Climate and Extinction Emergencies

10 places, £340
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Friday 13th – Sunday 15th February
Led by Rupert Read & Leena Seward
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 course focuses uncompromisingly on deep, transformative and spiritual adaptation to our reality. It explores the reasons and ways in which we deny the truth of our predicament and examines what deep acceptance means. You will learn inner resources to help you towards an empowering and coherent truth. Participants often report a deep sense of relief and liberation at being able to have their fears, uncertainties and misgivings met and validated. Course starts 4:30pm on Friday and finishes at 12.00pm on Sunday.

Mix Media Painting

8 places, £540
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 2nd – Friday 6th March
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. Dependent 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.

Writing Retreat

FULL, please contact us to be added to the waiting list, £575
In Partnership with Woodbrooke
Monday 16th – Friday 20th March
Led by Ben Pink Dandelion and John Gray
Needing time to write and wishing to do so in community? This weeklong retreat offers the perfect opportunity to develop your writing alongside others. Set in beautiful and quiet surroundings, this retreat is open to anyone looking for space and time for writing, whether starting a new project, or to take forward or finish a current piece. There will be the opportunity for one to one time with the tutors but the emphasis will be on creating a supportive environment to devote to the craft itself.

Quietly Wild

9 places left, £530
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 13th – Friday 17th April
Led by Ruth Harvey and Nick Austin
Drawing on the beauty and simplicity of Glenthorne’s setting, we’ll craft a week together joining gentle adventures in the outdoors with stillness and reflective practice. We’ll tailor the programme to suit all needs and gifts. We look forward to sharing a week of simple community living, creative space, outdoor activities, reflective practice, good food, good company and the great outdoors. Ruth and Nick are Quakers living in Cumbria, NW England. Nick has been an outdoor instructor in the Lake District for 30+ years. Ruth is a Church of Scotland minister, a Quaker, mediator and facilitator, and currently Leader of the Iona Community. This course will start after dinner on Monday and finish after breakfast on Friday.

George Fox and Early Quaker Culture

11 places, £325
In Partnership with Woodbrooke
Friday 24th – Sunday 26th April
Led by Ben Pink Dandelion and Hilary Hinds
George Fox was the key leader of the early Quaker movement but how did he create such a powerful Quaker culture? What were the hallmarks of the early Quaker faith and practice? This weekend, led by Hilary Hinds and Ben Pink Dandelion, experts in George Fox and Quaker thought, will offer participants a clear overview of the history and also delve below the key events of the 1650s to allow us to better understand the theological mechanisms of success for the first Friends.

Boot, Boat and Goat

1 place, the accommodation left is with shared facilities at a reduced rate, £600 ensuite
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 27th April – Friday 1st May
Led by The Glenthorne Team
We shall visit various parts of the Lake district by mini-bus. The holiday is suitable for those, both able and less able, who would welcome the companionship of a small group. There will be a short gentle walk and a cruise on a lake every day. We shall also visit an old Quaker Meeting House, beautiful gardens and places of interest. Stout footwear and suitable clothing will be required-also walking poles if needed. All excursion and entrance costs are included. The course finishes Friday after breakfast.

Circle Dancing

FULL, please contact us to be added to the waiting list, £505
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 25th – Friday 29th May
Led by Anne-Lise Kryger
This course welcomes people with experience as well as newcomers to circle dance. 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 often leave participants with a sense of belonging, joy and inner peace. The afternoons are free to explore the delights of our beautiful surroundings. Course begins Monday 8.30pm and finishes Friday 11.45am.

God in all Things: A Quaker Look at Ignatian Spirituality

11 places, £295
In Partnership with Woodbrooke
Friday 29th – Sunday 31st May
Led by Mark Russ
How might an understanding of Ignatian practices help Quakers grow in their spiritual life? This course weaves together the insights of Ignatius of Loyola and Quakers over the centuries with the aim of increasing our spiritual freedom and helping us find God in all things. You will explore discernment, intimacy with Christ, spiritual struggle, our unique calling, and prayer methods. As well as informative talks and small group discussion, you will practice awareness exercises, imaginative contemplation, and spiritual journaling.

Medicine for the Mind

2 Place Left, £305
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Friday 5th – Sunday 7th June
Led by Adam Dacey
During this meditation retreat, discover how meditation encourages and empowers the natural healing of both body and mind. Through guided meditations, visualisations, and mantra recitation, take time over the weekend to allow deep healing and renewal to arise from within. This course will start at 8:30pm on Friday and finish at 12:30pm on Sunday.

Reincarnation: A Brief Introduction

8 places, £540
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 8th – Friday 12th June
Led by Rhonda Riachi
Reincarnation has never been part of mainstream Christian teaching, but around 10% of Christians believe in reincarnation. How did this happen? We’ll explore a growing body of research into reincarnation memories to shine a light on this intriguing subject. This course will start 8:30pm Monday and finish at 11am on Friday.

