Connecting Together
Beamsley, nr Skipton, North Yorkshire
Mon 2nd to Mon 9th June 2025
Following a successful first event at this new venue in 2024, we return to The Beamsley Centre for a week of connection and support in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. We are planning for a maximum of about 30 people. A number of places will be reserved for newcomers to ECC until 15th April.
The Beamsley Centre
North Yorkshire landscape
Malham
Event Structure
The organisers will provide an overall structure, they will also offer workshops and activities for part of the timetable. Activities being planned so far include sharing coming out stories, film shows, marmalade-making, dance, singing, and improvised music-making. With these activities we aim to engage with those at all levels of experience, and none. Trying something that is new for you is particularly encouraged. Participants on the week are encouraged to lead activities, in a supportive atmosphere.
There will be times for workshops, social time with other ECC men, and time for excursions on this week-long event. We aim that the activities, and the week as a whole, will help us to connect together.
We will have Base Groups and/or Heart Circles for about an hour each day before the evening meal. This provides an opportunity to get to know 5 or 6 of the other participants really well and to have an opportunity to share how we are feeling.
The Location
Beamsley is located between Skipton and Harrogate, in North Yorkshire. It's on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park and there will be opportunities for visits to attractions in the area such as Bolton Abbey (which is within walking distance), Skipton and its castle, Betty's Tea Rooms in Harrogate, Malham Cove or walking in the Dales.
Bolton Abbey
Skipton
Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
The Venue
The Beamsley Centre was recently modified and renovated as a holiday venue for disabled people and other charity and community groups, so it is fully wheelchair-accessible. It has well-heated spacious wet-rooms with showers or baths, and fully accessible toilets. Shower chairs are available. There are stairs and a lift between the two floors, to ensure full disabled access to all areas of the building.
The Centre has a very spacious and comfortable meeting and workshop room upstairs, and a smaller lounge downstairs. There is also a downstairs hallway with seating, a covered area which is open to the outside, a garden area with a barbeque facility, a camping field and a car park.
The venue is generally very cosy, with comfortable seating throughout. There are no restrictions on wearing shoes in, or taking food or drink to, any areas. There is no bar at the venue but participants are welcome to bring their own alcohol. Candles and other open flames are not allowed in the venue.
For more information about the venue and the location, please look at Beamsley’s own website www.beamsleyproject.org and a collection of videos and photos taken in June 2024: bit.ly/3zaEcw4
We have booked the whole of the venue, including the Cottage. This gives us greater privacy during the week.
The venue has 7 bedrooms with 2 single beds in each, and 4 bedrooms with 4 single beds in each. Camping is also available. If you are planning to bring a campervan, please get in touch with us first as there are some restrictions.
Cooking
The event is self-catering. Collective cooking is an important part of living in community. For this week we wish to spread the load further, in a collective and nourishing way. Imran will be our main cook, and will be on hand to guide, but other lead cooks will also be needed. We are keen to hear from confident cooks who are willing to lead small teams, for one or two meals, and who are willing to share their skills and passion for food. We might be able to offer priority booking for these extra lead cooks. If you wish to be a lead cook, please let us know as soon as possible, and we will speak to you further before the start.
Organisers
I have attended many ECC events right from the early days of ECC, and have led many workshops, but this is my first time being an organiser of an ECC event. I am handling bookings for this event. I also plan to offer a number of workshops involving music, dance, creativity, and similar, including Circle Dance and Trust Games.
I have been connected with ECC since the early 1990's. I love the ethos of trying to live together more equitably both within our various gatherings and hopefully one day in the context of a community home. I am currently a student at Nottingham Trent University, studying Creative Writing. My main hobby is drumming, especially West African Djembe Drumming Circles. This week at Beamsley will be the third time that I will have been part of an organising team and I look forward to welcoming you all to Beamsley in June 2025 for 'Connecting Together'.
I have a lot of experience with cooking for groups, and I will be looking after the kitchen and the catering arrangements.
I have attended ECC events since 2003. Like Frank, this is the first time I have stepped forward to organise a week; the venue inspired me to do it. In previous weeks my most frequent experience of leading was leading a base group. I have also led some discussion-based workshops. I have an interest in creative writing/blogging. The project I am looking forward to leading this week is a workshop, or two, of ‘coming out stories’ where attendees also prepare and donate anonymised written versions of the material which will be put up on the ECC website. To me that is connecting events on the week with the website and the wider ECC community.
I have been coming to ECC since 1989, but has never been a co-organiser before. I'm looking forward to working with everyone to achieve a sense of community during the week.
Travel to the Venue
There are good railway services to Skipton (7 miles away) for trains arriving from Leeds and Carlisle, and trains to Ilkley (6 miles away), from Leeds. There are taxi ranks at both stations, the taxis are the most reliable means of getting to the venue. Helli Cars & Pink Ladies is wheelchair-friendly - they have a Facebook page with further info. They cover both Skipton and Ilkley stations, and confirm they do take men, as well as having a ladies-only service.
The venue car park is of a moderate size and could get over-full, so car-sharing is recommended if coming by car. Have a look at a satellite view of the venue to get an idea of the space available.
How to book
Bookings open on 1 Mar 2025 at 09:00, and you'll be able to book here then
We won't begin confirming places until 8 Mar 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 £370.00 (£320.00 for camping) 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
| Normal | Camping | |
| Concessionary rate (for people living at benefit levels) | £185.00 | £160.00 |
| Low income (£10k to £20k) | £370.00 | £320.00 |
| Average income (£20k to £30k) | £445.00 | £384.00 |
| High income (£30k or more) | £500.00 | £432.00 |
| Breakeven cost | £370.00 | £320.00 |
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.
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