You are warmly invited to this day-long retreat for rest and grief tending. In a small group (maximum of 12), held in the beautiful surroundings of Hebden Bridge, near to woods and streams. During the retreat, we will make space together for our hearts to feel and express, giving ourselves the gift of a whole day to be with our grief.
Venue and timings
The Studio, Birchcliffe Centre, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8DG see on google maps
10am to 5pm. We will finish before 5pm to allow a little time at the end before leaving.
I am offering a series of day-long retreats this year. You are more than welcome to come along to any or all. There are discounts in place for booking multiple dates (see below). Dates for 2024 are:
Winter: 25th February
Spring: 21st April
Summer: 7th July
Autumn: 13th October
About the Retreat
When we grieve it is common to feel that our sorrow and our stories of loss are not welcome, that others may find it too hard to be with our pain. It can be uncomfortable to be with our own pain and difficult to let ourselves grieve. The Grief Retreat Day will allow space for us to gently open to our grief, share our stories, and look for ways to allow our sorrow to find space and solace. All feelings and emotions that arise will be welcome. Sometimes our stories just want to be heard and our feelings felt and allowed to be. The simple act of listening and being listened to can be transformational.
The retreat day will follow a simple, spacious format that will include elements of ceremony and ritual, a sharing circle, invitations to creatively express and explore our grief, and time in nature. We will also use embodied practices, allowing us to explore how we can be supported to feel and express grief using our voice, using sound, rhythm, movement, stillness and silence. The day will guided and held with love and great care. Everything on the day is offered as an invitation and nothing is compulsory.
Anyone who is experiencing grief is welcome. Grief comes in different shapes. You may be grieving the loss of someone who has died. You may be recently bereaved, or your bereavement may be many years or decades ago but still very present in your heart and mind. Grief can come into play before loss happens - you may have been given a terminal diagnosis, or perhaps you are supporting someone who has. You may be grieving for the loss of a relationship, a home, a career, or a pet. You may be grieving for the sorrows of the world, the state of our planet and climate, the devastation of our earth . You may be grieving for the terror, war or killing that is taking place in our world. You may be grieving for something you wanted or expected, but never had. You may be grieving for something that is hard to know or to name, that feels ancient or buried. All these griefs are welcome.
All the spaces that I offer are fully open and welcoming to LGBTQIA+ people.
If you are in doubt or questioning anything about the retreat day and you want to have a conversation to see if this event is for you, please do get in touch. I’m very happy to talk things through before booking.
Booking
To book your place please email me at rachhawthorn@gmail.com and put "Grief Retreat" as the subject line. Please call me on 07900 453912 with any questions.
Investment
Pay it forward £125
Standard £95
Supported £65
Pay it forward - Paying this rate will enable others who are less able to pay to attend for the supported rate. If you are in a financial position to, and you would like to support those who are in a different financial position to access the retreat, please opt for the pay it forward amount.
Standard - This is the full cost of the retreat without any discount applied.
Supported - Supported places are available for those who are not able for whatever reason to pay the standard rate. Further discount may be available if this amount is not reachable for you, please do ask and don’t let finances be a barrier to your joining this retreat. Payment plans and exchanges may also be considered. Supported rate may only be available when other bookings have been made.
Bursary support
We are fortunate to have been offered some bursary support for people who have been given a terminal diagnosis, are nearing the end of their lives, or are caring for someone who is. If this applies to you, and you wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to attend, please do get in touch. This bursary fund comes from End of Life Doula UK. Up to 100% bursary can be given according to need.
Multiple attendance
If you would like to book onto more than one retreat we can offer a 10% discounted rate as follows:
2 x Day retreats = £225/£171
3 x Day retreats = £338/£260
4 x Day retreats = £450/342
The amounts are Pay it Forward rate/Standard rate. (Supported rate is not eligible for multiple attendance discount.)
Cancellation and refunds are not guaranteed but may be possible up to 3 days before the event.
Refreshments
A simple, nourishing vegan/vegetarian lunch will be provided, you are welcome to bring your own food if you would prefer. Healthy and delicious snacks, fruit and hot drinks will be provided during the day. Please let me know if you have any allergies or dietary requirements.
About me
Rachel Hawthorn is an artist, shroud maker and death doula. Through her own experiences of loss and grief she has found a calling to work with grief, to make shrouds and to support those who are dying or grieving. She has studied the world's religions, and has practised and lived in community within Quaker and Buddhist traditions. She has trained in Ceremony and Ritual for Death and Dying with Sacred Circle CIC, and is currently studying for a diploma in Person Centred End of Life Care with Living Well Dying Well. She has mentoring and support in place to enable her to hold grief spaces in community.
The Grief Retreat Day will include elements of non-religious ceremony and ritual. Rachel understands ceremony as a deeply human practice of connecting with others, connecting with the wider context of our world, and finding ourselves in relationship to the mystery that may or may not exist within and all around us. Ceremony, ritual, creative and embodied practices, all held in community and held in love, can help us to acknowledge and honour our loss and grief, to experience healing and transformation, and to find a sense of peace with our place as individuals within the great cycle of life.
Quotes from previous particpants
“Rachel has a lovely, grounding presence and is definitely the right person for the job”
“I found it went deep, in a way I wasn’t expecting… You are warm, gentle, trustworthy, calm, containing and your thoughtful responses allow for difference and acceptance.”
Caring for yourself
Please note, this event is not group therapy and I am not a therapist. We will each be responsible for our own wellbeing at the retreat day. Please consider your emotional needs and capacity to engage with your grief in a group setting at this point in time, and sense into whether this retreat space will be the right thing for you just now. I plan to offer more dates in future if now is not the right time for you. Please contact me if you wish to discuss any of this or to understand more about the event before you book.
Access
The door to The Studio is at the front of the building, to the left of the covered main entrance. There are steps both up to the entrance of the building and down to the basement studio. There is level access at the side of the building through a different door - please let me know in advance if you need this and I will get the side door key.
Travel
There is free parking in the Birchcliffe Centre car park. There’s a bus stop right outside. The venue is 15 minutes walk from Hebden Bridge train station, part of this walk is up a very steep hill.
Contact
email rachhawthorn@gmail.com
phone 07900 435912
Find me on IG @rachhawthorn or LinkedIn /rachhawthorn