The first in a series of restorative escapes at High Grange, “Nourish” is a day of cooking and wellbeing to nourish your mind, body and soul.

You’ll spend the day with us in our woodland garden, relaxing, learning about and eating the best local, seasonal food, moving your body and releasing any tension. You’ll take home with you a home-made High Grange chutney that you’ve made from harvests from our veggie patch, feeling refreshed and grounded from a day spent in nature.

We all live under enormous pressure and strain, and post-pandemic, the emphasis for so many has been physical and financial survival, leaving emotional survival by the wayside. How often do you create space and time to fully disconnect from the constant stresses and strains in your life? This day is an invitation to both men and women to step off the treadmill for a day in the haven that is High Grange, to pick the freshest food, cook over fire, take in a yoga class, and restore your body from everyday pressure through breathwork and being in nature.

Day Plan

We’ll start with a light breakfast with hot drinks around our forest stone circle where you will guided to disconnect from life’s distraction to be present in the experience and intention of the day. Led by Natalie Valllely, you will be supported and guided to connect to nature and self.

Ella McConnell our yoga teacher will then lead you in an extended 90 minute yoga session, beginning with gentle yin moves before warming up with some dynamic vinyasa flows, and finally slowing down to a relaxing meditative sivasana (this is suitable for all levels including beginners).

After a pause to wander outside, you’ll be invited to our outdoor kitchen where High Grange Owner, Chef and Tutor Luke Vandore-Mackay will talk you through growing and harvesting the vegetables at High Grange followed by a cooking demonstration of the most nourishing ingredients cooked with love. We’ll then sit you at our at our communal oak table, immersed in nature, while Luke serves up a delicious, seasonal lunch.

Following lunch, we’ll invite you will to come together to make a nourishing gift to take home - a piccalilli or a chutney, harvesting your own veggies and creating your own seasonal jars.

Finally, Natalie will bring you into our cosy Shippen for a guided meditation and breathwork session, releasing any remaining tensions and helping you feel completely restored.

There will be plenty of time throughout to wander the grounds, relax, and spend time outdoors in our lovely woodland. We invite you to rest here at the end of the day round our firepits, warm drink in hand.

Date: Saturday 14th October 2023

Time: 9.30am to 5.30pm

Cost: £145

Who doesn’t love chocolate?  If only there was a healthier alternative that wasn’t laden with sugar and calories..........

As luck would have it, Debbie has some delicious, refined sugar free, organic sweet treats to share with you.

During this workshop you will get to make your own refined sugar free raw chocolates flavoured with pure essential oils and packed full of health benefits. Not only that, you can keep the chocolate moulds so that you can make them again for your family and friends.

Date: 21st September

Time: 7pm – 8.30pm

Cost: £30*

*Includes all equipment, ingredients and light refreshment

Experienced practitioner Jan Lane offers a relaxed introduction to creative writing with this one-off workshop. All writers keep a journal or notebook; in this session Jan will introduce the importance of journaling for writers. Each participant will receive a high-quality notebook by specialist stationer Mark + Fold, and Jan will guide the group to collect various ideas for writing using the beautiful High Grange landscape as inspiration. Please bring weather-appropriate clothing – we will be outside at some point regardless! Suitable for all abilities, booking essential.

On the day there will be an opportunity to sign up for a new creative writing course from September 2023, which will run in blocks of six weeks.

Cost: £45pp to include light refreshments and a Mark+Fold notebook

…

Jan has been writing fiction and non-fiction for over 10 years and devising and leading creative writing workshops for 8 years for adults and through schools. Her own words have been variously published online and in print, and she has a Masters Degree in Creative Writing. Her novel was longlisted in the 2021/2 Mslexia Novel Award, and she has also been longlisted for the Bath Short Story Award. She is also a reader for the Nature Chronicles Prize. She has a PGCE in Secondary English Teaching and is currently involved in a research project at Exeter University looking at improving writing outcomes for secondary school children.

There is a space in between all the doingness of modern life, in which we can listen to our deepest truths, hear the whispers of the world as the seasons’ turn and dream into being the life that we were born to live.

In all ancient cultures there are pauses built in to the turning of the year. Time to reflect, to celebrate, to release the old and to bless the new.

