Our annual celebrant meetup is BACK! After our first fabulous meet up last year in West Sussex, we’re moving up the country and have found a new venue and location for our second gathering. (The plan is to move around to different locations each year!)
Last year’s meet-up, for many of us, was the medicine we didn't know we needed! It gave us a good dose of time to be in the presence of other celebrants from all over the UK, and Ireland and to really feel the benefits of community, collaboration and camaraderie. There were smiles and belly laughs, tears and deep emotions! We had it all! Lovely food and fabulous company.
WHEN: Wednesday 6th November, 2024, 10-4/5.30pm approx
WHERE: The Earth Trust, Little Wittenham, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 4QZ
The Earth Trust is a stunning venue set in natural green spaces, in the heart of rural Oxfordshire. We love their environmental and sustainability ethos and their inclusive community values.Their spaces will give us plenty of room, and access to the outdoors where we can refresh and feel reinvigorated by the stunning grounds of their natural environment. The venue has plenty of onsite parking and is close to both Appleford Station (9 minute drive) and Didcot Parkway (13 minute drive).
On the day
Arrival
Arrive at Earth Trust (Little Wittenden, Oxfordshire) for 10am. Meet your cellie buddies who you'll be spending the day with, enjoy the teas, coffees and refreshments being served.
A warm welcome
We’re really so touched that celebrants are coming from all over to spend the day with us and their celebrant colleagues. So we'd like to start the day showing our gratitude and making everyone feel right at home.
Your year in review
We’ll break everyone down into smaller groups to give you the opportunity to chat with your cellie friends and talk about your year, using our fun ranking system of awful, average, and awesome! It’s a great opportunity to reflect and share how your year has been, the highs and lows, with people who get it!
Round table discussions
With a quick mix up of the groups, we’ll continue with a relaxed round table session. We will give you a random selection of questions and topics to discuss, which will get you pondering all aspects of celebrant life and work! From the political, the controversial, the bonkers to the everyday celebrant stuff, we'll cover a lot of ground.
A lovely lunch
We’ll break for a hearty vegan/vegetarian lunch of sharing and grazing platters, and re-energize ourselves ready for the second half of the day.
Creating ceremony
Now in pairs we’re going to get you to work on some ceremony creation activities which go beyond weddings and funerals. We’ll be pushing you out of your normal celebrant zones of comfort and activating your quick thinking and creative brilliance. Just what you need, right after lunch!
Q&A session
A great time of the day for your questions to be answered by an amazing hive mind of celebrants. Ask anything you want, we’re all ears!
Debrief, coffees and chatter
We’ll wrap up the day and bring the session to an end (sniff, sniff). Leaving you to enjoy some refreshments in the company of your cellie buddies.
*Optional evening gathering
For anyone staying over for the evening, or who wants to stay a bit later, we’ll be meeting in a local pub that serves food, to continue the conversations. Venue tbc.
Accommodation
For people looking to stay over either the night before or the night of, here is a list of accommodation in the nearby area and their drive times to the Earth Trust.
Travelodge Oxford Abingdon Road, 21 minutes
The George Hotel Dorchester, 14 minutes
White Hart Hotel Dorchester, 14 minutes
The Fleur de Lys Dorchester, 14 minutes
Courtyard By Marriot Oxford South, 17 minutes (10% off when you mention Earth Trust)
Premier Inn Oxford South Didcot, 19 minutes
Premier Inn Abingdon, 24 minutes
Please click here to see a complete list of accommodation and taxi info.
Facebook group
We have now created a temporary Facebook group to have a space where people who are interested in coming to the meet-up, can chat to other celebrants, make plans, and ask questions etc. You may want to know if there are other celebrants in your area who are planning on coming and might want to organise travelling together or car shares etc. Click here to join the Facebook group.
Ready to book your spot?
The cost of this whole day event and lunch and snacks throughout the day is 75 pounds for current Celebrants Collective members (paid members, trainees and graduates included) and 95 pounds for non members. Please note that you will need to have booked your spot by October 28th so that we can ensure the best organisation of the event.
Hope to see you there!
