Chapelgarth Estate

It's World Mental Health Day - 10th October

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:34:53 GMT

Mental Wellbeing and Academia - can they go together?

As the 10th of October is World Mental Health Day it seems particularly apt to stop and reflect on what 'wellbeing' signifies in the world of academia which populates our writing retreats. As independent observer here at Chapelgarth, I have the unique standpoint and privilege of meeting academics from all disciplines and at different stages of their career paths. Overwhelmingly, these academics are from UK HE institutions, and it is about this section of the wider academic world that I feel more inclined to comment on.

As a retreat facilitator and host, I often get to know individuals in a sincere and authentic way: I meet incredible researchers who may come to our writing retreats as a last resort, when they are at their most vulnerable, having struggled to carve out writing time for months or even years. They sit quietly at our welcome meeting, uneasy and doubtful, as they feed their growing impostor syndrome…they may not have been working on a paper for weeks on end, pulled in every direction with demands put on them by work colleagues or domestic responsibilities. It takes a couple of days for these attendees to open up and talk candidly about the challenges they face every day at work, the precariousness of contracts, the overload of marking hours, the worries about the continuous ‘restructuring’ of courses due to cut-back priorities..

Luckily the sense of supportive community that we foster means that breaks, mealtimes and evening relaxation time can often become a space to share and offload work place worries – clearing the head and allowing writers to re-engage with their research work and find their focus during our structured writing sessions.

Knowing the pressures that academics are under we leave nothing to chance – and breaks become an opportunity to breathe and connect with nature in our woods and fields. We encourage everyone to connect with the green space around them - which may be yellow, orange or auburn on an autumn day. We do not guarantee a walk in the sun, but whatever the weather, rain or shine, we know that nat ure will do its bit to restore the spirits of those depleted of energy. We encourage everyone to take a piece of nature back to their desk in the hope that the restorative connection to the outdoors may seamlessly float into the silence of our writing room.

And by and large, it works…

To find out more about the latest research on Wellbeing in Higher Education see Wellbeing in the higher education sector: A qualitative study of staff perceptions in UK universities

It's International Women's Day

enquiries@chapelgarth-estate.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Sat, 08 Mar 2025 13:12:06 GMT

Celebrating and Supporting Women

At Chapelgarth we celebrate women's achievements all year round - and we like to think that we 'do our bit' to support women in a small way during their academic endeavours.

International Women's Day is a time to take stock, acknowledge all the strides that have already been made. Yet, it is not a time to be complacent.

With feminicides still being a terrible blight in every society, it is worth remembering on this special day that there is so much that still needs to change within our society as well as in countries where women do not have access to education - the first step towards empowerment.

To mark International Women's Week at Chapelgarth, we will be platforming three of our wonderful female retreaters, who will be presenting their individual research topics as part of one of our regular GlobalTees Short Talks - Big Topics evenings. There is a common theme that runs through the programme: protest, liberationism and justice (and how best to deliver it). It promises to be a very stimulating evening.. Please join us if you are not too far away! To find out more details about the programme click here .

It's ACWRIMO - How will you mark it?

enquiries@chapelgarth-estate.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 12:02:48 GMT

How will you mark ACWRIMO?

ACWRIMO? You may not have even have heard about it..

Or, indeed, you may have, but your busy life tells you that Academic Writing Month is not for you... I get it. There is quite a lot of pressure which surrounds Academic Writing Month - and the more well-known NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Personally, I dislike all the ' hype'. How many academics or PhD students are realistically going to be able to put their life on hold and dedicate a whole month to writing? Giving structure to one's day may help, however easy does it, as far as my experience goes.

ACWRIMO may just mean seizing this opportunity to reboot a good writing habit - for example finding time to fit in a writing slot every week day - we are talking about an hour or 90 minutes maximum..! Or celebrating ACWRIMO with a writing buddy, by meeting in person or online on set days of the week.

If you are looking at your calendar and are wondering - heck! It's already mid-November and I have not got going yet, don't panic! It's fine to jump on the bandwagon a bit later - ACWRIMO is like a train that has many stops, and you are welcome to jump on at any time.

Here at Chapelgarth we celebrated ACWRIMO by offering two separate writing retreats this month. We wanted to make them cosy and special, and the fire have been roaring in the common room.. we are only half way through the month but we can honestly report that everyone has been getting in the ACWRIMO ZONE here. Our November writing retreats are fully booked, but if you are looking for inspiration, do check out our upcoming writing retreat dates - we have updated our calendar to May 2025.

Owlets and Ducklings

enquiries@chapelgarth-estate.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 10:34:13 GMT

While we take a break from our Writing Retreats, we have been enjoying our chicks

Summer is our quiet time - and hopefully our retreaters are also enjoying a well deserved rest

Having said this, we have been busy with our little ones! Many of you will remember walking under our owl boxes. Recently I announced to some of you that our barn owls were especially busy - and many of you witnessed them hunting for voles at sunset or at dawn.

At last we have the owlets! Three females! Hopefully this will mean more barn owl spotting activity.

The other chicks which are now fledging are our Indian Runner Ducks. It has been a labour of love keeping them safe - as seen in the picture below - I even took them into our studio, where they spent a couple of weeks under the heat lamp, learning to swim in a bowl!

Women Writing in Social Spaces - Book Launch!

enquiries@chapelgarth-estate.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 15:23:49 GMT

Our book is out!

As some of our regular retreaters know, I have been writing a book chapter on our writing retreats at Chapelgarth - how they started, how they survived through the pandemic, overcoming challenges and embracing new opportunities, and how they continue to thrive.

I am delighted to announce that the chapter (and more importantly, the book!) is now published by Palgrave, within the Studies in Gender and Education Series . The editors have done a wonderful job, not only gathering an array of different perspectives and original contributions to the topic of 'women writing in social spaces', but summing up the contents of the book in a succinct and thought-provoking introduction. Moreover, the book is enriched by an enlightening foreword by Barbara M. Grant, who first started running writing retreats for women more that 25 years ago in New Zealand. Taking the long view, Grant comments on how far we have come, and how the different models of social writing presented by experienced facilitators in the book testify to how much this field has grown, from a marginal practice to an increasingly mainstream intervention, which Higher Education institutions increasingly turn to.

The different perspectives included in the book also demonstrate how writing retreats are becoming more popular beyond the Anglo-Saxon countries where they were first established, and suggest that many more writing retreats in different parts of the world - and in different languages - are now beginning to get established. As different formats of writing retreats are trialled out and experimented, it is clear that the 'women only', 'safe space' 'container' is not the only formula available. However, overwhelmingly, it remains true that it is mostly women who choose to join writing retreats, and for this reason, writing retreats remain, by and large, a gendered community.

Due to the time in which the book was written, most authors engage or relate to the pandemic in one way or another - describing how the new circumstances were a catalyst for transition from face-to-face to virtual writing retreats, and how the format of writing retreats adapted to the exceptional circumstances. Of these challenging times, authors recount different experiences, which are united by a common theme. Lucy R. Hinnie, who developed the #remoteretreat model even before lockdown forced everyone to go online with retreats, introduces the concept of 'compassionate productivity', as a term which best defines the different approach to the writing practice that online retreats have enhanced. As Hinnes states:

What compassionate productivity suggests is that writing has the radical potential to become something more than a tool for measurable outcomes. By reframing writing as a practice of care, rather than a measure of worth, the tools of #remoteretreat can empower and liberate writers from a cycle of self-abnegation and frustration.

There is so much wisdom, so many tips and so much positive encouragement to celebrate in this much-needed edited book, that it is difficult to sum up in a short blog. Amongst a number of powerful statements which define the essence of writing retreats, Hinnie, reminds us that a 'writing retreat is not a bootcamp: it 'reject toxic productivity'.

Comparison is the thief of joy, and our digital spaces are rife with the productivity of those around us. You do not have to engage with this. Remember that you are on your own path, steering your own ship. And what a ship it is!

To find out more about the book, join us at the book launch/ WRAP network launch on 18th March please register here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=qO3qvR3IzkWGPlIypTW3y3Zzsh_NqzxKtBldvqJSVRBUMkpIVVRYWjRMNjlPSUpZUkdUQ1ZTT05KNi4u

Celebrating Ada Lovelace week at Chapelgarth

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 13:55:20 GMT

A SCIENCE CABARET ON ADA LOVELACE WEEK:

AN EVENT DELIVERED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH A LOCAL/GLOBAL BUSINESS

From the left: Prof Raffaella Ocone; Prof. Gozie Offiah; Dr Marta Cecchinato; Dr Martine Barons; Dr Marcella Sutcliffe and

Prof. Sophie Nixon.

Ada Lovelace Day has become an established recurrence as a day to celebrate the achievements of Women in STEM around the world. Thanks to the tireless work carried out by Suw Charman-Anderson and the Finding Ada Foundation, the network of independent events celebrating Ada Lovelace has grown, with Ada Lovelace Day becoming Ada Lovelace Week and with the number of venues around the globe hosting such events growing (https://findingada.com/)

In autumn 2023, it felt like the time had come to bring an Ada Lovelace event to North Yorkshire. At Chapelgarth, the number of women scientists attending academic writing retreats had started to grow and there was evidence that such protected focused time for writing was increasingly proving very valuable for female scientists writing bids and funding applications. One example of many a regular attendee, Sophie Nixon, from Manchester University, had not only succeeded in securing a fellowship but was subsequently awarded funding for an ambitious collaborative project. This impressive achievement became a stepping stone towards her career progression to professorship.

With Ada Lovelace Week approaching, we decided it was time to take stock, shine a spotlight, and celebrate, within academia, the amazing careers and achievements of Women in STEM. Determined to find a prestigious platform to host a Women in STEM Science Cabaret, we set out to identify a business partner: Labman Automation turned out to be the perfect match – just a few minutes away from Chapelgarth, yet with a global presence in the world of robotics and AI, it was the perfect hosting venue, attracting an audience which topped more than two hundred attendees – quite a fete for an academic-related event in rural North Yorkshire!

Prof. Raffaella Ocone delivering the keynote at Labman Automation.