Exploring T.S Eliot’s The Four Quartets

12 places, £485
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 22nd – Friday 26th June
Led by Barbara Windle
This course is for everyone, whether newcomers to the Four Quartets or steeped in Eliot’s poetry. Introductory contextual background will place FQ within Eliot’s wider life. As the first poem dates from 1935, while the others were written during WW2, they record his developing thought over ten years. We will immerse ourselves in each poem, before sharing in open discussion the ways in which they speak to us. We shall aim for depth, seeing the poems individually before attempting to see them as a whole. Barbara, a Quaker, spent much of her working life opening up literature to pre-university teenagers. The course will start 8:30pm on Monday and finish at 12pm on Friday.

Connecting with Plants

6 places, £550
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 13th – Friday 17th July
Led by Letta Jones
With local short, easy, walks we will explore wild and garden plants growing in the local area. Grassland, woodland, garden and hedge habitats all provide a rich variety of plants to discover. There will be a visit to the Armitt Museum, Ambleside, to study natural history historical illustrations by Beatrix Potter, for which an extra charge is made of £12. You will need to be able to stand for 15 to 20 minutes and negotiate uneven paths and slopes safely. This course will begin on Monday evening after dinner service (8:30pm), and will finish after breakfast on Friday.

Mix Media Painting

FULL, please contact us to be added to the waiting list, £540
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 27th – Friday 31st July
Led by Sue Ford
See March 2nd for Course Information.

Tai Chi and Chi Gung

FULL, please contact us to be added to the waiting list, £310
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Friday 31st July – Sunday 2nd August
Led by Kim Noy-Man
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 Buddhist and 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.

Yoga with Julia

FULL, please contact us to be added to the waiting list, £540
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 10th – Friday 14th August
Led by Julia Slater
A gentle Hatha yoga retreat and other practices. The gentle Hatha yoga course, led by Julia Slater, is suitable for all levels and includes strengthening exercises and free time. The retreat features gentle Hatha yoga, pranayama, meditation, Yin yoga, Yoga Nidra, and mindfulness exercises. The course includes free time for walking, socialising, and quiet reflection. This course starts Monday evening and will finish after breakfast on Friday.

Exploring Quaker Botanists

10 places, £315
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Friday 14th – Sunday 16th 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 history. It is hoped there will be a visit to Holehird Gardens in Windermere to see some of the plants from the tapestry. This depends on travel and if lifts are offered, you must have the necessary insurance. Please let the tutor know at the beginning of the course. This course starts at 8.30pm on Friday and will finish at 12:30pm on Sunday.

Mix Media Painting

FULL, please contact us to be added to the waiting list, £540
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 17th – Friday 21st August
Led by Sue Ford
See March 2nd for Course Information.

Building the Beloved Community

8 places, £255
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd August
Led by Janet Scott
The gospel of Matthew is particularly concerned with the community gathered around the risen Christ, a community he calls church. In themes which run through the gospel he tackles issues of faith and practice. How do we bring together people of different religious and cultural backgrounds? How do we deal with worldly affairs, like money? How should we pray and worship? How should we behave? What should we do when something goes wrong? This course explores what the gospel might teach us for faith communities today. It will start after dinner on Friday and finishes 12:30pm Sunday.

Circle Dancing

FULL, please contact us to be added to the waiting list, £505
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 24th – Friday 28th August
Led by Anne-Lise Kryger
See 25th May for Course Information.

Sculpting Animals in Papier Mache

9 places, £615
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Sunday 6th – Friday 11th September
Led by Patty Callaghan
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. If you’re new to papier mâché a four-legged animal is easiest but if you have attended the course before, this is an opportunity to experiment with something more ambitious. 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.

Opening to the Spirit and Spiritual

11 places, £290
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Friday 11th – Sunday 13 September
Led by Terry Winterton
We will explore how we open ourselves to the Spirit. We cannot make an encounter with the divine happen but we can go to the threshold and make ourselves available. What do we do and what happens? There will be opportunities to share our approaches and experiences over the weekend. Terry has been the Friend in Residence at Glenthorne for over 12 years. He is a retired professional engineer, a BACP registered counsellor and spiritual director and has led many groups at Glenthorne.

Walking with the Alexander Technique

10 places, £445
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Sunday 13th – Wednesday 16th September
Led by Hilary Cook
Join Hilary in the stunning scenery of the Lake District to explore the Alexander Technique and Walking. We will look at our skeleton through anatomy and movement discovering a more accurate map of ourselves. In addition, we will look at the Principles of the Alexander Technique in a practical, fun and experiential way helping you improve your posture, de-stress, ease back ache as well as moving with less effort and tension. Hilary will also help you learn how to relax your eyes helping to improve your posture and vision. We will also apply the Alexander Technique to walking in the lovely garden at Glenthorne as well as low level walks in the local area. Afternoons will be free for you to explore the surrounding area (possibly putting into practice what you have learnt.) Bring your waterproofs and walking shoes.