The Sacred Pause is a monthly space to do just that. To notice where we are at in the moment. To ask ourselves ‘how am I?’ to reflect on what is nourishing us, inspiring us or holding us back. To celebrate and to release. To listen, and to share. In community with one another and in connection with the glorious nature that surrounds us here at High Grange.

You will have time to notice what your bodies are telling you. There will be space to journal into your aspirations and our also your boundaries for the weeks ahead.

And finally, you will be guided through a powerful Connected Breathwork journey that is an invitation to transformation, relaxation, and greater self-awareness.

Rebecca is a Mentor, Circle Leader and workshop facilitator, a Reiki Master and a Licenced Integrative Breathwork Practitioner.  A lover of creating immersive spaces, through many years of working in the creative arts; she is also a lifelong student of indigenous culture and shamanism. Rebecca combines a deep commitment to personal development with continuous professional development and years of experience holding compassionate, trauma informed space.

The first in a series of restorative escapes at High Grange, “Nourish” is a day of cooking and wellbeing to nourish your mind, body and soul.

You’ll spend the day with us in our woodland garden, relaxing, learning about and eating the best local, seasonal food, moving your body and releasing any tension. You’ll take home with you a home-made High Grange chutney that you’ve made from harvests from our veggie patch, feeling refreshed and grounded from a day spent in nature.

We all live under enormous pressure and strain, and post-pandemic, the emphasis for so many has been physical and financial survival, leaving emotional survival by the wayside. How often do you create space and time to fully disconnect from the constant stresses and strains in your life? This day is an invitation to both men and women to step off the treadmill for a day in the haven that is High Grange, to pick the freshest food, cook over fire, take in a yoga class, and restore your body from everyday pressure through breathwork and being in nature.

Day Plan

We’ll start with a light breakfast with hot drinks around our forest stone circle where you will guided to disconnect from life’s distraction to be present in the experience and intention of the day. Led by Natalie Valllely, you will be supported and guided to connect to nature and self.

Ella McConnell our yoga teacher will then lead you in an extended 90 minute yoga session, beginning with gentle yin moves before warming up with some dynamic vinyasa flows, and finally slowing down to a relaxing meditative sivasana (this is suitable for all levels including beginners).

After a pause to wander outside, you’ll be invited to our outdoor kitchen where High Grange Owner, Chef and Tutor Luke Vandore-Mackay will talk you through growing and harvesting the vegetables at High Grange followed by a cooking demonstration of the most nourishing ingredients cooked with love. We’ll then sit you at our at our communal oak table, immersed in nature, while Luke serves up a delicious, seasonal lunch.

Following lunch, we’ll invite you will to come together to make a nourishing gift to take home - a piccalilli or a chutney, harvesting your own veggies and creating your own seasonal jars.

Finally, Natalie will bring you into our cosy Shippen for a guided meditation and breathwork session, releasing any remaining tensions and helping you feel completely restored.

There will be plenty of time throughout to wander the grounds, relax, and spend time outdoors in our lovely woodland. We invite you to rest here at the end of the day round our firepits, warm drink in hand.

Date: Saturday 14th October 2023

Time: 9.30am to 5.30pm

Cost: £145

Jenny is a qualified hypnotherapist and EMDR therapist and will lead a safe sharing session looking at stress, anxiety and overwhelm. We will explore how our subconscious minds can hold the power to changing that “stuck” feeling by clearing out unhelpful habits and letting go of what is holding us back. The session will involve a gentle guided hypnotic journey to give you the boost you may be looking for, by helping you release any negative emotions or limiting beliefs which are adding to those feelings of stress & overwhelm. 

Time and Date: Friday 16 June 10-11.30am

Ground and relax your mind, body and soul whilst growing beautiful and nourishing food.

Working in the beautiful outdoor spaces at High Grange, Linzie The Mindful Gardener will guide you through a calm and inspiring food growing class. This weekly session will help you forget daily distractions, connect with nature and calm your mind. 

You will learn new skills in growing organic veg, fruit, flowers and herbs leaving you feeling empowered and confident to take back and apply in your own space.

includes all materials, teas, coffees & refreshments

There is a space in between all the doingness of modern life, in which we can listen to our deepest truths, hear the whispers of the world as the seasons’ turn and dream into being the life that we were born to live.

In all ancient cultures there are pauses built in to the turning of the year. Time to reflect, to celebrate, to release the old and to bless the new.

