This is a quiet reflective workshop at the beginning of advent, that encourages participants to engage in a variety of creative ways, to reflect, imagine, express, explore ourselves and listen to the voice of God, in the safe sacred space of the Bield.

We will reflect on some of the elements of the Christmas story, spending time together, and alone in quiet with God, we will take time to notice what is speaking to us at this time.

No experience or artistic ability is needed, and all materials will be provided.

The last few years have been very challenging for many NHS employees. Unprecedented pressures and demands have affected energy levels and folk’s sense of wellbeing. 

Heightened anxiety, stress and fatigue are common feelings, as is feeling depleted and in need of some TLC. 

Why not join others from the NHS and come and spend a day at the beautiful Bield—slow down, relax and unwind?

What song is stirring in your heart that you want to sing?

How does your soul magnify God?

During this day retreat we will ponder these questions with Mary’s Magnificat as our companion. Mary’s Magnificat is the oldest Advent hymn, and it is probably the most revolutionary one ever sung. It is a song in praise of the God who turns the world upside down.

“If you stand still for a few minutes in the relentless onward rush of 21st century life you might hear a quiet but insistent undercurrent.  It is the cry of our heartsfor space and time just to be, to listen to the

heartbeat of creation, to let our souls catch up. Quiet gardens offer just such longed-for oases of peace. They open up once more what all our busy-ness has buried – the precious gift of hearttime

and soul-space.” - Margaret Silf – patron of The Quiet Garden Movement

I’m going out to clean the pasture spring: 

I’ll only stop to rake leaves away 

(and wait to watch the water clear, I may): 

I sha’nt be gone long. – You come too.

In just a few lines Robert Frost has captured the essence of a Journey into Healing workshop. Participants are invited to visit the spring in their lives; to gather leaves that may have accumulated; to find some means to remove the blockage; and to do it together in a group setting. We will invite you to do your work and come together to finish it.

“Icons are doorways into stillness, into closeness with God.”

Anam Cara community

After the busyness of the Christmas period, we invite you to come and spend a day gazing at and praying with this richly detailed icon of the Nativity. Icon is simply the Greek word for image, but sacred icons are more than a work of art and have been called “windows on Heaven”. Icons have been used for centuries in the Eastern Orthodox church as a form of prayer. Sacred icons depict Jesus, Mary, his mother or one of the saints and they invite the viewer to communicate with the person or event depicted in the image in a prayerful way.

“The most wise Lord comes to be born,Receiving hospitality from His own creatures. Let us also receive Him”

Eastern Orthodox Hymn

“To see ourselves as others see us is a most salutary gift.” - Wrote Aldous Huxley “Hardly less important is the capacity to see others as they see themselves

Based on ancient philosophic traditions, the Enneagram is a tool that describes nine different characters. This will help you understand the personality types of yourself and others.

“There is a time for undoing and a time for stitching;

a time for keeping quiet and a time for talk”

Ecclesiastes 3:7

Come away for a day from your busy life to the Bield and enjoy exploring the art of slow stitching in the comfort of our guest lounge, sitting beside the log burning stove and working on our stitching together in silence or with music playing.

Slow stitching is the practice of hand sewing with intention and thoughtfulness. There are no rules to slow stitching, the main thing is to have fun with arranging the fabrics and to enjoy the contemplative process of hand stitching.

The focus is not on what you create as this is not The Great British Sewing Bee but rather on the thoughts that arise as you pull the needle through the fabric slowly and calmly. It can provide a space in which to process and ponder on whatever thoughts and images arise as you work slowly.

The practices help transform stress and pain deriving from illness, violence, and the stresses of daily life and open the individual up towards greater wholeness and wellbeing. As individuals get in touch

with their own source of healing and wisdom they can help others.

“Greet the hours

with joyful awareness.

Greet the hours

with faithful presence.

Greet the hours

with a reverential bow.

Greet the hours

with a sacred pause”

Macrina Wiederkehr

Join for us for a quiet, reflective day of observing the monastic rhythm of regular pauses for prayer. We will gather in different locations throughout the Bield for 5 pauses or 'Hours' during this day, praying a short liturgy for each pause, which will include scripture passages, readings and songs including some taken from Macrina Wiederkehr’s book ‘The Sacred Pauses’. There will also be time for walking in the grounds, working in the art room, walking the labyrinth, or simply resting in the lounge by the fire

I’m going out to clean the pasture spring:

I’ll only stop to rake leaves away

(and wait to watch the water clear, I may):

I sha’nt be gone long. – You come too.

