Autumn in the Hills
Coldwell Activity Centre, Burnley, Lancs
Fri 19th to Mon 22nd September 2025
A welcome return to this moorland venue for another three-night autumn weekend in good company.
The programme
The organisers will set up opening and closing go-rounds, where we’ll introduce ourselves and get to know the group. We will also set aside some time for smaller base groups to meet during the weekend to strengthen the feeling of community and belonging. There will likely be a ‘soiree’ where those who wish to can share songs, poems, or an act. An ECC event is about what the individual men bring to it, it’s 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 just go with the flow and support the activities offered by others. Organisers are happy to provide help in terms of materials, advice and support if you let us know in advance. Previous workshops have included circle dance, singing, massage workshops, discussion about the experience of seeking asylum as a gay man in the UK.
If walking and exploring the outdoors is more your thing, the centre gives immediate access to walks in the Pennine hills, 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.
Coldwell Reservoir
Pendle Hill
Catering
David Buttery is our cook for the weekend. He’s catered ECC weekends before and is an experienced pair of hands who will look after us. As usual, all food will be vegetarian and special diets will be accommodated if notified when booking. David may require help with food preparation, and there will be a rota for cleaning, setting tables and washing up after meals. Every man should aim to do his bit to help the community run smoothly for the weekend.
The Venue
Coldwell Activity Centre is situated in a secluded location in the Lancashire countryside, in 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 stations are Nelson and Colne (about 3 miles each). You will probably need to take a taxi from the stations (and we understand that it may possibly be easier to get a taxi from Nelson), 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. Participants will be limited to 25 men to ensure there is plenty of space.
Organisers
Your organisers this time are Jon Homer and Duncan Weaver, with David Buttery in the kitchen.
Jon
Duncan
David
Both Jon and Duncan have organised numerous events, and served on the ECC Maintenance Group. David is an experienced event caterer and has cooked for a number of ECC weekends.
How to book
Bookings open on 3 May 2025 at 09:00, and you'll be able to book here then
We won't begin confirming places until 10 May 2025. Please make sure you get your deposit to us by then to be sure of a place.
You don't have to be an existing ECC member to book. Payments for ECC events are on a sliding scale according to your income, and you're invited to pay as much or as little as you can afford. You'll be asked to state how much you're going to pay for your place, and how much you'll pay as a deposit when you book. The breakeven cost for this event is £150.00 and the rates for different income levels are shown below.
Bursaries
We maintain a generous bursary fund to help men on very low incomes to ensure no-one is excluded for lack of funds.
If you don't feel you can afford the concessionary rate, we may be able to help.
Simply choose the option to apply for a bursary when you book.
Sliding scale of charges
| Concessionary rate (for people living at benefit levels) | £75.00 |
| Low income (£10k to £20k) | £150.00 |
| Average income (£20k to £30k) | £175.00 |
| High income (£30k or more) | £200.00 |
| Breakeven cost | £150.00 |
Contact the Organisers
You can contact the organisers by entering your message here. If you would like to speak to someone on the phone, please include your phone number and request a callback.
Thank you, your message has been received.