We set out to identify a selection of diverse women in STEM who had either previously attended a writing retreat at Chapelgarth or might be interested in attending one in the future. Amongst them were Professor Gozie Offiah . In the blog, Gozie reflect on her experience of participating in the first-ever Ada Lovelace Science Cabaret delivered in the North East in England.

Professor Gozie Offiah, Senior Lecturer at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, delivering an inspiring talk at Labman Automation.

I first attended a writing retreat in Chapelgarth in 2018 while undertaking my PhD, which focused on exploring gender issues in surgery across Scotland and Ireland. As a part-time PhD student, I struggled to juggle full-time work, family life, and PhD writing. I heard about the Academic writing retreat via the Leadership Foundation Aurora Programme. So, in Autumn 2018, I set off from Dublin, Ireland, to North Yorkshire for the writing retreat, wondering what to expect.

When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised and loved the surrounding scenery. I was unsure what I would achieve, but willing to give it a go. I was encouraged that Dr Marcella Sutcliffe, who was running the academic retreat, was an academic herself. I spent three days at Chapelgarth. I completed a chapter of my thesis but I also felt revived, nurtured and empowered. Indeed, being at the retreat inspired me to encourage other female researchers and academics in STEM to attend writing retreats in order to achieve their goals.

As a passionate advocate for women in STEM, I was therefore delighted to receive an invitation from Dr Marcella Sutcliffe, asking me to participate in the inaugural Ada Lovelace Science Cabaret in the North East of England. This unique event proved to be a celebration of innovation, collaboration, and the extraordinary contributions of women in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine. It brought together a group of women with brilliant minds and similar aspirations.

Raffaella Ocone - Professor of Chemical Engineering at Heriot-Watt University and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering - kneeling in front of her portrait - part of a travelling exhibition, 'Women in Science in Scotland', brought to Labman Automation for our Ada Lovelace event by the Royal Society of Edinburgh .

The event was held at the Labman Automation in collaboration with Chapelgarth. On the event day, I travelled from Dublin to North Yorkshire with excitement and enthusiasm. The venue, Labman Automation Lab, was transformed into a haven for intellectual discourse, creativity, and a shared commitment to advancing diversity in STEM. The Ada Lovelace Science Cabaret provided a platform for me to reflect on my journey within the academic realm, from a career in surgery to becoming an educationalist and to policy and leadership. Before the event, the speakers met at Chapelgarth for a nice tea and coffee before driving to the Science Cabaret. I had not met any of the women before then but the camaraderie among these women in STEM, united by a common mindset, created an empowering backdrop for the experiences that unfolded throughout the evening.

very.

Dr Marcella Sutcliffe (Writing Retreats at Chapelgarth with Prof Gozie Offiah.

The cabaret was a dynamic blend of science, storytelling, and artistic expression. Each presentation, delivered by inspiring women in STEM, wove together narratives that transcended the boundaries of traditional academic discourse. From captivating demonstrations to thought-provoking discussions, the event showcased the multifaceted nature of scientific exploration. One of the highlights of the evening was the opportunity to connect with fellow academic retreaters who shared my passion for fostering inclusivity in STEM. Engaging in conversations with women from diverse backgrounds, each contributing a unique perspective, reinforced the importance of creating spaces where everyone's voice is heard and valued. The Ada Lovelace Science Cabaret provided a platform for showcasing scientific achievements and acknowledging the personal journeys that shape the professionals within the STEM community.

The cabaret wasn't just an event but a catalyst for change. It underscored the need for continued efforts to break down barriers and stereotypes that persist in STEM disciplines. By celebrating Ada Lovelace's legacy, we honoured her pioneering spirit and amplified the voices of women who, like her, are making indelible marks on the scientific landscape.

In conclusion, participating in the first Ada Lovelace Science Cabaret was a transformative experience for me. It reinforced my commitment to championing diversity and inclusivity in STEM and left me inspired by the remarkable women who share this collective journey. Returning to where I started, my PhD focussed on addressing issues of gendered cultures. Events like the Ada Lovelace Science Cabaret are beacons towards a more equitable and vibrant scientific community where everyone, regardless of gender, can thrive and contribute to the wonders of disco

Celebrating a winning partnership with Andrew Whitwell, (Labman Automation) also known as 'Mr Labman'.

Chapelgarth champions Women in STEM

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 16:59:09 GMT

Chapelgarth champions Women in STEM

To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science we asked one of our regular academic retreaters - Dr Sophie Nixon, from the University of Manchester , to be our guest blogger this month. Here is her account of her experience as a Woman in Stem, her testimonial on the benefits of writing retreats for women scientists , and the plans she has moving forward .

In the past few years, I have found writing retreats to be essential. They allow me to dedicate focused time to my writing projects, be they manuscripts for publication or proposals for competitive funding, and to ‘work deeply’ without feeling as though I am neglecting the myriad other demands on my time. Now that I am a mother to a toddler and principal investigator (PI) to a growing research group, this is more important than ever before.

I have retreated to the sanctuary of Chapelgarth several times in the last few years. I adore the house, full of history and character, complete with uninterrupted views of the beautiful grounds (and resident llamas) and the North York Moors beyond. Yet I have never come across another STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) academic there. That is, until I took a group of University of Manchester Women in STEM to Chapelgarth in December 2022.

My goal was to provide a nurturing environment, peer support and time away from the daily grind - academic and otherwise - for talented female early career researchers (ECRs) to dedicate to their career progression. Specifically, the retreat focused on winning fellowships , which in the UK academic system are the foremost way in which postdocs transition to research independence.

Why? Because this postdoc to Principal Investigator (PI) transition is where STEM subjects lose female talent . In fact it’s where all marginalised groups tend to disappear. The results are damning, perpetuating the severe lack of role models in the senior ranks of academic STEM. I have experienced this first hand: until becoming a fully fledged PI I never felt much of an imbalance. But since my arrival here the gender imbalance in particular is stark. How is this still the case? Isn’t it 2023?

The reasons are many, and often nuanced. But one significant factor is the lack of career development support for ECRs. With so many PhDs and postdocs in the system, and so few PI positions, competition is fierce. To successfully navigate this transition demands not only a strong track record of publications (this is in fact a bare minimum requirement…), the other ‘rules of the game’ must be addressed. For instance, to be competitive, you should have a track record of bringing in money (even if small amounts), collaborations beyond your group (ideally international), and a vision beyond your research proposal.

These rules are not obvious to most ECRs. Those of us who have successfully navigated the postdoc to PI transition have often benefited from unofficial mentorship. Such mentorship is not equally available to all, however, partly due to a lack of senior female role models, in addition to systemic and often unconscious biases. For instance, fellowships tend to be awarded to those with several years of postdoctoral research experience, which often coincides with when women have children. It makes what should be a flexible and rewarding career trajectory seem insurmountable to many.

I feel strongly that there is insufficient support available to ECRs to craft a competitive fellowship application. It is also clear that, to address the ‘gender leaky pipeline’ in academic STEM, talented female ECRs deserve this extra support as a matter of urgency. The Chapelgarth Women in STEM Writing Retreat was my attempt to address this need.

A group of 11 Women in STEM from University of Manchester drove up the M1 (thanks train strikes!) shortly before Christmas for a wintery retreat at Chapelgarth. These women were selected based on their goals of applying for competitive fellowships in the near future, and so those with a year or more postdoctoral experience were prioritised. Prior to the retreat, I had set up a Slack Workspace so we could all introduce ourselves. This also became valuable when we realised there would be train strikes and we’d need to car share…

Once at Chapelgarth and sufficiently caffeinated and sugared with cake, we dedicated the first two sessions of the retreat to tips and tricks learned from my own experience, and that of fellow Fellow Dr Laura Richards. Laura and I hold the same internal tenure track fellowship, and she has also held external fellowships in the past. Our presentations told our own career stories, and helped to illustrate that no two journeys are the same. We were incredibly fortunate to also be joined by Rachel Cowen, Professor of Inclusive Research and Academic Development at the University of Manchester. Rachel brought a huge degree of experience and wisdom to our discussions, and organically became a go-to advisor for one-to-one sessions throughout the following day. These early sessions were informal, intended to serve as safe spaces to discuss the ups and downs of striving for research independence.

The remainder of the retreat was dedicated to writing. We were treated to glorious snowy vistas outside, nourishing vegetarian food, as much tea and coffee as we could manage, and the most nurturing home you could wish for to focus on writing. It truly was a retreat, and a hugely successful one at that.

The feedback from these Women in STEM was overwhelmingly positive. Everyone felt they left feeling more informed on how to apply for fellowships than when they arrived, which was the goal of the retreat. The testimonials speak for themselves. When asked what they liked most about the retreat, responses included:

“Talking about my issues with women in a similar position and hearing what they’re struggling with too. Also the location was beautiful.”

“The honesty when sharing everyone’s experiences and doubts, which is very different from institution-given seminars on the same topic. I think, with this event, more meaningful discussions were born and I really took home a lot of food for thoughts that I think will help me frame my future applications better.”

“Networking, hearing about others experiences and learning about the tips to have a successful application“

The networking aspect in particular was appreciated:

“I also really enjoyed meeting other postdoctoral researchers from the University of Manchester. Just a week after the retreat, I have been talking with people I met at the retreat about collaborating on a research project.”

Since the retreat, several of these Women have applied for University of Manchester tenure track fellowships, and one retreater commented “I wrote a lectureship application for Imperial College London and updated my CV [during the retreat] and applied for the job 5 days later”.

The funding for this was one-off, but given its success I have since successfully argued for the School of Natural Sciences at Manchester to fund at least one of these a year for the next three years. Dr Marcella Sutcliffe and I also have grand plans of launching a Women in STEM writing retreat series at Chapelgarth open to all, whether at the University of Manchester or not. Watch this space!

Celebrating our writers again!

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 14:15:38 GMT

Reading our writers

It's been a while since we were able to open our doors to our local community and platform some of the amazing research and writing that comes together at Chapelgarth.

With November coinciding with both ACWRIMO and NANOWRIMO it seemed like the perfect occasion to get going again and present the recently published book by author and Chapelgarth writing retreater, Helen Mort. As usual , it was quite an informal affair - a conversation and dialogue between Helen, myself and the audience - with no online streaming this time. It felt rather old-fashioned opting for an 'in-person' only event - but it paid off. The evening felt intimate and cosy, with the fireplace lit in the background and attendees feeling at ease and relaxed. It meant that there were lots of questions and opportunities to discuss the very compelling topic that Helen has unpacked - the relationship between motherhood and risk taking, in all its forms, but foremost, through the lens of the life of a female mountaineer, Alison Hargreaves.

