I have always been a maker – I knitted my first jumper at the age of 10, about the same time I decided I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up. However, the creative urge has never left me and I love to knit, sew, draw, weave, cook, bake and grow my own food. There simply are not enough hours in the day! During my time over the past 25 years working as a doctor and raising my three children, I have come to realise how valuable time away can be to replenish and restore oneself. Whilst it may seem that it is impossible to juggle the pressures of daily life with time for creativity, I know that even finding a few minutes to make something beautiful can really help me with the rest of my life.
Having experienced some wonderful times away on retreat, I had for some time had a feeling that I would love to run my own retreats. I was lucky enough to find a lovely venue in the New Forest, just a few miles from my home. I am blessed to have some great people in my life who wanted to be involved and so we made it happen!
The first A Nest of Gentle Makers Retreat took place in May 2019 and was an amazing experience. People arrived from all over the UK and quickly got to know each other. We chatted, ate, laughed, created and exercised together. New friendships were born and old friendships were sustained. I truly could not have envisaged how positive the experience would be.
Our second retreat was in October 2019 which was quite a soggy affair! Still, the majority of the attendees rose to the weather and got into the spirit of things and we still had fun!
2020 saw upheaval for everyone and so we had to cancel our retreats. We tentatively arranged a retreat in June 2021 at Hazel Hill Wood, near Salisbury Wiltshire. In the end that retreat was a really successful virtual event.
In 2021 and 2022 we were so lucky to experience taking ANOGM to Boconnoc House in Cornwall. This is a majestic stately home in 7,500 acres of countryside estate. We were able to truly relax and concentrate on all things creative and yoga. Alongside our stately home retreats we have also developed a lovely relationship with Hazel Hill Wood in Wiltshire and I am so looking forward to continuing to run retreats in this stunning woodland.
Magic happens when people, nature and creativity combine and I cannot wait to see what the next retreat brings for us all.
Charlotte x