Climate and Extinction Emergencies (Advanced Course)

12 places, £340
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Wednesday 16th – Friday 18th September
Led by Rupert Read and Leena Seward
This course is aimed at those who are preparing to see themselves as ‘collapse-aware’. Together we examine deep and transformative adaptations, including focally spiritual adaptation, to find ways in which we might constructively respond to the reality of our present and future. It offers a deeper dive into specific meditation practices (including Dzogchen and ‘fierce’ acceptance) and ways of looking at the world that may help address our predicament. As we find ourselves in a world wildly in transition, the course also further explores the work of discovering one’s own path asking, ‘what is mine to do here?’. NOTE: this course requires participants to have already attended the pre-requisite ‘Climate and Extinction Emergencies’, also offered at Glenthorne, in the Spring (or a directly equivalent course with Rupert).

Margaret Fell: The Mother of Quakerism

9 places, £295
In Partnership with Woodbrooke
Friday 18th – Sunday 20th September
Led by Stuart Masters
This course will explore the life, writings and legacy of Margaret Fell, the ‘Mother of Quakerism’. We will consider the contribution she made to the formation of the early Quaker movement as an organiser, counsellor, lobbyist and writer, and look at a selection of her works, including epistles, disputations, political addresses, and theological tracts. This material will help us gain a deeper understanding of early Friends, and Fell’s vital role in ensuring the movement’s survival.

Boot, Boat and Goat

FULL, please contact us to be added to the waiting list, £600
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 21st – Friday 25th September
Led by The Glenthorne Team
We shall visit various parts of the Lake district by mini-bus. The holiday is suitable for those, both able and less able, who would welcome the companionship of a small group. There will be a short gentle walk and a cruise on a lake every day. We shall also visit an old Quaker Meeting House, beautiful gardens and places of interest. Stout footwear and suitable clothing will be required-also walking poles if needed. All excursion and entrance costs are included. The course finishes Friday after breakfast.

Centering Prayer

12 places, £275
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Friday 25th – Sunday 27th September
Led by Rosemary Field and Richard Eddleston
Centering Prayer is a method for opening to the presence of God, the sacred, ultimate reality. It’s one of a range of personal spiritual practices 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.

Circle Dancing

FULL, please contact us to be added to the waiting list, £505
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 5th – Friday 9th October
Led by Anne-Lise Kryger
See 25th May for Course Information.

Lake of Peace: Finding Calm in the Minds Reflection

9 places, £305
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Friday 9th – Sunday 11th October
Led by Adam Dacey
Our mind is like a lake, reflecting the world around it. When the surface is calm, the reflection becomes clear. This meditation retreat supports you in pacifying the ripples of thought, allowing you to experience the clarity and balance that arise from a peaceful, reflective mind.

William Blake – poet,  prophet – as radical now as ever

8 places, £485
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 19th – Friday 23rd October
Led by Barbara Windle

Born in the ‘Age of Reason’ Blake was always extraordinary – exploring, seeing the world freshly and envisioning its transformation. He was appalled at society’s ability to turn a blind eye to evident evils. His poetry and art were a means to open eyes, hearts and minds to the wonder of creation and the urgent need to challenge accepted patterns of behaviour. His vision of the world is as fresh now as when he was writing.  We shall range across his poems, from Innocence & Experience to The Everlasting Gospel, touching on The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and reading a couple of his letters. Barbara Windle, a York Quaker, spent much of her career opening up literature to pre-university teenagers. In retirement, she continues exploring some of her favourite poets with adults for the sheer joy of it.

Powered by Love – An Evolving Universe

4 places, £440
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Monday 26th – Friday 30th October
Led by Margaret Siberry
Four special days in the beauty of the Lake District to explore and contemplate LOVE as the power within the unfolding universe story. We will be looking at these topics: Creation is a Love Story, The Evolution of Love, The Human Response, Visions and Portraits of Love, The Power of Love, A Dynamic Universe, and Omega – The Future.

What is Prayer?

12 places, £290
Persons under 35 qualify for a £100 reduction on all courses
Friday 13th – Sunday 15th November
Led by Jennifer Kavanagh and Annique Seddon

Many of us have a problem with prayer. What is it? Who or what do we pray to?  This workshop offers an opportunity to explore different types of prayer and share something of our spiritual lives and practice. We will explore the practice of contemplative prayer and the possibility of an entire life lived as prayer. Is prayer the same as worship? We will spend the weekend as a community, with time in plenary, sharing in pairs and groups, and solitary consideration. We will also use the Prayer card game (first played at Glenthorne!) as a tool of exploration.