The timing seemed particularly ideal as Christmas is nearing and friends and families are beginning to wonder about small gifts to but their loved ones. The audience was a mix of young mums, dads, grannies and intrepid outdoorsy people - of which there are many in North Yorkshire! There was also, as customary the supportive presence of fellow retreaters who had been on the writing room and goalsetting with Helen throughout the day ( Helen is now working on her next book).

Celebrating the publication of a book is a good reminder of the 'end goal' for everyone. As usual we had a mix of disciplines amongst our female academic, and the atmosphere - in and outside the writing room was supportive and convivial.

It's ACWRIMO and we've got NEWS for you

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 15:23:51 GMT

It's AcWriMo and we are On A Roll..

The larger table near the bay window, benefiting from natural light and beautiful views, now accommodates comfortably two writers, so that they may benefit from the 'writing pool' experience.

Our first term of the 2022-23 academic year has only just got under way, but it has been busy! Our regular monthly retreats have been fully booked and we have had the pleasure of hosting two groups of colleagues - the former one (in September)meeting at Chapelgarth for the first time on a workshop and the latter one (in October) being a wonderful group of returners from Sheffield Hallam University. It has been an opportunity for trying out new retreat formats as well as new workstations for our writers, and feedback has been very positive.

Unsurprisingly we are now gearing up for our big event: we are hosting two Writing Bootcamps https://www.chapelgarth-estate.co.uk/boot-camp to mark ACWRIMO - three-night residential stays of writing productivity and wellbeing. These were booked well in advance and are sold out so we hope we will be able to offer more of these in the future.

The good news is that we have decided to open up new dates for an additional writing retreat in November!

The dates are

22-24 November - the writing retreat is open to individual academics from all disciplines..

... So if you have not yet committed to a writing schedule for Academic Writing Month, you are still in time

to sign up for this. All types of bedrooms still available.

New Retreaters from Afar

Fri, 22 Apr 2022 14:30:19 GMT

There's a a feeling in the air...

As more and more retreaters packed their bags from further afield to join our Writing Retreats, if definitely felt as if the air had lifted and things were gradually getting back to ‘normal'. One Dutch academic from Amsterdam, who had had to postpone her retreat in January due to Covid restrictions being reintroduced throughout Europe in early 2022, safely landed at Teesside airport and was able to join her colleague from Newcastle University at Chapelgarth. Being under the same roof somehow makes the job of co-editing a book so much easier!

The following two weeks saw two full cohorts of PhD students join us from Ulster University. Meeting people via our Virtual Writing Retreats and then turning these virtual encounters into face-to- face residential writing retreats has been one of the small blessings of the past few months.

Landing respectively at Leeds International Airport and Newcastle airport, the Ulster students were from an array of disciplines drawn from the Arts and Humanities and the Social Sciences. The evening meals were a buzz of conversation, involving fascinating topics relating to Northern Ireland’s history, memory and identity. Having a few feminist activists in the mix meant that hot topics were not shunned! It was very exciting to have amongst our creative retreaters two winners of the 2021 Turner Prize – from the Array Collective – we only wished they could have taken their award-winning pub with them!

Breaks were spent in our customary manner, taking walks in our wood and in the fields, as the weather gradually grew warmer. Fallen trees however signalled the signs of the recent storms in the North of England: a majestic oak was one of the casualties and now lies on the side of the field, not less impressive in the way it graces the landscape: it is now becoming one of our retreaters' favourite destinations, not least because of its position - one can really bask in the sun here on a warm day..

Whether inspired by the fallen oak or by the airmiles covered, three Ulster University writing retreaters chose to donate their own tree – and plant it! – which means that our Writers’ Woo d project is now under way in earnest! Hurray!

On the last evening of the first Ulster University cohort there was definitely a celebratory mood.. not only had we planted three trees... but so much progress had been made by this intrepid bunch of retreaters.. indeed one of them had written the word THE END to the last chapter or her PhD! What a whirlwind of emotions and excitement!

As we said good-bye with a heavy heart to this first bunch of PhD students from Northern Ireland, we felt cheered at the thought that there was another group of Ulster PhD students following in their footsteps. March being an unpredictable time of the year, the weather had changed dramatically by the time this group settled in to work. Our walks were a chilly affair and we saw the last snow of the year (hopefully!) settle onto our fields.. it did not detract from the purpose: so much work was done, so much achieved.. and even with the snow covering the daffodils, everyone had the guts to go out in the yard to set their morning writing goals.. there's no stopping this lot!

Hopefully, with the flight from Belfast to Newcastle being well under one hour we will see more academics from Northern Ireland join our writing retreats!

A Writers' Wood

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Sun, 13 Mar 2022 12:06:49 GMT

Our 'Writers' Wood' Project: Get involved!

Welcome to our spring blog!

As the crocuses start sprouting in our garden and the country opens up, with Covid restrictions easing, we look forward to welcoming more writers on our spring writing retreats here at Chapelgarth.

Our spring wreath on the front door now greets our retreaters as they reach the house. We are hoping that this will be a season full of wild flowers that we can all enjoy together on our mindful walks! Our ‘wild meadow’, in the front field is now in its second year since we prepared the soil and sowed wild flower seeds, so fingers crossed! To celebrate the spring season, we have now opened up a new ground floor bedroom, with neighbouring shower, which we are calling the ‘Meadow Room’ due to the views that it will enjoy in the right season. Watch this space!

The daffodils are about to bud along the track that lines the tennis court, and the plantations we planted during lockdown are slowly and steadily growing. Seeing how well these trees are doing has inspired me to initiate a new venture, which we hope our writing retreaters will support. We would like to devote the far end of the big field - which frames the meadow and leads into our arboretum – to a Writers’ Wood , which will be there for posterity in remembrance of all the academic writers who have come to Chapelgarth to be inspired, to be creative and to be productive. I have decided that the wood should be made of SILVER BIRCH trees (including some spectacular Jackmontii variety) only, so that the area devoted to the writers will be clearly identifiable all year round, thanks to the white barks which will set these trees apart from other woodland. The dimension of the wood will entirely depend on how many writing retreaters choose to sponsor a SILVER BIRCH to offset their carbon footprint when they attend one of our writing retreats. Writers will have the option of planting the tree themselves (between March and October), and all the names of donors will be collected in a special 'Writers’ Wood' Book , which will include the date of planting.

If you attended a writing retreat in the past and would like to donate a tree please get in touch! It will certainly give us a head start! If the wood grows big enough we envisage to create a mindful walk through the beeches which will hopefully inspire many writers to come.. To find out more see https://www.chapelgarth-estate.co.uk/writers-wood

Oh!-Micron Disruption!

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 14:35:20 GMT

It's been a bumpy start this January... but those who made it to Chapelgarth enjoyed some intimate writing retreats which were no less productive..

PHOTO by Angela Lawrence

The year started with our regular - early January Writing Retreat - ever so popular and oversubscribed - planned in the diary well in advance. I was pacing myself for a busy few days following the Christmas holidays, but already our family Christmas had been derailed due to our relations having Covid, so I might have thought that it was a sign of things to come..

When the time for our first 2022 writing retreat came, the country was under a new shadow - that of omicron - the new Covid variant which was proving to be very contagious. We had five participants who chose to postpone - to the glee of those on our waiting list - but then one of them tested positive to the pre-retreat lateral flow test, so we were down to four participants.. We went ahead regardless - and those who made it were rewarded. There were high levels of productivity, lots of space for everyone, and opportunities to relax in front of the open fire in the evening... Thinking that writers are often keen wordsmiths, I had bought a game of scrabble, which was a roaring success!

The following cohort was a group of Newcastle departmental lecturers, who had attended the Chapelgarth Writing Retreats in the past. There were a couple of new ECRs with them - but again one of them was unable to make it due to testing positive to the lateral flow test on the day prior to departure.. there was definitely a theme this January. Those who came were able to reset and make a good productive start to the new year - there were also lots of opportunities to recharge in between writing sessions, with mindful walks in our wood and indoor yoga sessions in the evenings, as the short days curtailed any late outdoor activities.

Our last writing retreat of the month ended on the day Covid restrictions were lifted and masks were no longer legally required in England as Plan B came to an end. As many others, we have mixed feelings about the sudden change. For the time being, our retreaters should still expect to have meals in our spacious studio, which allows for social-distancing; we will still have at least two writing rooms which allow writers to work at a safe distance to one another. We are, of course, looking forward to the weather getting better, and eating outside on our veranda again... and there is some hope, judging from the first snowdrops that have shown up this morning..

Saying Good-Bye to 2021

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 19:10:48 GMT

As we close the door on 2021, and enter the festive season, we look back on another unusual year for us all.

Like any hospitality business, our residential writing retreats suffered considerably from the continuing effects of the pandemic in 2021. We were only able to start operating with in-person writing retreats at the end of July, having delivered until then a substantial number of virtual writing retreats. Many of our planned retreats were disrupted - not least a carefully planned residential stay for a group of creatives from the Tate Gallery . With publications due and time running out we made the bold decision to transfer their writing retreat online. We delivered. But the frustration was deep.

Boris Johnson's last minute decision to extend restrictions a further three weeks in July had taken its toll.

At last, by the end of the month we were able to open our doors again. We knew we could do it safely as we has already run residential writing retreats with small cohorts in the summer of 2020 - and all the feedback from our retreaters had been positive.

Once again we were 'Good to go'.

In barely six months delivered nine residential writing retreats , including 3 in November to celebrate ACWRIMO . We started getting booking from GROUPS once again - and it was particularly warming when these bookings came from previous retreaters who had enjoyed the experience individually and were telling there colleagues and sharing their writing success.

We particularly loved seeing regular retreaters returning: immediately settling in and feeling at home here at Chapelgarth or finding their favourite spot, whether it was a 'desk with a view', a comfy chair to curl up on at the end of the day, or a well-trodden morning walk before setting their goals.

