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Far from the bright lights and madding crowds, The Winter of Listening is an invitation to gather in good company as we pause, appreciate and reflect at this darkest and most delicious time of year. We will gather around a fire in the woods on four Sundays through deepest winter, spanning the descent towards winter solstice and the gradual return of light as we rise towards Imbolc and the hope of spring. Here we will remember that the winter is a place of dreaming, tending and preparing for the light that will return in the spring.
The Winter of Listening is an invitation into a small, conscious community to step into the darkness together. We gather across four days – 3rd December, 7th January, 4th February and 17th March. At the heart of our experience will be the hearth fire, around which we will sit in council together. Through this practice we will connect to the deepest parts of ourselves and co-create a supportive container for one another.
We will
This is a space for anyone who is seeking to consciously step into the winter, whether you have visions or ideas that need a winter’s dreamtime to bring the seeds to life, or whether you want to feel the warmth of community through the winter months.
Cost: £285 / £230* (for all 4 days) some concessions at £230 may be available subject to application
The space will be held by Christina Turley & Mark Sears experienced nature connection facilitators and long-time embracers of all things wintery and dark.
Chris Turley (she/her)
As an educator in mainstream secondary schools, Chris curates alternative learning spaces with a particular passion for land-based learning and Way of Council spaces to support emotional well-being and opportunities for reflective practice for both young people and adults.
A curious and compassionate seeker of new insights and experiences, she has trained extensively in environmental education, participating in Wildwise’s outdoor leadership programme Call of the Wild, supporting delivery of follow-on programme Tending the Green Fire and designing and delivering bespoke programmes to support facilitators reflect upon and refine vision and practice. Recent training has included explorations in consent-based education, the craft of holding space and how the natural world and embodiment can support emotional well-being.
The thread weaving through all that Chris loves to offer is the holding of beautiful, compassionate spaces, preferably within the holding of the natural world, allowing people to rest in good company, listen more carefully to what is swirling beneath the surface and dream into what might unravel next.
Chris loves this work for the same reason she loves winter: in the words of Mole from Wind in the Willows ‘you get down to the bare bones of it and they are fine and strong and simple’.
Mark Sears (he/him)
Mark is a designer of learning experiences and nature connection facilitator. He works with individuals and organisations of all kinds, weaving deep ecology and storytelling with participatory design and emergent strategy to support the inner work required to navigate these unravelling times.
Mark’s training has included Call of the Wild, WildWise’s outdoor leadership programme, and he has supported delivery of the follow on programme, Tending the Green Fire. He has trained in the Way of Council with Pip Bondy of Ancient Healing Ways and furthered his apprenticeship to myth and story with the West Country School of Myth.
Through his work he has been exploring the role of our inter-relationship with nature and how it might address some of society’s most complex and uncomfortable challenges. A movement builder, he built and led The Wild Network, a collective of organisations seeking to rewild childhood.
The spaces that Mark holds are gently playful, deeply soulful and grounded in a reverence for the wonder of the wild world.
Part human, part bear, he lives deep in the Dart valley with his family where he longs for the deep peace of hibernation in the modern world.
The timings for each day will be 10am to 4pm.
Detailed joining instructions will be sent out. Hot drinks / refreshments will be provided.
You will need:
This event is likely to take place somewhere on the Dartington estate or in the surrounding area however the venue is as yet unconfirmed. Please check in with the office on the latest.
This is a series of day events. Participants are asked to bring their own packed lunch for each day.
**Seasonal Assistants needed for 2025**
Fancy joining the WildWise team as a volunteer Seasonal Assistant next year? It’s not too late to apply! You will gain practical event management experience, develop practical outdoor campcraft skills and gain a place on our flagship Call of the Wild outdoor leadership training programme plus all our professional short courses throughout the year. Find out more here.