Coldwell

Autumn in the Hills

Essential Information

Venue: Coldwell Activity Centre, Back Lane, Southfield, Burnley BB10 3RD www.coldwell.org.uk

Dates: Friday 24th to Monday 27th September 2021

Arrival & Departure: Arrive 4pm to 6pm on 24th Sep, depart after lunch 27th Sep

Accommodation: Shared rooms of 2 to 4 men.

Accessibility: The venue is partially accessible for wheelchairs (please contact us for details).

Nearest shops: Both Nelson and Colne are about 3 miles away. A 10 minute drive.

Places: 25 places will be available on the weekend.

Following successful recent events at Coldwell, we are organising another three-night weekend at this moorland venue.

The Programme

The organisers will set up opening and closing go rounds, where we can introduce ourselves and take leave of the group, and we expect to arrange some time for smaller groups to meet during the weekend to strengthen the feeling of community and belonging. There will be some sort of ‘cabaret’ or ‘soiree’ where you can share songs, poems, an act, or just be in the audience. Other activities may include circle dance, singing, discussion about the experience of seeking asylum as a gay man in the UK – how can we help to make things better for these men?

This weekend is about building our community through sharing interests and skills; if you want to run or take part in workshops or discussions, we invite you to bring your ideas, or to let us know in advance. Organisers are happy to provide help in terms of materials, advice and support. It would be good to have some indication of men’s ideas before the event – the more variety, the better.

If walking and exploration is more your thing, the centre gives immediate access to walks in the Pennines, and is well placed for visiting the wider surrounding area, including Haworth and the steam railway at Keighley - another opportunity to get to know other men in small groups while discovering the area.

Catering

Davd Wray will once again be catering for the event, He has established a reputation within ECC as a first rate chef, and will provide us with delicious vegetarian meals (special requirements also catered for). Another aspect of our shared experience will be taking turns at clearing up after the meals!

The Venue

The centre is situated in a secluded location in the Lancashire countryside, in the foothills of the Pennines near to Brontë country, yet only a few miles from ‘civilisation’ in Burnley and Colne and about an hour from Manchester, Preston and Leeds. The nearest station is Colne (about 3 miles). You will probably need to take a taxi from there, though it may be possible to arrange lifts.

The centre is used by many types of groups for a range of activities; the accommodation receives excellent reviews, and for our workshops there are various spaces; these are of course in addition to the great outdoors, which is on the doorstep. The building is partly accessible (please contact us for more details)

Accommodation is in shared rooms mainly for two to four men; there is a ground floor bedroom with adjoining wet room. Numbers will be limited to about 25 men to ensure there is plenty of space.

Organisers

Your organisers are Peter Staite,David Wray (catering) and Jon Homer who  have attended and organised many ECC events before 

For more details about the venue, please see the centre’s website www.coldwell.org.uk.

For more information about the event, please contact Jon Homer on ***** ****** / *********@*******.***