‘You can be happy anywhere’ Room to Heal Spring Retreat 2013
News 1 May 2013
The women and children of Room to Heal set off in Easter’s wintry sunshine to the Grange for our first children-friendly retreat. We were welcomed into the warm, healing space Ben and Sophie have created at the Grange with tea, biscuits, a roaring wood-burning stove and their beautiful baby Orianna.
We made the most of every minute of our short stay, taking in the surrounding rolling farm-land, the spacious house and the sight of a sky full of stars at night. Two mornings running were spent in the garden – planting potatoes and seeds, clearing winter debris from the beds, burning undergrowth on a bonfire… We shared gardening techniques and memories evoked from childhoods doing farm work back in the home countries of members. For some it was a new experience; ‘I learnt to cut trees and plant potatoes, I have never thought that in my life I will plant a thing’. Freshly picked nettle tea was the refreshment, followed by football when we’d done enough digging!
After cooking and eating delicious meals together we spent evenings by the fire in a combination of crafting, knitting, hairdressing, dancing and singing favourite nursery songs.
On our last full day we bravely took to the icy coast, fighting the blasting wind with smiles, photos and lively talk. On our return we recovered with steaming mugs of chai and thoughts of dinner preparations. One of many things we discovered was: ‘You can be happy anywhere. You don’t need television, or any of the things we have in London, just doing things with each other’.
Although we nearly lost a member to a train station restroom we safely made it back, full of energy to tackle London life and feeling stronger for the four days spent together as family.
‘It was like I’m in a family, eating breakfast, lunch, dinner – 3 square meals a day. I feel someone is there to care, I feel like I’m not alone, no fears, no worries.’