As many, we now look to 2022 with hope, despite the challenges that OMICRON has recently opened up. We are still planning to run our early January retreat - followed by two more in the same month. And we are now planning more dates for February, everything going well. We look forward to welcoming here many PhD students who we met online in the last year or so... that will really be the best feeling!

ACWRIMO at Chapelgarth

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 12:28:47 GMT

How to celebrate Academic Writing Month in style!

There's no denying it - academics who know when it is Academic Writing Month will feel a sense of expectation as November creeps up on them. Will they be able to make the time for squeezing in a bit more writing than usual? Will they be able to find the mental space to keep the structure of the writing days going? What strategies should they employ this year to keep up a sustainable pattern of writing during and beyond #ACWRIMO?

With these same questions in mind, I set about planning the November calendar at Chapelgarth Writing Retreats with the firm intention to offer the opportunity to write to as many retreaters as possible! We managed to run three residential writing retreats and two virtual writing retreats.. so we feel we have done our bit this year!

In early November we ran one of our regular two and a half days writing retreats, open to academics from all disciplines and institutions: it was an all-women writing retreat, which included a couple of returners, some experienced retreaters and some new to the experience. From senior lecturers, planning books, to a Master student working on her funded PhD proposal, we probably had the greatest range of experiences to date. We had a couple of colleagues who had come together from Newcastle University - and who promptly started planning for their next retreat here in 2022 ; we also had academics who had come from further afield - from Edinburgh and from Bristol University. As always, it was a supportive community of writers, and the writing certainly got done: it felt like an excellent start to #AcWriMo.

The following week was completely different. We hosted a facilitated residential writing retreat for a Group of academics from SOAS (University of London - School of Oriental and African Studies ) . The week coincided with the university reading week - and what a clever way to maximise the departmental outputs potential! The idea of organising the writing retreat had stemmed from the awareness that the pandemic had often badly affected the productivity of many academics - mostly women, many from ethnic minorities. The group leader was determined to turn things around.

The SOAS group writing retreat was also the perfect way to get colleagues to reconnect as well as write, after the stresses and pressures that many of them had experienced.

In between residential writing retreats I was able to deliver a couple of virtual writing retreats for the Society for Research into Higher Education . This was the perfect way to connect to academics, beyond our location in North Yorkshire and it was lovely to see again - albeit virtually - some familiar faces. I was particularly curious to meet Vadna at our online retreat, as I knew that she would be coming to stay during the upcoming residential writing retreat, which Vadna had signed up for.

Vadna, who is writing a piece of historical fiction based on her own family history in Guyana, had many of us spellbound during the convivial evening meals, as we learnt about the extraordinary characters amongst her ancestors, as well as the many tales about her own life as a Lecturer to undergraduates and English teachers at a Provincial University in China.

With the weather in Yorkshire still being mild our retreaters were able to continue profiting from the outdoors. We provided warm throws so that everyone could 'walk and talk' in the quadrant while planning their goals...

Finally, with the winter sun shining on us, our wood was in full glory throughout the writing retreats, and it was great to see how the large majority of our retreaters was happy to join us on our mindful walks - the perfect way to recharge in between sessions!

A Post-Pandemic Mini Launch of a Graphic Novella

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 15:29:57 GMT

We are delighted to announce the mini-launch of a graphic novella by one of our own..

While we are now open at Chapelgarth, regularly running residential writing retreats, the memory of the impact that the pandemic had on so many female academics' daily life is very recent - and its effects are still very tangible!

When we heard therefore that one of our writers had spent part of the lockdown trying her hand on a visual representation ok UK Lockdown from the female perspective we could not resist finding out more.. We were so taken by Kate Carruthers Thomas ' initiative that we decided we should celebrate with a proper mini-launch when she booked in for a residential writing retreat here at Chapelgarth.

We had been missing our regular 'GlobalTees' events, and we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to reconnect with our retreaters - whether they were actually here with us and Kate - or further away. We asked Alice Wilson, a regular retreater here, if she would join us in a conversation with the author.. and we then decided that we should open the room to all our retreaters...

Please join us online on 7th OCTOBER at 6.00 pm

All you need to do is register here and we will send you a link!

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/five-survive-lockdown-a-graphic-novella-by-kate-caruthers-thomas-tickets-185982728347?fbclid=IwAR1nekus_duvnOllembBP7nImOw-7WHFF93FXfts5LZfU3fpzJMDEk3xQXs

See you there!!

Post-Pandemic Retreat

Fri, 06 Aug 2021 18:05:30 GMT

When we opened up again after many months of virtual writing retreats, it was lovely to welcome to our residential writing retreat, amongst others, Alice Raw, a PhD student from Oxford University .

Alice had been nominated by her supervisor for one of our CWR Awards for female PhD students - and after much deliberation by the judges, she was the deserving recipient of our 'Resilience in a Pandemic Award' .

In the blog that follows, Alice shares her story.

I was so honoured to be the recipient of the Chapelgarth Writing Retreats Award for Resilience in a Pandemic. When I was notified about the award in January, I was in an incredibly difficult place with my work. A mixture of personal circumstances around the pandemic meant that over the previous ten months or so, I had to move home twice, while trying to shelter due to underlying health conditions, and simultaneously care for a partner affected by long-Covid. Many sleepless nights, with fears about the future, making sure I was bringing in enough for us both to live on, while also trying to finish my DPhil, meant that my work had taken a hit. In fact, I hadn’t managed more than about half an hour of writing at a time, too tired, stressed, or busy to do more.

Marcella generously offered all of the nominees a series of virtual writing retreats early this year. The first that I joined, in February, was the first time in almost a year that I sat down, took ownership of a time and space that was for me and my work, and wrote for an extended session. It was also special to meet a group of women doctoral students, all in similar stages, going through a uniquely challenging time. In a year that had often felt very lonely, those early sessions were, for a few hours at a time, a small community. I started to adopt some of the habits I learned there: switching off my phone; specifically allotting myself tasks; and reflecting more on what I had managed to achieve, and what needed to happen next.

Coming to Chapelgarth, I read Marcella’s preparatory notes and readings, but otherwise had very few preconceptions or expectations of what a writing retreat would be like. It meant I was really keen to commit to the format, avoiding the internet and my phone during writing sessions. I think the best thing that I did before coming was making sure I had plenty of handwritten and printed notes to work from, so that the writing room really was purely for writing. For me, focussed writing is probably the most difficult part of my work, so it was good to enter the space for each writing session knowing that all my thoughts were in place – it was just a matter of getting them onto the page. The effect was really tangible. I found that with no other distractions and thorough preparation, in a few hours I could get done what may have taken me a day or two at home. I also found it was important to be flexible with my goals. In some sessions, I did more than I expected, and used the momentum to keep producing past my goals. In others, I spent a long time unable to resolve a particular thought, and this needed space too.

Something that I was not really prepared for was the effect of being in an entirely supported working environment. It came as quite a shock! Anyone who on a day to day basis does a certain level of domestic and emotional labour will, I think, understand something of this. Something as simple as a wonderful meal prepared by another person in itself is a very special kind of care, and it felt very meaningful to me to share food together. Having four days where all that was expected of me was that I write was incredibly freeing. It also came with an emotional response, where it felt like 16 months of weight was lifted all at once. For me, this resulted in an unfortunate flare of my chronic fatigue which took me out of the writing room for a day. Even in this Marcella and everyone else on the retreat was so kind and supportive, and I heard repeatedly what I haven’t heard in the longest time: this is your body telling you it’s time to rest, so rest.

The advice I’d give to doctoral students (or anyone really!) coming to Chapelgarth is to open yourself up to the whole experience, and sharing your thoughts, personal and academic, with the group. Some of the most important developments in my ideas during the retreat happened while chatting to someone in the middle of the wood, or while saying hello to a llama. I learned the most from the moments where I explained the problems I was experiencing with my work, and benefitted from being surrounded by people who had all had comparable experiences and challenges. At the retreat, I finished the last really difficult part of my thesis, which as I write is in its final read-through with my supervisors. But the experience was so much more than the output, and I couldn’t be more grateful.

'Writing Italy' - PGR Writing + Networking Online

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 15:36:56 GMT

'Writing Italy': Our First PGR Networking Community at Chapelgarth

After over a year of pandemic-related restrictions, PhD students had spent the entire academic year without meaningful interactions with their peers: the life of a student had never felt so lonely. Sure, international conferences had gone online, and webinars were becoming increasingly ambitious, with tightly scheduled panels of experts meeting around virtual round tables at all hours of the day to serve time zones across the globe, but the greater was the international conference, the more passive the attendees became, with cameras, switched off for all the audiences, other than the panel speakers.

It was while attending one of these conferences, and having the coffee break in my kitchen, that I reflected on how vital those coffee breaks at conferences were for postgraduates’ networking: the serendipity of exchanges, the unexpected introductions, the casual conversations which led to that ‘light-bulb’ moment’.

I decided to set out with an experiment. I had been running virtual writing retreats from Chapelgarth Estate for long enough to try and tweak the format. The aim was to bring around our virtual writing table at Chapelgarth PhD students who had not experienced the structure of a writing retreat before, and who were working in the same disciplinary area. I was lucky enough to find in Prof. Robert Gordon , from the Italian Department at Cambridge University a sympathetic listener, who was willing to experiment with the new format which mixed writing and networking sessions, in a new programme which we launched: we called it ‘Writing Italy’. Ten PhD students from the Italian Department signed up. As a historian it appeared clear to me immediately that in order to achieve the maximum benefit from the networking sessions the interest groups should be divided according to chronological parameters. We therefore had a medieval/renaissance expertise group and a contemporary literature group. In the blog below PhD candidates, Luigi Pinton and Tommaso Forni write about their experience with this new virtual writing venture at Chapelgarth Writing Retreats.

Luigi Pinton is PhD candidate in Italian at the University of Cambridge . His research project investigates second-hand testimonies in Italian contemporary literature. He holds a Laurea (BA) and a Laurea Magistrale (MA) in Modern Literatures from the University of Siena. He was Erasmus exchange student at the University of Warwick (2015-16) and at the University of Cambridge (2017-2018)

Tommaso Forni is currently pursuing a PhD in Italian at the University of Cambridge , working on early modern reference books as instruments of knowledge management. He holds a MA (Hons) in Modern Philology and a BA (Hons) in Humanities at the Università Cattolica in Milan, where he graduated with a thesis on the textual variants of Petrarch’s Triumphs.