The Sacred Pause is a monthly space to do just that. To notice where we are at in the moment. To ask ourselves ‘how am I?’ to reflect on what is nourishing us, inspiring us or holding us back. To celebrate and to release. To listen, and to share. In community with one another and in connection with the glorious nature that surrounds us here at High Grange.

You will have time to notice what your bodies are telling you. There will be space to journal into your aspirations and our also your boundaries for the weeks ahead.

And finally, you will be guided through a powerful Connected Breathwork journey that is an invitation to transformation, relaxation, and greater self-awareness.

Rebecca is a Mentor, Circle Leader and workshop facilitator, a Reiki Master and a Licenced Integrative Breathwork Practitioner.  A lover of creating immersive spaces, through many years of working in the creative arts; she is also a lifelong student of indigenous culture and shamanism. Rebecca combines a deep commitment to personal development with continuous professional development and years of experience holding compassionate, trauma informed space.

Rebecca is a licensed Breathworker and former Teacher & Lecturer, and will be offering techniques to support your nervous systems to find true rest amidst the buzz of daily life.

This will be an interactive talk that invites you to consider your relationship to rest. Asking questions such as; What barriers stand between you and deep rest? How does your body feel about rest? Are you resting, or just sitting still? And exploring how we can cultivate pockets of rest in our daily lives that can nourish us and keep us connected to our creative flow. Affirming that inspiration lands in the pauses, not in the pushing, and inviting us to prioritise rest as the birthplace of clarity and fresh new thinking.

Join Lindsay The Mindful Gardener for a hands on course in our beautiful growing spaces at High Grange. Introduction to veg growing is the perfect course for those looking to start growing their own veg but lack knowledge and confidence or those with experience but struggling to to see results from their growing.

Lindsay believes it is not just about the final results but the journey and connection with your space and nature. Using the principles of breathe, relax, grow she will show you how to use your growing area as a medicine for your mind, body and soul.

We will cover designing your patch, soil types and improving an area, veg families, seed sowing techniques, basic organic principles and problem solving all interwoven with mindful moments.

No matter what size you are growing in from pots to pasture Lindsay will get you on the road to a successful harvest.

includes all materials, teas, coffees & refreshments

Catherine is an integrative psychotherapist who offers EMDR therapy to patients who have unresolved grief, loss, overwhelm and trauma, or who have challenging personal or professional stressors. Catherine is also the Co-Founder of Arc, which offers counselling and therapy to the community in Axminster. Catherine will talk about how trauma affects our minds and our bodies, and why past events if left unresolved can trigger us. She will give an introduction to EMDR counselling and how it can help you heal.

All profits will go to Arc Axminster.

Time & Date: Friday 5 May 10-11.30am

Clare is a nutritional therapist and holistic life coach and advises women how to manage their perimenopause and menopause symptoms naturally (or in combination with HRT). She will open a safe space to share our symptoms and anxieties including the dreaded brain fog, hot flushes and stress, and look into how we can manage them from a natural, holistic approach with a particular focus on nutrition. Clare believes menopause is not the malfunction or disorder it is perceived to be, but instead a natural life stage which we can learn from and embrace to find our inner wise woman!

Time and Date: Friday 28 April, 10am - 11.30am

Enjoy learning and loving words and stories with greater freedom, outside the classroom in the beautiful woodland of High Grange. This class of 8 children will look at creative writing ideas, inspiration and tuition, designed to help you to write imaginative and inspiring stories.

Shaun is a secondary school English teacher, with a passion for teaching and making learning fun. The workshop will aim to spark enthusiasm and originality in written expression.

For ages 9-10, with a focus on the 11+ exam

Times and Date: Monday 11 & April 12 April (2 day course) 9.15-11.30am

Natalie is a reiki master, qualified Conscious Connected Breathwork Facilitator and former Social Worker. She will lead a discussion on how our nervous and immune systems co-exist, how our bodies store unresolved trauma and stress, and how we can use this knowledge, and our breath, to become calm and conscious parents. She will also teach practical breathing exercises to manage stressful or traumatic situations. This session is deliberately timed just before the Easter holidays to keep us cool under pressure!

“The highest form of parenting is to be a loving and conscious presence in your child’s life” - Gabrielle Berstein.

Time and Date: Friday 31 March 10-11.30am