word, maybe the whole concept of prayer. This weekend will give us the opportunity to explore different types of prayer. What is prayer? Who or what do we pray to? Does it work? This workshop offers a rare opportunity to share something of our spiritual lives and practice. We will consider how forms of collective and individual prayer in different traditions are reflected in our own spiritual practice. We will explore the practice of contemplative prayer and the possibility of an entire life lived as prayer. We will spend the weekend as a community with time in plenary, as well as sharing in pairs and groups. There will be input, some readings and time for solitary consideration. Annique has been a trained counsellor and spiritual accompanier for many years and Jennifer is an author of a number of books on spirituality including Practical Mystics and A Little Book of Unknowing. Course finishes Sunday 12.30pm.
Spiritual Adaptation to Climate and Extinction Emergencies
25 places, £290
Persons under 35 qualify for £100 reduction
Friday 16th – Sunday 18th February
Led by Rupert Read
We need to accept that our way of life will be changed forever as a result of the climate crisis, which is now far too advanced for us to be able to prevent or entirely mitigate against it. That means adapting to the new brutal reality of the changed Earth, which is no easy task. Partly material, partly spiritual, such adaptation needs to include grief-work plus a major change in values and what we hope for. It also includes a new humility. This short course focuses uncompromisingly on spiritual adaptation to the reality of our present and future. Course starts 8:15pm on Friday and finishes at 12.00pm on Sunday. Rupert is an associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of East Anglia; he is a former spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion and the author of several books including Why Climate Breakdown Matters and Do you want to know the truth? He has been a Quaker for many years and his spiritual teachers have included Joana Macy and Thich Nhat Hanh. Course finishes Sunday 12.30pm. Vegan and Vegetarian Menu.
Time Set Aside: An individually guided retreat
In Partnership with Woodbrooke
14 places, £495
Anyone aged 18-35 can book a Woodbrooke course for half the listed price
Monday 18th – Thursday 21st February
Led by Timothy Ashworth and Annique Seddon
This retreat is carefully structured to encourage silence to develop throughout. While sharing regular quiet gatherings with other participants, you will have daily personal time with one of the retreat leaders where you can share what is happening for you and receive guidance on how to make the most of what the silence is showing you. As you explore what is arising for you, you will also discover the benefit of being in the supportive presence of others. Each day will include shared silent worship and a morning presentation to help nurture your personal reflections during the day. Timothy Ashworth has a long-term interest in spiritual experience which has shaped his retreat work for Woodbrooke, he has been leading courses and retreats for over 25 years. Annique has been a trained counsellor and spiritual accompanier for many years. Course finishes on Thursday at 12:30pm and will include a packed lunch on the final day.
Spirituality of the Heart – Four Paths of Creation Spirituality
20 places, £400
Monday 8th – Friday 12th April
Led by Margaret Siberry, Anne Harding, Andrew Thomson and Celia Sparkes
‘Spirituality of the Heart’ invites us to deepen the experience of God’s presence in our lives. Set amidst the beautiful Lakes, this four day course follows a traditional Christian journey through the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality to help our hidden selves grow strong. Beginning with The Way of Wonder and Beauty, we also recognise the world’s struggles and our own through The Way of Befriending Pain. Accepting our woundedness, The Way of Creativity and Healing helps release our potential to be co-creators with God. Embracing The Way of Change of Transformation offers healing to our broken world. The Begin with the Heart Team – Andrew Thomson, Celia Sparks, Anne Harding and Margaret Siberry, four friends of Fr Daniel O’Leary (RIP) whose mission is to continue his work of offering a spirituality for anyone seeking a deeper and happier way of living.
Course starts 5pm Monday and finishes 12 noon Friday.
Art, spirit and life
11 places, £500
Monday 15th – Friday 19th April
Led by Erik Dries
No competition, no showing off, just the enjoyment of creating. And a little wondering about the relationship between art, spirituality and life. Each morning there is a short meeting for worship which you might like to attend. This will be followed by facilitated learning and exercises. After lunch, time to work on your own art and skills as well as just spend time outside. Some evenings I would like to have a worship sharing. Bring your own art material. You do not have to be an artist or highly skilled in painting or drawing. Erik has explored mainly watercolour, acrylic and digital media in his life as an artist. He has transformed the children’s room at his local Quaker meetinghouse in a forest, and has made games, calendars, postcards, bookmarks and a comic book on Quakers. He facilitates the art retreat in Congénies, France.