It has been more than a year since we were plunged into many detached bubbles. Our human interactions have shrunken and our days have been marked by a lack of drive and diversification. This state of perduring numbness has posed a unique challenge to our social and professional lives, with a deep impact on relational habits and working patterns. Therein lies the relevance of the virtual writing retreat Marcella offered to the postgraduate community in the Italian Department at Cambridge, which gave us a chance to reflect on our writing strategies. Although it had to take place online due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the daily workshop relied on the same techniques and tools developed for the longer writing retreats that usually take place at the wonderful Chapelgarth Estate: structured writing time, moments of discussion among participants about their own current projects, and wellbeing activities.

Covid restrictions and the consequent constant feeling of uncertainty were making it harder and harder for us to find the right concentration to work, so we welcomed with a certain sense of relief the opportunity to spend a day just focusing on writing. And indeed, the daily workshop at Chapelgarth provided us with the perfect space and time we were looking for. During the day, two writing sessions (one-hour-and-a-half long each) were followed by mindfulness exercises and time for networking with other colleagues, presenting our own ideas and receiving feedback. Time was led by Marcella’s thoughtful guidance (and punctuated by the sound of her antique pendulum clock!).

The day started off with a joint discussion aimed at setting everyone’s goals for the following sessions. Writing a doctoral thesis means working towards a long-term objective, so distant that sometimes you just cannot bring it into focus. If we think back at the tremendous amount of time we spent deadlocked or aimlessly wandering through fuzzy pages, we realize how important it is to set targets in advance and start writing with predetermined goals.

Once each of us decided what to work on during the following hours, the proper writing session began. The unusual experience of writing surrounded by a sense of community, which was enabled by leaving the pc cameras and microphones (our digital senses) on, reminded me of the meaning of sharing a working space, be it tangible or virtual, a library or an online platform. A feeling of reality spreads from the presence of others within the same environment, and this helps to focus on the actuality of writing rather than getting lost in thoughts, distractions and alternative “social networks”. We then presented the results of the session to small hubs, aka breakout rooms, set up on the basis of thematic affinity and coordinated by Marcella acting as facilitator: how strenuous, but how helpful it is to write knowing that you have to account for your achievements right after! In addition to the advantage of orally formalizing our writings, these moments of presentation produced an exchange of feedback which laid the foundation for the second writing session, where we went through our pieces in light of the mutual suggestions. Since we were all part of the same section, the atmosphere was very friendly and relaxed. This prompted us to freely share our thoughts and ideas and to discuss them openly. The success of the day was not so much about the amount of work completed (which can vary depending on personal tasks or the stage of writing), but rather on the organization of time and on the safe space that Marcella offered us, free from external preoccupations and distractions.

The day’s work was punctuated by mindful breaks focused on wellbeing and body consciousness. The act of writing makes us dive in a kind of disembodied dimension, where we somehow forget that we do have a body. Hence the significance of such moments to regain awareness of ourselves. Further, especially now that our houses have assimilated our workplaces and we tend to mix up different aspects of our lives (do you sleep in the same room where you work too?), I personally feel like I need to bear in mind to differentiate business and pleasure, work and leisure!

At the end of the day we found out that we had achieved perhaps something better and more important than just getting a few pages of writing done. Before the writing workshop we were all more or less stuck with the writing of dense and complex sections of our theses. The writing sessions helped us to break down the issues we would have liked to address and to find the right words to explain them in a clear and simple way to our colleagues. The process of focusing for a limited amount of time on our project and of sharing our own ideas brought us to clarify our minds around many troubling issues and provided us with the right approach to complete the chapter in the following days. The retreat also led us to problematize our writing habits and strategies. Thereafter, we developed the useful practice to set our goals for the day, and to make an effort to identify and separate work and relaxation. We have learned to think of writing as a structured activity rather than a flow to the point of exhaustion!

If you would like Chapelgarth Estate to run a Writing and Networking Online Group , focusing on specific or cross-disciplinary interests (within or across individual institutions) please email: info@chapelgarth.com

More information on 'PhD Networks @ Chapelgarth' can be found here:

https://www.chapelgarth-estate.co.uk/writing-italy

Planting Trees and Starting New Ventures

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Wed, 28 Apr 2021 14:03:53 GMT

Lockdown has been a time to take stock. So here are the first signs of renewal and new beginnings of exciting projects.

April has been a very eventful month at Chapelgarth. New beginnings have included getting under way two completely new plantations, refreshing the vegetable patch and launching our very first online talk, as part of our GlobalTees events!

With all the talk about sustainability and the need to plant more trees for the good of our planet, we felt that it was time to do our bit so we started by sourcing trees that would take to our soil and weather conditions. Two of our fields have now been turned into plantations thanks to the grants we received from the Woodland Trust. We were asked to plant 1600 ‘English trees’ and were sent an array of tree species including cherries, beech, and oaks.

With our usual 'lockdown walks' having become a bit repetitive, planting trees was a welcome diversion from the regular type of daily exercise - indeed, we had a few volunteers - all socially distanced and outdoors! They did not hold back and the whole lot of trees were planted in the space of a week - thanks to the weather being on our side..

Can you recognise which fields are being turned into woodland?

As if 1600 trees wasn't enough, we got going on the vegetable patch. This needed some serious revamping - lots of weeds and exhausted soil, so we set out to build our very own vegetable beds - or 'sleepers' as some call them. I enlisted my son Ed to do the work - pointing out that the taller they were the better... can you picture how much more pleasant it will be to weed without having to bend and stoop? Frankly, I am considering including gardening as a new 'mindful activity' during our writing retreats breaks - the vegetable patch has a beautiful view over the Cleveland hills and I expect people will be queueing up for weeding! (I may have to put up a special joining list for the 'Gardening Club!

Last but not least! Many of you will remember how during the last few residential writing retreats we started delivering some public engagement talks to our local community. The last 'GlobalTees' Talk had been on March 2020 - literally the week before we had to close due to the pandemic! - and we were missing that engagement with the local community..

We therefore decided to take the plunge and have our first online GlobalTees event!

Nadia Ostacchini (actress) and Melanie Hughes (author)

We enlisted an academic, historian Prof Claudia Baldoli (Universita’ Statale) from Milan, an author, Melanie Hughes, and an actress, the wonderful Nadia Ostacchini from the Tricolore Theatre Company, who read passages from Hughes' historical novel with great gusto! Baldoli, who is an expert in the history of the Italian community in the UK between the two wars, provided the audience with the necessary historical framework, and we had a very enjoyable evening!

There were 49 people in attendance, from all over the country and beyond! We can definitely say that Teesside went ‘Global’ with our last GlobalTees talk… So there’s a sliver lining..

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY FESTIVAL - WOMEN AND WRITING

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 12:27:57 GMT

I was delighted to be asked by Dr Kate Carruthers Thomas , Senior Research Fellow at Birmingham City University and A theNA SWAN Project manager at Birmingham City University to take part to the BCU xChange2021 monthly Festival marking International Women’s Day. https://libguides.bcu.ac.uk/c.php?g=661270

The packed schedule covered an array of very topical issues, including, on the 8 ^th of March Dr Mandy French (HELS) and guest speaker Sukhwinder Salh (Aston University) discussing some of the barriers women researchers and academics face in academia. As Thursday afternoon was dedicated to exploring ‘the significance and experience of online writing communities for female academics, especially during the pandemic’, I was especially keen to join Dr Kate Caruther Thomas in the discussion.

Looking back on the last four years, running and facilitating residential writing retreats at Chapelgarth, and then switching to virtual writing retreats, I felt there was some room for reflection. The landscape of female writing communities has grown considerably and has adopted new forms, with technology playing a big part in this shift, following the Covid19 crisis.

My thoughts went back a few years, to Newton and Murray’s seminal article, ‘Writing retreat as structured intervention: mainstream or margin?’ (2009), https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07294360903154126

when the authors argued the potential of writing retreats vis a vis the growing importance of ‘measurable’ levels of outputs, and therefore 'productivity' in academia. With the focus firmly on the departmental rewards of staff ‘productivity’ the authors wanted to make a claim for moving writing retreats from the ‘margins’ of academia and placing them firmly within the ‘mainstream’ of academic practice. Evidence showed that the number of words written within writing communities of practice notably exceeded those that academics might have produced if working in isolation. The case study was based on the demonstrable enhanced levels of productivity which had been observed in all-women writing retreats,

The argument was cogent in itself – particularly when made in the context of increasing weight being given to the number of RAE/REF submissions. The authors claimed that given the measurable value (in number of words produced) that writing retreats ostensibly had, a case could be made for departments - angling to score highly in the context of research assessments – to finance the attendance of academic writing retreats on behalf of their staff. This was 2009 and writing retreats were admittedly unequivocally at the margins of academic practice. They were slowly beginning to gather some following in academic circles in Australia, but not so for the UK.

The particular type of academic writing retreats that the article argued for was the structured retreat with a trained facilitator leading the group through goal-setting, timetable, accountability etc. Everybody was in the same ‘writing room’, with the ‘writing pool’ model leading the way.

Having trained as a writing facilitator and having largely adopted the model promoted by Murray I developed my own voice and style as a facilitator, particularly having found that Chapelgarth Writing Retreats offered the perfect container to develop the restorative element of the breaks – which are intrinsically connected with the concept of a writing retreat.

I introduced mindful walks in our woods, yoga sessions, llama stroking as well as forest bathing and field bathing … all these activities were thought out with wellbeing in mind.

The socialising element was often the most energising part of the day – the fact that the academics around the table were from different disciplines and institutions opened up insightful conversation with often the opportunity for cross-fertilisation.

Another aspect which enhanced cross-disciplinary conversations was the introduction of our public engagement opportunities, which gave a platform to diverse women to articulate their research questions and findings in an accessible manners to our local community.

As Chapelgarth Writing Retreats got more and more established we were able to offer regular residential writing retreats to small groups of women as well as writing retreats open to groups from Doctoral Training partnerships and other groups which were institutionally funded.