In just a few lines Robert Frost has captured the essence of a Journey into Healing workshop. 

Participants are invited to visit the spring in their lives; to gather leaves that may have accumulated; to find some means to remove the blockage; and to do it together in a group setting. We will invite you to do your work and come together to finish it.

Why silence?

Most people have a yearning for tranquillity and peace. By taking part in a silent retreat, you will have the opportunity to draw back from the normal routines and busyness of life to reflect and allow space for new encounters.

An introduction to ways of stilling yourself and prayer materials will be provided. All ways of praying are a means of developing or deepening your relationship with God. There will also be opportunities for creative expression, if desired.

During the retreat there is an invitation to meet with a guide, who may help as a ‘sounding board’, helping to listen for God’s presence in the circumstances of your life.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

The Lord makes me lie down in green

pastures, leading me beside quiet

waters, and refreshes my soul.”

Psalm 23

“To see ourselves as others see us is a most salutary gift.” - Wrote Aldous Huxley  “Hardly less important is the capacity to see others as they see themselves

“Know yourself”

[Socrates, Greek philosopher 470 BC 399 BC]

To know ourselves is a key to how we see the world and understand how we can relate to others. Based on ancient philosophic traditions, the Enneagram is a tool that describes nine different characters.

“If you stand still for a few minutes in the relentless onward rush of 21st century life you might hear a quiet but insistent undercurrent.  It is the cry of our heartsfor space and time just to be, to listen to the

heartbeat of creation, to let our souls catch up. Quiet gardens offer just such longed-for oases of peace. They open up once more what all our busy-ness has buried – the precious gift of hearttime

and soul-space.” - Margaret Silf – patron of The Quiet Garden Movement

The practices help transform stress and pain deriving from illness, violence, and the stresses of daily life and open the individual up towards greater wholeness and wellbeing. As individuals get in touch

with their own source of healing and wisdom they can help others.

Why silence?

Most people have a yearning for tranquillity and peace. By taking part in a silent retreat, you will have the opportunity to draw back from the normal routines and busyness of life to reflect and allow space for new encounters.

An introduction to ways of stilling yourself and prayer materials will be provided. All ways of praying are a means of developing or deepening your relationship with God. There will also be opportunities for creative expression, if desired.

During the retreat there is an invitation to meet with a guide, who may help as a ‘sounding board’, helping to listen for God’s presence in the circumstances of your life.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

The Lord makes me lie down in green

pastures, leading me beside quiet

waters, and refreshes my soul.”

Psalm 23

The practices help transform stress and pain deriving from illness, violence, and the stresses of daily life and open the individual up towards greater wholeness and wellbeing. As individuals get in touch

with their own source of healing and wisdom they can help others.

Why silence?

Most people have a yearning for tranquillity and peace. By taking part in a silent retreat, you will have the opportunity to draw back from the normal routines and busyness of life to reflect and allow space for new encounters.

An introduction to ways of stilling yourself and prayer materials will be provided. All ways of praying are a means of developing or deepening your relationship with God. There will also be opportunities for creative expression, if desired.

During the retreat there is an invitation to meet with a guide, who may help as a ‘sounding board’, helping to listen for God’s presence in the circumstances of your life.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

The Lord makes me lie down in green

pastures, leading me beside quiet

waters, and refreshes my soul.”

Psalm 23

Why silence?

Most people have a yearning for tranquillity and peace. By taking part in a silent retreat, you will have the opportunity to draw back from the normal routines and busyness of life to reflect and allow space for new encounters.

An introduction to ways of stilling yourself and prayer materials will be provided. All ways of praying are a means of developing or deepening your relationship with God. There will also be opportunities for creative expression, if desired.

During the retreat there is an invitation to meet with a guide, who may help as a ‘sounding board’, helping to listen for God’s presence in the circumstances of your life.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

The Lord makes me lie down in green

pastures, leading me beside quiet

waters, and refreshes my soul.”