Ecological Homecoming: Nature Connection Retreat
In Partnership with Woodbrooke
12 places, £255
Anyone aged 18-35 can book a Woodbrooke course for half the listed price
Friday 19th – Monday 22nd April
Led by Kim Harrison and Jack Durtnall
A restorative retreat deepening our connection with creation and our place within it. Core routines based on the ‘8 shields’ model cultivate an embodied sense of ecological homecoming. Feeling more supported by the web of life, we can step forth into our climate/social justice witness. An opportunity to pause and simply BE. Coming into presence and slowing down is a radical act in our fast- pasted world countering the ‘urgency culture’ within climate/social justice movements, which often leads to burnout. Regular nature connection practices alongside like-minded Friends can support and rejuvenate us. We will be mostly outdoors, so please bring appropriate clothing. Kim is an art therapist, an Eco therapist, forest school teacher and nature-based mindfulness guide; she has over 13 years of experience of direct-action campaigning and political lobbying. Jack is a musician and trained nature connection facilitator; he has been actively involved in deep nature connection since 2016. The course starts at 4:00pm on Friday and finished Sunday 12:30pm.
Boot, Boat and Goat
14 places, £525
Monday 22nd – Friday 26th April
Led by Terry Winterton and Grace Ogilvie
Visiting various parts of the Lake District by minibus, this holiday is suitable for those, both able and less able, who would welcome the companionship of a small group. There will be short, gentle walks and a cruise on the lake every day. We visit a Quaker Meeting House and old churches along the way. Stout footwear and suitable clothing will be required. All excursion costs included. Course finishes Friday with breakfast.
George Fox and Early Quaker Culture
In Partnership with Woodbrooke
14 places, £285
Anyone aged 18-35 can book a Woodbrooke course for half the listed price
Friday 26th – Sunday 28th April
Led by Hilary Hinds and Ben Pink Dandelion
This weekend, led by experts in the writings of George Fox and Quaker thought, will offer participants a clear overview of the history and also delve below the key events in the 1650s to allow us to better understand the theological mechanisms of success for the first Friends. There will be talks from Hilary and Ben but also plenty of time for discussion and conversation, all in the beautiful setting of Glenthorne in the heart of the Lake District. Ben Pink Dandelion has worked at Woodbrooke for over 30 years and is a well-known writer and speaker. Hilary Hinds is a Professor in English at Lancaster university and she is the author or George Fox and early Quaker Culture; she gave the George Richardson lecture in 2019. Course finishes Sunday 12.30pm.
What Does Love Require of Us?
15 places, £255
Friday 24th – Sunday 26th May
Led by David and Rosemary Brown
We will explore how we can be open to love and how to use our gifts in loving service to the world. ‘Love requires us to show our light, to help the frightened and weak. To use our gifts to heal the world and let our lives truly speak’. In the words of the Epistle of the Britain Yearly Meeting 2023. ‘We seek intentional change, led by the spirit, to help our community as we move into uncertain futures that dance before us’. David and Rosemary Brown have been leading workshops for Quakers around the country for several years and are active in their local and area meeting. They are both retired teachers of English to foreign students and David’s book ‘What Does Love Require of Us?’ has been published by the Kindlers. Course finishes Sunday 12.30pm.
Circle Dancing
15 places, £490
Monday 27th – Friday 31st May
Led by Anne-Lise Kryger
This course welcomes people with experience as well as newcomers to circle dancing. It is an inclusive form of community dancing where no partners are required. The dances we do are drawn from many countries and cultures. They are always walked through before dancing. We dance for our pleasure and enjoyment in a supportive group with no pressure to ‘get every step right.’ The pace of the dances varies from lively to meditative and leaves participants with a sense of belonging, joy and inner peace. The afternoons will be free to explore the delights of our surroundings. Anne- Lise continues to attend workshops bringing new dances and cultural flavours to her groups and numerous holidays, she leads nationally and abroad. She uses circle dancing as a way of bringing people together in a community. Course begins Monday 8.30pm and finishes Friday 11.45pm.