One might have felt that, very slowly writing retreats were creeping from the ‘margins’ into the ‘mainstream of academic practice, when in March 2020, the world came to a standstill..

I was quick to realise that women in academia were suffering the worst effects from isolation from peers and/or the excessive burden from caregiving duties and domestic responsibilities and I therefore set up a series of regular all-women writing retreats from April, which ran, on and off through the three UK lockdowns. In the meantime other groups were set up, women found ‘writing buddies’ and took to meeting up online for short writing spurts. The Zoom revolution took writing retreats by a storm.

In the last few months I have been delivering virtual writing retreats to groups of PhD students from a number of UK universities: the attendees are overwhelming female, but not all of them are. The pandemic has shifted the ground for everyone and the toll of isolation is being felt widely. As universities have been forced to move teaching online, virtual writing retreats seemed to have carved a space in this new level playing field. So, the question is: have writing retreats migrated from the ‘margins’ to ‘mainstream’ thanks to the online revolution?

We are all yet to see how university teaching platform will evolve once the pandemic emergency is over. Whether a ‘blended’ form or teaching and indeed ‘retreating’ will emerge and survive the test of time is still to be seen.

There is a claim, I would like to make, however, for the benefit of returning to residential writing retreats, and indeed drawing them too out of the ‘marginal’. The enormous benefits to mental health that derive from an in-person writing retreat, the conviviality and the many opportunities of connecting with nature and mindful activities will be all the more important to all, academic women especially, once we are allowed to venture out again

Planning Residential Writing Retreats again!

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 13:06:03 GMT

Here's to a fresh start!

At last we have said good-bye to February! It’s been a blustery month here in Yorkshire, with the snow visiting us intermittently and gusty winds battering the old roof day and night! The conservatory roof has indeed collapsed and we are now in the process of getting quotes for the repairs!

However it certainly has not been all bad.. the days are getting longer and the sun has a beautiful warm glow after so many months of grey skies. I am loving the late-afternoon walks – such a treat to be able to have light after 4.00 pm! The lighter days have been working very well with the Virtual Writing Retreat routine, which I have kept up thanks to new institutions coming on board. I have been working with a number of UK universities, offering a structured writing space as well as more lively breaks! With so many people working in isolation, it has been great to get a number of writers together to share downtime as well as goal-setting and challenges.

The wood is waking up and every day I cross the beck to go into our arboretum I see more snowdrops, crocuses and anemones peering at me. We have got a grant to be planting some new saplings along one of the fields which borders the wood; more trees are on their way and will be planted in March in the furthest part of the tennis field.. so lots is happening and hopefully you will all be able to see the progress yourselves before too long!

I am now advertising new dates. While I am holding back on announcing our spring dates while we wait to see how successfully the government-planned opening up phases rolls out, I have some good news to share: all the 2021 writing retreats will be open to 3 night stays (instead of two nights) at no additional cost.

Confirmed dates - which can be booked on the website are:

14th-17th September

5th - 8th October

I have also introduced an earlier arrival time (if you can make it) so there will be two writing sessions on the Day 1 .

Looking forward to welcoming all writers again!

Welcoming 2021

enquiries@chapelgarth-estate.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 16:37:08 GMT

WELCOME TO 2021!

As we said good-bye to 2020, we looked on to the new year with expectations and new hope. Unable to host our now customary January residential writing retreat, we look to the spring with abated breath as we pencil in our post-lockdown(3) dates for this April.

Things have been a bit quiet lately, but I have cherished the happy moments as they have been all the more precious!

We had some wonderful snow in the first week of January, and I was even able to try out some gentle langlaufing in the fields ( a first for me in the UK!). Crips morning walks in the wood and in the snow-covered fields proved to be positively therapeutic, with the crunching of the snow under foot and the muffled sounds of nature against the white rolling hills. I missed sharing these moments with retreaters and I thought I'd share a few pictures here.

While the house was quite quiet, I was kept very busy sifting through the many submissions that we received following the launch of Chapelgarth Writing Retreats AWARDS - Resilience and Resourcefulness in a pandemic ! We received 30 submission from amazing female candidates across the whole of the UK! It was really hard shortlisting the candidates and the winners are yet to be announced. Watch this space - the names of the winners will be posted on social media and then on our website on 15th January..

The shortlisted candidates are:

Resilience in a Pandemic: Emma Nuding (York University)

Anna Hegland (Kent University)

Alice Raw (Oxford University)

Resourcefulness in a Pandemic: Nikki Rutter (Durham University)

Ana Luisa Serta (BBK)

Sonali Dhanpal (Newcastle University)

I am extremely grateful to our panel of judges, Dr Kate Carruthers Thomas (Senior Research Fellow/BCU Athena SWAN Project Manager at Birmingham City University), Dr Marzia Maccaferri (Associate Lecturer at Goldsmith College) and Dr Trudi Tate (Affiliated Lecturer at the Faculty of English, University of Cambridge) for their contribution in the decision-making process. As one of the judges pointed out, it would have been quite tempting to give everyone the prize - each one of them deserved a residential writing retreat!

This seemed to me even more necessary following the news that the country would be once again in lockdown...

I have therefore invited all candidates who were nominated for the CWR AWARDS to join me for three days of LOCKDOWN FREE VIRTUAL WRITING RETREATS - I hope many of them will be able to make it: they are a wonderful community of resilient and resourceful women and I can't wait to get started!

Chapelgarth Writing Retreats AWARDS

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 11:19:21 GMT

STRENGTH, RESILIENCE AND RESOURCEFULNESS IN A PANDEMIC - Call for nominations

As we write, the mood of the nation seems to be slightly lifting: the announcement that a first batch of vaccines will be ready for rollout next week suggests some cautious optimism for the months to come. I have been in touch with a few groups to reschedule residential writing retreats which have been long delayed.. These have been difficult months for everyone, from small businesses like ours to university students.

As the year 2020 comes to an end we have decided to close on a high: we are establishing the Chapelgarth Writing Retreats Awards to recognise the incredible challenges that all PhD students have faced this year. As our residential writing retreats were on hold, most of our contacts with PhD students were online, thanks to the virtual writing retreats that we ran between the beginning of lockdown 1 and the end of lockdown 2. I was able to make new connections and to familiarise myself with some of the many challenges that PhD students were encountering. I was particularly struck by the case of Miriam Liggins, who overcame what seemed to be like insurmountable challenges which had been thrown up by the pandemic. I was inspired by her example and decided to set up three awards for women PhD students: the STRENGTH, RESILIENCE AND RESOURCEFULNESS AWARDS.

I decided that Miriam should be the deserving recipient of the first award (STRENGTH in a Pandemic), which we delivered on a very small Zoom ceremony attended by all my family!

We are now looking forward to receiving nominations for two further awards:

RESILIENCE in a Pandemic AWARD

RESOURCEFULNESS in a Pandemic AWARD

For more details see the CALL FOR NOMINATIONS HERE

Lockdown2 - Virtual Writing Retreats 2

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 15:18:03 GMT

Beat the #Lockdown2 Blues.. Academics unite and write! It's our FREE VWR again..

Who would have guessed that in November - known to all writers as AcWriMo (Academic Writing Month) Chapelgarth Writing Retreats would have its doors shut once again! It is quite ironic and also a real shame as there was so much we would have liked to do this month!

But - hey-how! - it is what it is. And if there is one appointment that I have missed that is the regular 'WellWriteWednesdays' which I established at the beginning of lockdown1. So many months later, some of our regular retreaters will have reached their goals, submitted chapters, articles, grant applications and even whole PhD thesis.. and yet some of them may be feeling that joining our virtual writing table is just what they need in order to get the writing done..

Frankly, November has not got off to a good start, what with the US elections, UK and Europe in lockdown, not to mention terrorist attacks in EU capitals (I was horrified to hear that one of our retreaters was having a night out in Vienna, where she is currently carrying out her research, on the night of the recent attack. Such a relief to hear that she is safe.

Anyway.. with all this going on around us, feeling part of a writing community which supports us and encourages us to keep going may be just what we need at this point.

I am delighted to offer a new series of regular weekly free Virtual Writing Retreats, starting

Tuesday 10th November 9.30-13.00 (and every Tuesday until the end of lockdown2).

Check the details online https://www.facebook.com/events/362511584843259

See you there hopefully!

Re-opening after lockdown: welcoming residents back

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 13:54:04 GMT

After four months of lockdown and many virtual writing retreats, July saw our first residential writing retreat re-open..

Opening up after lockdown is a journey that starts long before the doors open: this applies to any business, from pubs, to restaurants to hairdressers. Carrying out a risk assessment can be fraught: there are so many new questions to answer, so many new situations to pre-empt. No matter what service a business is delivering, the customers’ safety has to come first. The challenge of those who work in the hospitality sector is to ensure that customers are still having a relaxing and even spoiling time while all the necessary additional post-Covid19 safeguards are in place.

When considering when and how to re-start our residential writing retreats all the above considerations prayed on my mind. In addition, I was acutely aware of our resident academics’ peculiar needs: not only did they need to feel safe and looked after, as the term ‘retreat’ promises, but they would need to garnish enough focus and concentration to write! Indeed, in some cases this meant resuming work which had long been interrupted due to lockdown: whether it was lack of structure or supervisory routine or the challenges of being weighed down by relentless child-care responsibilities, it was clear to me that opening up residential writing retreats at Chapelgarth meant to offer a genuinely required provision.

From carrying out a risk assessment to registering with Visit England to qualify for a post-Covid19 accommodation quality kitemark, all the paperwork was carried out. Guidelines in the meantime were changing by the day.. but we decided to stick to the most cautious of guidelines: the recommended 2 metre distancing for individual writing desks and eating stations (indoor) and a more relaxed minimum of one metre distance outdoor. This would include breaks in the garden, in the conservatory, in a pagoda (for larger numbers) or in our woods. Numbers for now would be limited to a maximum of 7 participants – with each retreater having their own allocated washroom.

New PaWe have had to sacrifice the ‘writing pool’ concept to some extent: sadly sharing one big table is not practical these days: instead we have now two writing rooms – each with three desks located two metres apart – so each writing room is a writing ‘bubble’ – to use one of the new post-lockdown terms.. We are lucky that we have plenty of space so that goal sharing and informal conversations can be shared in other rooms – such as our large dining room space, known as the Artist’s Studio.

