In March, as the trees were starting to blossom and the daffodils were in their full glory, we ran our first fully-funded residential retreat of 2024 at Heath Farm in the Cotswolds for 10 very special guests who really deserved a break.

Our last two retreats of 2023 took place on the rugged north Devon coast and nature showed us all she had to offer in the form of a hugely dramatic storm. In our 2024 planning meetings, our co-founders were all in agreement that we should start our ‘retreat season’ in Spring, when the days are longer, the trees are in bud and the energy of spring is fully evident. And so to March, and our first retreat of 2024…

Our fully funded residential retreat took place over Spring Equinox and the theme was ‘Spring forward with joy’. We tapped into all of the beauty of the new season in the glorious Cotswold  countryside surroundings. Heath Farm is a family run farm with holiday cottages set around a glorious courtyard with ornamental ponds and far reaching views down to a swimming lake. We are extremely grateful for the support of the whole family at Heath Farm and their team, who donated their incredible accommodation and made our guests and team so welcome.

Our retreat programme follows our principles of being healed by the power of nature, movement, nutrition, breathing and good company. For our guests, so used to caring for others and putting themselves last, it was a chance to rest, recharge and tune into themselves for once. Our retreat programme offered qi gong, yoga, meditation, forest bathing, somatic movement and a sound bath, plus a fire ceremony on the final night to welcome the Spring Equinox and leave behind anything that no longer served a purpose. Experienced therapists Hannah and Jo were on hand throughout each practitioner session and throughout the retreat to support our guests, who embraced the programme with gusto, dug deep and made the most of every experience on offer.

Although we enjoyed the odd glimpse of sunshine, we also catered for inclement weather thanks to Cotswold Bells who provided us with a large rajah tent, resplendent with colourful hangings, cosy day beds and blankets, where guests enjoyed many of their sessions, from morning juices, to our opening and closing ceremonies and an evening talk on the healing powers of sleep.

Delicious catering was provided by our team and by local businesses including Chloe’s of Charlbury and Plantology. We focussed on delicious, seasonal food and served each of our guests three meals a day at the table, fully plated and served to meet their individual dietary needs.Menus were also carefully curated to include over 30 wholefoods and plants and to encourage relaxation and sleep. Two local bakers donated cakes, pastries and baked goods.
M & S Food, as with all of our retreats, kindly donated whatever we needed for breakfasts, mocktails, juices and hot drinks. Their non-alcoholic Nosecco was especially well received. 

As a CIC it’s our mission to build community links and we are so grateful for all of the local practitioners and suppliers who so kindly donated to make our retreat a success. We also focus on bringing together like-minded women who are often isolated due to their challenging circumstances, care burdens and medical conditions. To hear 10 women, strangers before our retreat, bonding, laughing, supporting each other through the deep work and sharing their stories, fills us with joy and makes it all worthwhile. At the end of the retreat, the guests form a WhatsApp group in order to connect with each other on their return home, ensuring that the circle of companionship and support continues. Thanks to all of our donors, supporters and volunteers for enabling us to continue to run retreats and offer support to women who really need a break.