Tai-Chi and Chi Kung Silk Reeling
15 places, £285
Friday 31st May – Sunday 2nd June
Led by Kim-Noy Jackson
We will introduce the practice through exercise, meditations and the teaching of the theoretical and philosophical aspects of Tai-Chi and Chi Kung Silk Reeling. Most of the sessions are practical, with body and mind exercises, in beautiful surroundings. Please bring suitable clothing and shoes for indoors and outdoors. The retreat will suit novices and skilled students from all disciplines and abilities. Kim is a Quaker and has had a passion for practising and teaching the art of Tai-Chi and Chi Kung Silk Reeling for 30 years. The course begins Friday 5.00pm and finishes Sunday 12.00pm.
Living out of Joy, Dying into Love
12 places, £500
Monday 3rd – Friday 7th June
Led by Rhonda Riachi
What happens to us when we die? Where was I before I was born? From the 17th century to the present, Quakers have collected evidence of what happens after our death and before we arrive on earth. Through discussion, presentation and recordings, we’ll explore personal testimony in the QFAS anthology, The Life That Never Ends, and share uplifting accounts from other texts, including scientific research. The afternoons will be free for you to explore Grasmere and more. Rhonda Riachi works in professional health education. She has followed developments in near-death experience and survival research for 20 years, and is a member of the Quaker Fellowship for Afterlife Studies. Course begins at 8:30pm Monday and finishes at 11:00am Friday.
T S Eliot – Exploring the Four Quartets
12 places, £470
Monday 10th – Friday 14th June
Led by Barbara Windle
This course is for everyone, whether newcomers to the Four Quartets or steeped in Eliot’s poetry. There will be some contextual background placing Four Quartets within Eliot’s wider work, but the main focus will be on immersing ourselves in the poems, with open discussion of what this poetry says to each of us. We shall aim for depth; seeing the poems both individually and as a whole. Barbara, a York Quaker spent much of her career opening up literature to pre- university teenagers.
Blue Sky Mind Meditation
15 places, £285
Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd June
Led by Adam Dacey
During this retreat, we’ll learn inspirational meditations to help us enjoy our blue-sky mind and let go of the distracting thoughts and worries within. We’ll explore how our root mind is like the blue sky, and our conceptual thoughts are like clouds arising and dissolving out of the sky. We’ll have not just a physical retreat in a beautiful location but a real retreat from the busy thoughts in our mind. Adam is a former Buddhist Monk and the founder of Mindspace and Meditation in schools. He has been teaching Mindfulness since 1994, beginning at a Tibetan monastery in the Himalayas. Adam is a meditation practitioner with over 27 years of experience of teaching. and Course finishes Sunday 12.30pm.
Quakers as other see them
12 places, £500
Monday 15th – Friday 19th July
Led by John & Diana Lampen
We will look at some novels with negative and positive portrayals of Quakers to see what they tell Friends about themselves. The course is for enjoyment rather than study. Advanced reading is not essential but we will offer suggestions. Diana and John Lampen are experienced writers and teachers, John is a published Poet and has published one novel.
Sketching & Mix Media Painting
12 places, £510
Monday 29th July – Friday 2nd August
Led by Sue Ford
Mix media painting holiday, working in watercolours, acrylic, pastel and collage. Step by step teaching technique, suitable for all levels of painting, depending on fitness levels and weather. We may do some outside sketching. A full itinerary and materials to bring will be issued before the course and is also issued on my website www.sueford.co.uk. If you are travelling by public transport, Sue can bring extra drawing boards and tables, please make us aware of this on booking.
Dru Yoga
12 places, £525
Monday 5th – Friday 9th August
Led by Julie Slater
A graceful style of yoga for all. There will be strengthening exercises for postural muscles, helping to stabilise and balance the spine. There will also be free time for walking, socialising and peace and quiet. Julia is a qualified yoga teacher, aromatherapist and reflexologist. We will gather together before the evening meal on Monday to meet and greet. There will be yoga sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Course finishes Friday after breakfast.
Exploring Quaker Botanists
12 places, £295
Friday 16th – Sunday 18th August
Led by Letta Jones
The Botany Panel displayed at the Quaker Tapestry Museum in Kendal highlights key people and plants in the story of Quaker Botanists from the 17th to 20th Centuries. By exploring the life and times of some of these botanists and nurserymen, we will assess their contribution and legacy to the wider world of garden and horticultural history. A closer look at the plants reveals their connections with this fascinating aspect of Quaker Tradition. If you are interested in plants and people, this is a weekend for you. It is hoped there will be a visit to Holehird Gardens, Windermere to see some of the plants from the Tapestry. This depends on travel, if you are willing to give lifts and drive to the gardens, and have the necessary insurance, please let the tutor know at the beginning of the course. Course finishes Sunday 12.30pm.