Psalm 23

“If you stand still for a few minutes in the relentless onward rush of 21st century life you might hear a quiet but insistent undercurrent.  It is the cry of our heartsfor space and time just to be, to listen to the

heartbeat of creation, to let our souls catch up. Quiet gardens offer just such longed-for oases of peace. They open up once more what all our busy-ness has buried – the precious gift of hearttime

and soul-space.” - Margaret Silf – patron of The Quiet Garden Movement

I’m going out to clean the pasture spring:

I’ll only stop to rake leaves away

(and wait to watch the water clear, I may):

I sha’nt be gone long. – You come too.

In just a few lines Robert Frost has captured the essence of a Journey into Healing workshop. 

Participants are invited to visit the spring in their lives; to gather leaves that may have accumulated; to find some means to remove the blockage; and to do it together in a group setting. We will invite you to do your work and come together to finish it.

Why silence?

Most people have a yearning for tranquillity and peace. By taking part in a silent retreat, you will have the opportunity to draw back from the normal routines and busyness of life to reflect and allow space for new encounters.

An introduction to ways of stilling yourself and prayer materials will be provided. All ways of praying are a means of developing or deepening your relationship with God. There will also be opportunities for creative expression, if desired.

During the retreat there is an invitation to meet with a guide, who may help as a ‘sounding board’, helping to listen for God’s presence in the circumstances of your life.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

The Lord makes me lie down in green

pastures, leading me beside quiet

waters, and refreshes my soul.”

Psalm 23

Why silence?

Most people have a yearning for tranquillity and peace. By taking part in a silent retreat, you will have the opportunity to draw back from the normal routines and busyness of life to reflect and allow space for new encounters.

An introduction to ways of stilling yourself and prayer materials will be provided. All ways of praying are a means of developing or deepening your relationship with God. There will also be opportunities for creative expression, if desired.

During the retreat there is an invitation to meet with a guide, who may help as a ‘sounding board’, helping to listen for God’s presence in the circumstances of your life.

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

The Lord makes me lie down in green

pastures, leading me beside quiet

waters, and refreshes my soul.”

Psalm 23

I’m going out to clean the pasture spring:

I’ll only stop to rake leaves away

(and wait to watch the water clear, I may):

I sha’nt be gone long. – You come too.

In just a few lines Robert Frost has captured the essence of a Journey into Healing workshop. 

Participants are invited to visit the spring in their lives; to gather leaves that may have accumulated; to find some means to remove the blockage; and to do it together in a group setting. We will invite you to do your work and come together to finish it.

“If you stand still for a few minutes in the relentless onward rush of 21st century life you might hear a quiet but insistent undercurrent.  It is the cry of our heartsfor space and time just to be, to listen to the

heartbeat of creation, to let our souls catch up. Quiet gardens offer just such longed-for oases of peace. They open up once more what all our busy-ness has buried – the precious gift of hearttime

and soul-space.” - Margaret Silf – patron of The Quiet Garden Movement

“To see ourselves as others see us is a most salutary gift.” - Wrote Aldous Huxley “Hardly less important is the capacity to see others as they see themselves

Based on ancient philosophic traditions, the Enneagram is a tool that describes nine different characters. This will help you understand the personality types of yourself and others.

The practices help transform stress and pain deriving from illness, violence, and the stresses of daily life and open the individual up towards greater wholeness and wellbeing. As individuals get in touch

with their own source of healing and wisdom they can help others.

“To see ourselves as others see us is a most salutary gift.” - Wrote Aldous Huxley “Hardly less important is the capacity to see others as they see themselves

“Know yourself”

[Socrates, Greek philosopher 470 BC 399 BC]

To know ourselves is a key to how we see the world and understand how we can relate to others. Based on ancient philosophic traditions, the Enneagram is a tool that describes nine different characters.

I’m going out to clean the pasture spring:

I’ll only stop to rake leaves away

(and wait to watch the water clear, I may):

I sha’nt be gone long. – You come too.

In just a few lines Robert Frost has captured the essence of a Journey into Healing workshop. 

Participants are invited to visit the spring in their lives; to gather leaves that may have accumulated; to find some means to remove the blockage; and to do it together in a group setting. We will invite you to do your work and come together to finish it.

“If you stand still for a few minutes in the relentless onward rush of 21st century life you might hear a quiet but insistent undercurrent.  It is the cry of our heartsfor space and time just to be, to listen to the

heartbeat of creation, to let our souls catch up. Quiet gardens offer just such longed-for oases of peace. They open up once more what all our busy-ness has buried – the precious gift of hearttime

and soul-space.” - Margaret Silf – patron of The Quiet Garden Movement