The Rest is Silence

Join us for a weekend of peaceful and mindful contemplation living in community.

This will be a loosely-structured weekend around the theme of silence, meditation and detachment from the noise and distraction of everyday life. Workshops will include guided meditations, forest bathing and walking meditations. We will also use the base group process as the basis for mindful discussions on specified themes. We invite participants to suggest their own workshop ideas in line with these themes and we will attempt to include them in the programme. There will also be plenty of free time for personal space, walks in nature or ad-hoc activities.

We ask participants to fully engage with the event’s themes, regarding this as a workshop-based retreat. It will be an alcohol-free weekend and we ask everyone to surrender their electronic devices for the duration. There is no wi-fi and limited mobile reception.

This is a welcome return to Barmoor – once the cosy Edwardian home of a Quaker family set in the remote and beautiful countryside of the North Yorkshire Moors. There will be plenty of time for evening relaxation and chats round the fire, living together and helping out in the kitchen.

Organisers

Your organisers for the weekend are Nick Jackson, Mark Brown and Duncan Weaver. David Buttery will be cooking for us.

Nick Jackson:

I’ve been involved with ECC since the mid-nineties. I’ve co-facilitated two Movement and Mindfulness events. I think there’s something very lovely about being with a group of men, moving slowly and taking care of each other. I look forward to gently exploring together the theme of silence at Barmoor.

Mark Brown:

I’m fairly new to ECC having attended my first event in Kench Hill two years ago. I love the fellowship that ECC brings. I am a first time organiser  and looking forward to having time for a pause and reflect together from a busy world during the retreat.

Duncan Weaver:

ECC has been a part of my life for over 20 years now. It has introduced me to lifelong friends and life-changing experiences and I’ve served the community in various roles, as an event organiser and in the background. I’m particularly excited to be part of this themed event at Barmoor – a special place that taps into our need for stillness in a busy world.

David Buttery:

I have enjoyed being an ECC member for around 15 years. After a long gap I am reconnecting with the community. Providing tasty, nutritious food, to sustain men through the gathering, brings me great joy.

Essential information

Venue: Barmoor, Hutton-le-Hole, Kirkbymoorside, North Yorkshire YO62 6UE www.barmoor.org.uk

Dates: Friday 5th September to Monday 8th September. Arrival after 5pm on Friday, Departure by 11am on Monday

Places: There are places for up to 22 men. Some places are reserved for newcomers to ECC until 31st May.

Accommodation: All rooms are shared with single beds, two to five beds per room. There are shared bathrooms. Note you will need to bring your own sleeping bag or bedlinen as none is provided.

Travel: The nearest rail station is at Malton, about 30 mins by taxi. There is limited parking at Barmoor for those arriving by car. We will do our best to help arrange car and taxi-sharing.

Accessibility: Whilst some features of the house have been adapted to improve accessibility, with step-free access to key areas, and wheelchair-accessible toilets, there are no ground floor bedrooms so the venue may present some challenges to those with particular needs.