Sketching & Mix Media Painting
12 places, £510
Monday 19th – Friday 23rd August
Led by Sue Ford
Mix media painting holiday, working in watercolours, acrylic, pastel and collage. Step by step teaching technique, suitable for all levels of painting, dependant on fitness levels and weather we may do some outside sketching. A full itinerary and materials to bring will be issued before the course and is also issues on my website www.sueford.co.uk. If you are travelling by public transport, Sue can bring extra drawing boards and tables, please make us aware of this on booking.
The Hope of Creation: Looking again at the Old Testament
12 places, £235
Persons under 35 qualify for £100 reduction
Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th August
Led by Janet Scott
This course uses the Bible to explore the relationship of human beings to the rest of creation and to the creator. Looking at selected Psalms as well as stories of creation, it considers our boundaries, our destructivness and our hope. What does it mean to be creatures of earth, air and word? Can Shalom be found in Cities? Janet taught religious studies at Cambridge University and she is a trustee of Churches Together in England; she also gave the Swarthmoor lecture What Canst Thou Say? Course finishes Sunday 12.30pm.
Circle Dancing
15 places, £465
Monday 26th – Friday 30th August
Led by Anne-Lise Kryger
This course welcomes people with experience as well as newcomers to circle dancing. It is an inclusive form of community dancing where no partners are required. The dances we do are drawn from many countries and cultures. They are always walked through before dancing. We dance for our pleasure and enjoyment in a supportive group with no pressure to ‘get every step right.’ The pace of the dances varies from lively to meditative and leaves participants with a sense of belonging, joy and inner peace. The afternoons will be free to explore the delights of our surroundings. Anne- Lise continues to attend workshops to bringing new dances and cultural flavours to her groups and numerous holidays she leads nationally and abroad. She uses circle dancing as a way of bringing people together in community. Courses finishes 11.45am Friday.
Sculpting animals in Papier mâché
12 places, £525
Sunday 1st – Friday 6th September
Led by Patty Callaghan
Join Patty for this new course to learn how to create an animal from papier mâché. You might want to immortalise a much-loved family pet or that icon of the Lakes, a Herdwick sheep or go wild with a wildebeest – the choice is yours! Papier mâché is a wonderfully sustainable and adaptable medium. We will be using old newspapers and magazines and a cooked flour and water paste so it really is an ideal art form to tread lightly on the planet. Patty is a papier mâché artist based in Cheshire and has been running workshops for many years. She is evangelical about the pleasure of creating something appealing from what would otherwise be thrown away and keen to get papier mâché out of the primary school and back into grownup’s lives.
Singing and Silence for the Earth
12 places, £480
Monday 9th – Friday 13th September
Led by Meri Goad
This invigorating break welcomes all voices who love to sing! Join us to let go of concerns, learn new songs and relax into singing simple harmonies as well as enjoying guided meditations or taking time out to explore the local area. No need to be able to read music; previous singing experience unnecessary. Songs include unaccompanied rounds and simple part songs from a range of traditions and cultures. Meri has led two small community choirs for twelve years. A vibrant and energetic facilitator, she can help anyone who thinks they can’t sing to find a voice. Course starts Monday 17:15pm and finishes Friday 12:00pm.
George Fox after 400 years
12 places, £240
Persons under 35 qualify for £100 reduction
Friday 13th – Sunday 15th September
Led by Rex Ambler
It is that long, this year, since George Fox was born, yet somehow, he still seems to speak to us. ‘He found that in order to be free and whole as human beings we had to see ourselves as we actually were in the present moment. And he showed us how that could be done,’. It has something to do with finding the truth in ourselves and learning to trust it completely in everything we do. It’s a tough message but it can be wonderfully liberating. Over the weekend we will try to understand more fully what he had to say then and what he is saying now. The course will focus on Rex’s anthology of George Fox, Truth of the Heart, published by Quaker Books.