After all the preparations above, last week our post-lockdown set-up was finally put to the test! Our participants had been sent detailed instructions about sanitizing stations, social-distancing measures etc. They were real stars – each one of them seamlessly adapting to the new post-lockdown measures.. be the end of the retreat the ‘new normal’ even felt.. well, normal!!

The best bit for me was the feedback after the retreat – I was over the moon with amount of writing that has been produced: two fiction writers’ creativity had evidently been unlocked, and one returning PhD student rated this writing retreat the highest ever in productivity!

I am really delighted to be able to reassure everyone: even in these strange, ‘unprecedented’ times residential writing retreats are still sprinkling some magic dust on everyone!

If you are interested in attending a residential writing retreat please check our website.

Three big-picture reasons to go on a writing retreat

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 14:07:07 GMT

Lockdown had at least one silver lining: it allowed us to make new connections, widen our network and make new academic friends - albeit virtual ones! In June this meant teaming up with Dr Eleanor Pritchard FHEA, host of The Thriving Researcher project, which puts doctoral and early career researchers first, through events, resources and support. Eleonor, who is an Associate Fellow of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford, Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute, and Fellow of the Higher Education Academic, leapt at the opportunity of us joining forces.. it turns out she has quite a bit of experience of writing retreats herself! Here is her advice.

‘I don’t have the time, the money, I should be doing other things, it’s self-indulgent, I wouldn’t need this if I had better self-discipline’…. And a hundred other self-flagellating questions and comments…..

This was my monkey-mind response to an advert I saw twelve years ago for a writing retreat.

But I was a whisker away from being completely burnt out, so I went, because I didn’t have the energy not to.

I found the experience transformative and, ever since, I’ve continued to make time and space for this as a practice. Even when time and money are tight, and pressure is high. In fact, particularly at these times.

Why? Because of the words I will get onto a page during the precious, protected hours of the retreat itself, of course.

But from a broader perspective, because like yoga or mindfulness, while there’s benefit in the practice itself, the greater benefits are often ‘off-the-mat’. You can choose to let them permeate the membrane of the retreat and carry through to your everyday life, to be nurtured and cultivated. And that’s profoundly nourishing, not only for your writing life, but for your whole self.

After over a decade of attending writing retreats, here are three key things I’ve learnt along the way.

1. It’s staking a claim to time and space for writing, and that’s more important than you might imagine

If you’re anything like me, if you don’t schedule writing time, the writing doesn’t get done - academic or otherwise. It’s 5:37am as I’m writing this sentence (with a large mug of strong black coffee close at hand), and the only reason that’s possible is because I put ‘write post’ in my diary, and showed up to do it.

But research writing is a sustained effort over the course of years, during which you need to stake the claim to writing time and space over and over again, amidst the (sometimes deafening) clamours of competing claims.

I realised why this matters so much in the second year of my PhD, when I was struggling through what the Thesis Whisperer evocatively calls ‘the Valley of Shit’ and working a full-time teaching post at the same time. I hit a wall and couldn’t get anything written; I felt completely paralysed whenever I sat down at my desk. My wonderful supervisor gently reminded me that ‘we write to think, not after we’ve finished the thinking’. It was an absolute revelation to me.

I wrote it on a piece of bright yellow printer paper, stuck it above my desk in my attic study-bedroom, and promptly sat down to write imperfect, half-formed thoughts. Three years later, when I packed up the room after my viva, it was the last thing I took down; the sticky tape had peeled at the edges, the paper faded by the sun to buttermilk and the ink bleached almost to invisiblity.

I don’t need the paper now because it’s tattooed on my soul:

If you don’t make time to write, you’re not making time to think.

2. It makes a solitary activity social, and somehow, the whole brings out more in individuals

It’s been exhilarating watching the The Thriving Researcher x Chapelgarth Writing Retreats take life over the course of June, under Marcella’s stewardship. All five sessions have been overbooked and run long waiting lists, as members of the Thriving Researcher community from Accra, Hong Kong, Cape Town, Leiden, and all across the UK have come together to write.

But participants don’t need to come from that far afield for there to be something magical about a group coming together for that shared purpose of writing. At both ‘in-person’ and 'on-line’ retreats, that sense seems to create a bubble around participants, which empowers them to go a little further, be a little braver, and show up a little more in their writing.

If you’ve ever attended mindfulness or meditation classes, it’s like the difference between practising mindfulness on your own, compared to a class practice. There’s a qualitative difference in my concentration; companionship brings a sense of ease - of getting started, keeping going, and playing with ideas on the page.

As our collaborative retreats have unfolded, research students and early career researchers at all stages of their professional journeys, working on all sorts of writing, and coming from a wide spectrum of disciplines, have found something about the act of writing in company which allows them to nudge their work forward.

3. Consider which wolf you feed: how writing retreats contribute to broader practices of self-care

There’s a parable, attributed to the Cherokee, of a grandfather talking to his grandson, and describing a constant battle inside each person between two wolves: one representing the positive and the other the negative. The grandson asks his grandfather which will win, to which the grandfather replies ‘the wolf you feed’.

The monkey-mind struggle I sketched at the beginning feels like it resonates with this parable because it wasn’t just about the retreat. It was a strand of a much bigger struggle between the wolves of self-care and ‘just keep pushing’. I know from our Thriving Researcher community, that this is all too common a struggle for many research students.

I was a full-time doctoral student, self-funding, and working a full-time lectureship which involved extensive long-haul travel (far less glamorous than it sounds) and staggering amounts of marking. My self-talk was always along the lines of ‘if you really want this doctorate you just have to do more, work harder, start earlier, be more efficient’.

For a long time, the ‘push harder’ wolf had the upper hand, but my first writing retreat marked a turning point, and now, most of the time, the self-care wolf wins the day. Maintaining the principle of retreating is a key resource for me in securing this outcome.

Over the course of twelve years of retreating, I’ve written reams, thought big (and little) thoughts, made new friends, visited new places, and been inspired and energised by the glimpses I’ve had into other people’s work and lives.

I hope you have the opportunity to give it a try sometime - either online or in person - and you find it a positive contribution to your own writing practice and self-care.

If you’re a PhD student or early career researcher, connect with us over at The Thriving Researcher ( www.thethrivingreseracher.uk ) for events, resources and support.

Managing the challenges of ADHD while in Lockdown

Wed, 03 Jun 2020 18:10:37 GMT

Ever experienced 'Covid-19 overwhelm' in the new world of relentless Coronavirus news updates?

Fear and anxiety have soared during lockdown, making focusing on writing increasingly difficult. In this blog Camice Revier, University of Cambridge, who suffers from ADHD, tells us about her experience, how lockdown affected her mental health and why she found joining our weekly Virtual Writing Retreats so helpful.

Entering graduate studies as an adult with ADHD is perhaps the greatest challenge I’ve ever faced. I dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and did not return to education properly until 37. This was immediately following a 20-year career and my daughter’s high school graduation. At the start of my academic journey I sought out appropriate support resources and with these managed to successfully complete an Associate of Science in Environmental Studies and Science at City College of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Molecular Environmental Biology at University of California, Berkeley.

In 2014 I optimistically began my MPhil in Medicine, Psychiatry, at the University of Cambridge. With the support of my ADHD coach and my study skills tutor I made it through this degree but found that all of the tools that had served me well during my undergraduate education were insufficient to the task of graduate education. Although, I made it through, this was not without having to overcome many obstacles along the way. There are no books or published research on how to appropriately support graduate students with ADHD or to successfully study as a student with this type of specific learning disability. I found the most challenging component of this to be the critical writing skills necessary to succeed in graduate education and as a researcher. However, I am nothing if not tenacious and I sought out every short course the university offered on writing skills and tools to assist me in overcoming the barriers I faced in the context of my challenges with focus and translating knowledge into a linear format.

It was not until 2019, well into my PhD, that I discovered the University of Cambridge Writing Group and this initially was a lifesaver. I finally had a construct under which I could apply the tools I had learned, focus in chunked segments and create an external method of daily accountability that helped me achieve my writing goals. It was in this group that I first heard about Marcella Sutcliffe and her Writing Retreats at Chapelgarth Estate. I was very interested but had yet to prioritise my time to attend one.

Then in March 2020 the world changed, Covid-19 put us in lockdown, and I was frankly panicked. Not so much about the virus, as I felt we were doing the right thing in response but about my complete inability to work from home and now…I had no choice. After the first few weeks of getting nothing done and feeling somewhat hopeless about it. I received the invitation through my writing group to attend one of Marcella’s Virtual Writing Retreats, that she had generously organised free of charge to support women academics during this challenging time. I could not have been more grateful, and hope returned!

Since I’ve begun attending, I’m working effectively again and getting a remarkable amount done. Although the days we have writing group are certainly my most productive, it has even helped me get in a productive cycle that I’m able to build on the rest of the week. I’ve taken to meeting virtually with another member of our virtual writing group and we attempt to replicate this another day during the week. Although, it’s never quite as good as the days guided by Marcella, it is a huge help! I can’t imagine how I would have gotten my work back on track without these remarkable retreats and I can’t wait to attend one in person when we are again able to do so.

For those of us with ADHD there are two times, now and not now. Without a system of external time tracking, accountability, and positively focused short-term goals…we are lost. Despite all the intellectual aptitude and dedicated intention to achieve our aims, we find ourselves spinning our wheels and failing to complete the most important tasks in our lives. The most efficacious solutions I have found to combat this are those applied in structured writing groups, like the ones Marcella so effectively facilitates. This allows me to create a positive external time tracking and accountability system. I can utilise this to be functionally aware of the passage of time and slowly chunk my way to the successful completion of large bodies of well-articulated writing.

Virtual Writing Retreats

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Wed, 06 May 2020 11:31:54 GMT

Our 'WellWriteWednesdays' are now a regular feature of our Virtual routine at Chapelgarth

So here it is.. the hero of our Virtual Writing Retreats... It ticks-tocks noisily in the background and has to be muted during the writing sessions, but it comes into its own - somewhat clunkily! - as the breaks approach.. I hear the wheels of its hidden bodywork grind into position and then - Yey! It chimes: all its eleven times at eleven o'clock.. Regular attendees now know it.. you can rely on it being a couple of minutes late.. but hey-ho! - as Facilitator I am prepared to put up with this little quirkiness.. I like to know that our writers are somewhat connected to our writing residence even though they are inhabiting only our Virtual Writing Room during Lockdown. I love the fact that this old clock, which has ticked through many-a-world-crisis is now playing its part in the world pandemic, entering into the houses and flats of our virtual writers through its chiming sound, and keeping us connected through its sound..

