Land Restoration Weekend: Willowbrook Halal and Tayib Farm, Oxfordshire

The event has taken place: Below are Some Photos

We had a very full weekend at Willowbrook Farm, Oxfordshire, in November with lovely participants and hosts! 

We were two groups: a small group of Muslims and a small group of (mostly) Quakers coming together to plant trees/hedgerows together. 

As well as land-based activities, we also engaged in dynamic exercises to reflect on ourselves, enquire regarding one another's spiritual traditions.. and have fun! We got over getting a wee bit lost the first evening, enjoyed delicious food, and embraced the cold nights! It was both rough and rewarding!

The weekend was facilitated by Muzammal Hussain from Wisdom In Nature, and Joanna Bennetts-Brown, with us all learning from one another.

Thank you to the amazing  participants, to Willowborook Farm for hosting us, and St Ethelburgas who initiated the wider project. 

Limited Places

Dates: Friday 24th - Sunday 26th November 2023

A partnership event between Willowbrook Farm, Wisdom In Nature (WiN), and St Ethelburgas Centre for Reconciliation and Peace

• Do you want to participate in a weekend of collective ecological restoration? 

• Do you want to engage in deepening relationship with fellow participants, including the other than human natural world?

• Are you open to conscious conversations across difference and facilitated activities?

This event will comprise a group of participants coming through the WiN network, alongside another faith or community group: each with about 8-10 people.

For those coming through us/WiN, we invite Muslims and 'friends of Islam' (whatever that may mean for you), for whom this weekend resonates. Just look through this web-page to make sure you understand the outline of what is expected. Then, if you would like to take part, and can make it to Oxfordshire for the whole of that weekend, simply complete the form to express your interest, as the first step. 

Fully funded: The event is fully funded! Food and accommodation are covered. (Most accommodation is in shared rooms).

Travel costs: Volunteers are responsible for their own travel costs, but bursaries are available for those who need it.

The next step: Express your interest

There is more information as you continue down this page. Towards the bottom is the short form. Please complete it to express your interest and get the ball rolling.

More about the Project

Do you want to do something practical to help the climate crisis? Do you long for a closer connection with nature? Join us!

Lifelines is a large-scale volunteering opportunity that brings people together from diverse faith communities to plant hedgerows and trees across the UK.

How does it work?

Two faith or community groups spend a nourishing residential weekend together on a farm, planting hedgerows and woodland. The tree-planting activity is woven through with workshops and conversation that draw together the threads of faith / spirituality and connection with the natural world, while building a community across differences of all kinds.

A typical weekend:

You will arrive around 5pm on Friday at the farm. You’ll spend the first evening getting to know the other group, have an introductory tree-planting presentation, and go for a magical night walk.

Saturday morning, you will greet the day with dawn stretching or meditation / faith practices. Tree planting will be from 9.30am-4:30pm with a picnic fire-side lunch. The evening will be spent together in workshops, learning, and warm conversation.

Sunday will follow the same pattern, with a closing session at 4.30pm, and leaving by 6pm.

Accommodation, food and travel:

Precise accommodation options are to be confirmed, but information so far is that there will be spaces such as a teepee, a converted boat, a hut, and other options. Accommodation is mostly shared, though there may be single options.

The weekend will be fully catered, with home-made vegetarian meals from local cooks or small catering companies (dinner Fri and Sat, breakfast Sat and Sun, and lunch Sat and Sun.) Volunteers should bring flasks with their own hot drinks, and additional snacks if required.

Volunteers are responsible for their own travel costs, but bursaries are available for those who need it.

Clothes and equipment:

Tree planting equipment is provided. Volunteers should bring their own gardening gloves, and wet-weather clothes. We are able to lend certain waterproof clothes / wellies where needed.

Volunteers confirm that they are over the age of 18, and are undertaking activities at their own risk.

Any children attending are the responsibility of their parents at all times.

Express your interest using the form below! 
This event has passed!

As the event is soon and places are limited, we recommend you complete the form below as early as possible. (Once places are filled, we will open a waitlist.)

Note: A waitlst is now opened up: please complete the form if you would like to join it - we will then let you know if a space opens up

Please include your phone number if possible - we may wish to have a short chat beforehand. 

Once you have received initial acceptance from WiN, we will send you a link to complete a slightly more detailed form by St Ethelburgas, after which your place will be formally confirmed.

More about Willowbrook Halal and Tayib Farm in Oxfordshire, UK, is here>>