Voices of the Earth
In Partnership with Woodbrooke
14 places, £255
Anyone aged 18-35 can book a Woodbrooke course for half the listed price
Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd September
Led by Zélie and Phillip Gross
A weekend of hands-on creative exploration, play and reflection seeking renewed perspectives for these complicated and unsettling times. Paying close attention to the world around us, we’ll work with visual media and writing to stir up familiar habits of thinking about the planet and humanity, through creating something new. We’ll work sometimes in collaboration, sometimes alongside in our own quiet concentration to shed light from many angles on a timely and earth- centred question: how do we start again from here? Throughout, we will stay grounded in our own direct experience as we seek for responses to a changing and endangered world. Phillip is committed to the principles of collaboration and disciplined playfulness in freeing the life of our words, he has worked with visual artists, dancers and musicians as well as fellow poets. Zélie is enthusiastic about enabling participants to discover their unique gifts and abilities, she brings her background in art teaching to a creative approach to learning. Course finishes Sunday 12.30pm.
Centering Prayer
14 places, £250
Friday 27th – Sunday 29th September
Led by Rosemary Field and Richard Eddleston
Centering Prayer is a specific method for opening to the presence of God, the sacred, ultimate reality. Its one of a range spiritual practice available to Friends, and one that may be particularly suitable for us. The weekend will welcome those new to Centering Prayer and those with more experience. It will include introductory talks, time for reflection and sharing, and, above all, practice. Rosemary has been a Quaker for five years and believes Centering Prayer to be at the heart of her Quaker faith. Richard has been a Quaker for over 30 years, he has facilitated three local groups for over eight years and he has run a Centering Prayer course at Woodbrooke and attended various other retreats. Course finishes Sunday 12.30pm.
Boot, Boat and Goat
14 places, £525
Monday 30th September – Friday 4th October
Led by Terry Winterton and Grace Ogilvie
Visiting various parts of the Lake District by minibus, this holiday is suitable for those, both able and less able, who would welcome the companionship of a small group. There will be short, gentle walks and a cruise on the lake every day. We visit a Quaker Meeting House and old churches along the way. Stout footwear and suitable clothing will be required. All excursion costs included. Course finishes Friday with breakfast.
Inner Peace Meditation Retreat
15 places, £285
Friday 4th – Sunday 6th October
Led by Adam Dacey
The inner Peace Meditation Retreat is a transformative experience carefully designed to help you cultivate a deeper sense of calm and inner stillness. Over the course of the weekend, you’ll be guided through a series of gentle meditation practices, all helping you quieten the mind and cultivating a sense of inner peace. By the end of the retreat, you’ll have developed valuable skills for managing stress and cultivating lasting inner peace. Adam is a former Buddhist Monk and the founder of Mindspace and Meditation in schools. He has been teaching Mindfulness since 1994, beginning at a Tibetan monastery in the Himalayas. Adam is a meditation practioner with over 27 years of experience of teaching. Course finishes Sunday 12.30pm.
Circle Dancing
15 places, £490
Monday 7th – Friday 11th October
Led by Anne-Lise Kryger
This course welcomes people with experience as well as newcomers to circle dancing. It is an inclusive form of community dancing where no partners are required. The dances we do are drawn from many countries and cultures. They are always walked through before dancing. We dance for our pleasure and enjoyment in a supportive group with no pressure to ‘get every step right.’ The pace of the dances varies from lively to meditative and leaves participants with a sense of belonging, joy and inner peace. The afternoons will be free to explore the delights of our surroundings. Anne- Lise continues to attend workshops bringing new dances and cultural flavours to her groups and numerous holidays, she leads nationally and abroad. She uses circle dancing as a way of bringing people together in a community. Course finishes 11.45 pm Friday.
Sketching & Mix Media Painting
12 places, £395
Friday 25th – Monday 28th October
Led by Sue Ford
Mix media painting holiday, working in watercolours, acrylic, pastel and collage. Step by step teaching technique, suitable for all levels of painting, depending on fitness levels and weather we may do some outside sketching. A full itinerary and materials to bring will be issued before the course and is also issues on my website www.sueford.co.uk. If you are travelling by public transport, Sue can bring extra drawing boards and tables, please make us aware of this on booking.
What has Wordsworth to Offer us Today?
12 places, £480
Monday 28th October – Friday 1st November
Led by Barbara Windle
Wordsworth’s poetry offers strong feeling and sensibility combined with rich meditative thought and spiritual awareness. His openness to mystical experience in its very broadest sense strikes a chord with us today as he moves beyond conventional labels to find the deep places within himself. Our sessions include an opportunity to explore a fresh, in depth look at the Immortality Ode, Tintern Abbey, Michael, parts of The Prelude and The Excursion. Barbara is a Quaker and an inspirational English teacher. Course finishes Friday 12.00 pm.
