Kench Hill Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend

A return visit to this delightful venue

A long weekend in the depths of Kent, in the High Weald, to enjoy a relaxing and enjoyable break in good company.  We have exclusive use of the Kench Hill Centre, an intimate and comfortable venue set in a rural location, only a short journey from London.

We warmly invite you to bring your ideas, skills and talents to share, but more than this, we would like you to come with an openness to become part of a supportive community, in whatever way suits you - to take a lead, offer a workshop, take part in activities - or not, just  relax and, most importantly, make friends.  As always, the success of the gathering depends on the enthusiasm and initiative of the participants,  Any activity can be a “workshop” – from a chat to a cha-cha-cha demo, or anything else.

We’ll keep the usual structure for ECC, condensed into the weekend – so we’ll have daily small base groups plus a heart circle for those who want one.

The property itself is in a secluded area away from the road with about a hectare of garden and is surrounded by arable farmland and woods.  Amenities include a hall suitable for dancing etc. and a garden with picnic tables and a croquet lawn.  The location is close to the historic market town of Tenterden in the beautiful High Weald countryside.  The coast – Rye, Camber Sands, Derek Jarman’s cottage at Dungeness, Hastings and Fairlight Beach are all accessible by car.

We will be wholly self-catering, so we ask all to do their bit helping out with cooking and washing up at a couple of times during the weekend.  The kitchen is modern and well equipped.  Breakfast will be self-service, and lunches kept simple, to allow folks to enjoy the day out and about.  We have a lead cook – David – to look after the kitchen and the food.  All food will be vegetarian and we can also cater for vegan or gluten free diets. Please mention these or any other dietary requirements when you book.

Accommodation is in shared bunk bedrooms with between 2 and 8 bunks in each room.  Kench Hill’s full capacity is 45, so there will be plenty of room to spread out, and we can avoid using top bunks.

The organisers

David

Shaun

Stevenson

David

Your organising team comprises David Haines, Shaun Kent and Stevenson Graham.  For all booking enquiries, please contact Shaun (*****@*******.*** | *** **** ****). For all other general enquiries, contact David Haines (***********@********.*** |  ***** ******) or Stevenson (*******@*****.*** | ***** ******). David Wray will be looking after the kitchen and the catering arrangements.

Essential information

Venue: The Kench Hill Centre, Appledore Road, Tenterden, Kent TN30 7DG www.kenchhill.co.uk

Dates: Wednesday 1st June to Sunday 5th June 2022.
Participants are invited to arrive from 5pm on Wednesday. We need to leave by 2pm on Sunday.
Note that Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June are the Queen's Platinum Jubilee bank holidays.

Places: There are 23 places available on the weekend, though we'll reserve 6 places for first-time attenders until Friday 28th April.

Accessibility: The building can present some physical challenges for people with mobility difficulties.  However the ground floor does have a bedroom equipped to make it accessible for the disabled. The ground floor also has a bathroom (separate from the bedroom) which is equipped to make it accessible. If you have concerns or queries please contact Shaun before booking. Email *****@*******.*** or phone 020 8673 3471.

Shops and Public Transport: In Tenterden, a small local town 2 miles away, about a 10 minute drive.

The nearest rail stations are Headcorn (10 miles) or Ashford International (13 miles).  The journey is about an hour from London Bridge / Charing Cross stations.  A bookable taxi service from Headcorn is available.  Cost is about £25 per single journey so we advise pre-booking in advance, and taxi-sharing, as far as possible.  More transport details will be circulated in advance of the event to those who book.