Retreat for Parents Bereaved of their only Child or all their Children

27 September 2024 – 29 September 2024

Ammerdown Centre, Radstock, near Bath

You are warmly invited to join us for this unique weekend especially for parents who have lost their only child or all their children.

BOOK FOR THIS RETREAT

Whether your loss happened recently, or some time ago, here you will be with others who understand what it means to lose your only child or children. If you are newly bereaved, please do know there will be other parents who are recently bereaved and our team of bereaved parent volunteers will also be there to help and support you. Come and meet and talk with others in safe and supportive surroundings and find comfort, hope and reassurance that you are not alone.

Throughout the weekend, you can join in the suggested optional programme of sharing sessions and activities, or simply relax in the hotel and wonderful gardens and talk with other parents.

Please note that our weekend retreats are run by bereaved parent volunteers. Our volunteers are not professionals and so what we offer is a uniquely warm, comforting and supportive two days organised and facilitated by parents who have also experienced the loss of a child and have found understanding and hope themselves through The Compassionate Friends.

Feedback from a previous retreat:

“The TCF organisers were amazing and the parents we met with were all amazing too. A very unique and perfect location for a gathering such as this. I hope we will both take some comfort and hope from such a special weekend too and we both thank you so much for making it happen for us”.

“Thank you for the wonderful work who made the weekend successful… I felt anxious about going to the retreat but it helped me to travel with other parents. I was surprised to see so many parents who had lost their only child or all their children who were also attending the retreat for the first time. I was able to talk, listen and share our experiences I found the workshops that I attended verbally useful, some of the thoughts, feeling and questions I had were answered and addressed. I realised I was normal, I am still trying to grieve for my only son and my heart is and will be broken forever. My son would want me to be happy and live”.

“It was mine and my husband’s first time with compassionate friends last weekend. I was dreading the weekend and had really negative feelings about coming. I thought everyone would know each other already, or everyone would be really sad and cry all weekend. I didn't want to make a jam jar or show any photos of my son. To be honest I wanted to stay away from any sessions or activities and just go the pub! How wrong was I!! As soon as I arrived I felt at ease, calm and peaceful. I felt it was the first time in 18 months since my son died I could be myself. I heard people laugh and chatter and I felt comfortable with it. knowing they where all in the same situation as me and my husband and they could still laugh gave me hope. The volunteers were amazing. My husband and I have made some fantastic friends that we will always keep in touch with. I had such a positive experience totally unexpected so much so I didn't want to leave. We both could have stayed all week!! I have learnt so much and have gained new ways on how to cope with life. Thank you all so much. I will definitely be back and recommend this weekend to other bereaved parents."

The venue

The Ammerdown Centre is a Retreat Centre nestling in woods next to a stately home, surrounded by beautiful landscaped gardens and parkland, with a beautiful chapel in its midst. The whole place is steeped in peace and tranquillity. No traffic noise, only birdsong! Yet, it is only 12 miles from Bath and is easy to access, with ample free car parking on site.

Ammerdown is not meant to be a 5-star hotel. Rooms are simple but very comfortable, all with en-suite facilities. The staff are dedicated to making us warmly welcome, and the home-cooked food is of a high quality.

There is a railway station in Bath, and it is easy to get a bus from the station the short distance to Radstock. We can arrange to pick you up from Radstock which is just 1.5 miles away from Ammerdown.

Read more about The Ammerdown Centre.

COSTS

We will have sole use of the venue. The price per person in en-suite accommodation is £295. These costs include full bed and board from Friday afternoon, through to Sunday after lunch.

Please book early as places are limited since the venue can accommodate a maximum of 50 residential guests. There are also opportunities to attend on a non-residential basis e.g. for the day on Saturday, or the half day on Sunday - or both. Please call us on 0345 120 3785 or email for day rates.

Please let us know if you have a problem meeting the cost as we may be able to help with full or part bursaries for those on limited financial means. Call us or email for a copy of the bursary application form to complete.

You can book online or call or email our National Office.

CANCELLATIONS

Should you need to cancel your booking please do so by 1 August 2024 and we will refund your payment, less a £25 admin fee. After this date, we are sorry but our charity is unable to offer any refunds.

If you are unsure, or have any aspect you would like to talk over, please contact our office on 0345 120 3785 or by email to info@tcf.org.uk

Please note that although Ammerdown is a Christian Centre it is open to people of all faiths and none, and the supportive weekend we run here for The Compassionate Friends has no religious content.

We are sorry but if your loss is within the last 3-4 months, we think it would be best to wait a little longer before accessing our retreat weekend. We hope that you will be able to access our in-person support in future months. In the meantime, we ask you to contact our Helpline on 0345 1232304 to talk with another bereaved parent and for support and empathy.

BOOK FOR THIS RETREAT

ONCE YOU HAVE BOOKED WE WILL BE BACK IN CONTACT WITH YOU AROUND 3 WEEKS BEFORE THE EVENT WITH FURTHER DETAILS.