Because, while 'shut-up and-write' is the mantra of any self-respecting Writing Retreat - the sounds and chatter of our breaks are just as important at Chapelgarth Writing Retreats, whatever their form! Those who are regular attendees will remember how our Edwardian gong plays its part in 'rallying the troops' back from walks and runs when it is time to eat! Well, our gong is very quiet now, but I like to think that the mantelpiece clock has taken up this role at this time of crisis!

Reflections of an Experienced Writing Retreater

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 13:42:30 GMT

Dr Rachel Bower, Poet and Researcher, School of English, University of Leeds is a regular retreater at Chapelgarth Estate, which provides her with plenty of inspiration!

I was introduced to the benefits of writing socially over ten years ago, during my PhD. The first writing retreat I ever went to was a simple, two-hour session in a classroom, set up by Moira Faul . Although I was a little sceptical about the difference that this approach could make, I was amazed at how much I got done in those two hours! I have since become a complete convert, and have participated in many writing groups and retreats, from 25-minute ‘pomodoro’ type sessions, to wonderful two-to-three day retreats like the ones that Marcella runs at Chapelgarth , modelled on Rowena Murray ’s evidence-based academic writing retreat model. In addition to these longer retreats, I now meet regularly with a small group in Sheffield, which Andreana Drencheva and I started four years ago so that we could prioritise our writing and reduce the isolation of the process.

The underpinning principles of the writing groups and events I have participated in have tended to be quite similar: setting and sharing achievable goals; minimising internet use in the writing room; writing with other people; supporting each other; developing the writing ‘muscle’; and taking proper breaks and physically moving the body.

The writing retreats that Marcella runs at Chapelgarth are very special. They are retreats in more than one sense of the word – not only offering participants the opportunity to step back and take a break from the busyness of academic life to create two days of protected writing time, but also offering a kind of sanctuary – a shelter – in which participants can nourish the body and soul with nutritious food, beautiful fields and woods, yoga and Marcella’s warm hospitality. I truly felt looked after at the two retreats I have attended. At home I juggle work with three children, so I have very little time and space to think, and the retreats at Chapelgarth have given me a complete boost – mentally and physically, as well as in terms of my writing.

At my second retreat at Chapelgarth, I was also lucky enough to be invited to share my research at one of the interdisciplinary public events [ Global Tees - Short Talks, Big Topics ] which Marcella runs, in which researchers attending the residential writing retreats give short accounts of their research, followed by time for lively questions and discussion. It was lovely to talk about poetry and literature alongside researchers talking about mars, calves and sustainable housing solutions! I have met some wonderful people on the retreats, and this has opened up the opportunity to discuss ideas and research that I would never usually come across. It has been a real privilege to attend these retreats, and I am looking forward to the time when we are through our current crisis, when we can all get together again at Chapelgarth Estate!

Lockdown at Chapelgarth

info@chapelgarth.com (Marcella Sutcliffe) — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 11:34:05 GMT

As everything has changed in our routine, we have been focusing on protecting the NHS

Staying connected virtually is one of the few things we can still do – so here’s an update of what we have been up to at Chapelgarth since lockdown descended on the country on 23rd of March. In absence of our Writing Retreaters, and due to the unusual times which have engulfed each member of the family, our adult children are back in the family home: Francesca, normally a busy teacher in London, is back in her old childhood bedroom, now known to everyone as the ‘Suffragettes Room’. Ed has settled back into ‘Major Dixon’s Room’ and Cecilia is – not surprisingly – in ‘Cecilia’s Room’.

The house – built in 1909 – has seen many a time of crisis: it was here when World War One broke out and it waved good-bye to Major Clive Dixon, when he joined the front in 1915, never to return. The house was here during the Second World War, when so much of the surrounding countryside was put to good use in order to feed the nation. At this time of national crisis we also thought we should do our bit. With Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) running short on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19, Teesside’s enterprising spirit gave us the perfect opportunity to volunteer.

In the early days of Labman Automation’s effort to repurpose one its building, workforce and finance to set up a local volunteers’ operation we were recruited to produce visors for the NHS. Francesca, Ed, Ceci and myself volunteered twice a week to contribute towards this common effort to protect the NHS: the ‘labmasks’ are going to James Cook’s Teesside Hospital, Cooper’s Pharmacy in Great Ayton, and increasingly well beyond the region. Last week we had totalled 20,000 masks.. and the numbers are growing every day thanks to the tremendous community effort! To find out more about the initiative see the link

https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/army-ordinary-teessiders-making-thousands-18055839

Here are some pictures of the Chapelgarth Team at Labman.

How to Master Writing Retreats in 6 Simple Steps

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 15:28:49 GMT

On our last Writing Retreat, hosted before Covid-19 brought lockdown to the UK, I asked one of our participants to share her thoughts about attending her first retreat at Chapelgarth. Alice Wilson, PhD student, York University, Sociology Department sent us her thoughts and a few tips for everyone!

It’s looking like the clustered spring bulbs will be the only ones allowed to crowd together for some time. Luckily for us, our writing retreat at Chapelgarth Estate took place just before the increasing social distancing measures were rolled out. The impact of those few days was so striking, my productivity so extraordinarily high, it prompted me to consider if there were simple, distilled mechanisms underpinning the success of the retreat. After doing some research and making not one, but four flow-charts, I have come-up with the following six steps to mastering any writing retreat. I hope they are useful to you.

1. Be gentle with yourself about your goals for the retreat. It would be ill-advised to set yourself up for disappointment by committing to writing six thousand words over the course of a two-day writing retreat. Much more sensible is to set yourself up to exceed your own expectations by setting attainable goals that will still progress your project even if you do not exceed the word count. And if you do, all the better.

2. Prepare for the retreat. This means reading relevant papers, notes, chapters. It also means bringing hiking boots or wellies so that you can enjoy the rousing great outdoors on one of Marcella’s fantastic woodland walks. Bring leggings so that you can enjoy the morning yoga that she offers. Bring a journal and a pen to doodle, record your thoughts and feelings about the days; this can be exceptionally revealing and make for fascinating and illuminating reading at a later date. Bring a memory stick, just in case. Being well prepared is a way of giving the gift of relaxation to yourself.

3. Make friends with everyone. It was an utter treat and unearned privileged to be marooned inside Marcella’s stunning period home with a collection of such powerful and brilliant women that it could make one weak at the knees. If you can possibly manage it, don’t just talk to people out of a sense of obligation or politeness; instead, get excited about this unknown friend and find out how you can help them – who could you introduce them to, what books have you read that might help them. The cascade of positive outcomes that arise from this way of approaching interactions in writing retreats is vast.

4. Turn up at the page. This is perhaps a more abstract incitement to creative arms, but no less valuable. You will be more productive if you can silence your inner editor. When the scheduled writing times commence, write something, anything, and keep writing. Everything can be changed or removed afterwards. Try not to get in your own way; first drafts are just that. It is a sad truism that we find it so intuitive to berate and scold ourselves and our creative attempts with a cruelty that we would never use with others. This is creative sabotage, and is one tool in a full psychological suite that aims to keep us mired in the present moment so as to avoid the inevitable humiliations and failures of the future. When this voice arrives in your minds ear, thank it for trying to look out for you, and then politely but firmly inform it that you are going to proceed anyway.

5. Eat all of the food. Marcella makes her own granola from scratch, so I think that pretty much sums up that point. If your particular writing retreat is not catered then do try to prioritise plenty of nutritious food if you possibly can, because eating well is vital to our ability to think well and feel good. Drink water. You know the drill.

6. Celebrate your accomplishments. We could all do with a little more of this. Celebrate each other’s accomplishments and allow yourself to own the successes you have achieved. Research suggests that those who offer sincere praise to others tend to have closer friendship groups, better relationships with their colleagues, and are rated as more reliable and competent. Confident happy people who like themselves give praise, and in the words of Amy Cuddy “Fake it until you become it. It’s backed by science.”

Writing retreats have been shown to cultivate a focused productivity that is hard to find at home or in the office. The added benefits of staying somewhere like Chapelgarth is that everything is taken care of for you; sensational food, exercise, socialising, glorious rooms with capacious beds, writing, more food. I was astonished at how much good work I got done in two days, and these six simple steps underpinned my enjoyment and my output. I hope they can do the same for you.

You can follow my research into tiny houses here: www.tinyhouseresearch.co.uk

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The Benefits of Being a Serial Retreater

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 15:48:45 GMT

Elena Pershina (Edinburgh Napier University) has been attending regularly Residential Academic Writing Retreats at Chapelgarth since 2019. Elena is a seasoned retreater and has a wealth of experience in attending Writing Retreats while completing her PhD. She sees herself as one of many ‘serial retreaters’. In this blog she explains what this means to her and how the experience has impacted on her doctoral ‘journey’.

Why do you define yourself as a ‘serial retreater’?

I have been to multiple retreats and feel very comfortable with the model. My first experience was in April 2017 when I was considering leaving my PhD because I could not see a way to finish the research project. I have experienced lots of changes (changes in supervisors and topics) and at the end I felt an overwhelming sense of isolation, desperation and doubts that prevented me from progress. My first writing retreat helped me reshape my theoretical framework and make significant progress with my PhD. Ever since April 2017 I have been using retreats as a way to motivate myself and to help myself to address my anxiety associated with writing. I strive to adapt the model in my daily life and use social accountability and structure of writing retreats to make progress. I define the term ‘serial retreater’ as a person who uses writing retreats as a model for writing and it certainly has been revolutionary for my academic life.

Have you experience of different retreat venues and facilitators?

Yes, I have experience various retreats and facilitators. I have been attending Rowena’s retreats and self-organised retreats by her followers as well as writing sessions provided by the university.

What are the most important elements of a Writing Retreat in your view?

The most important elements of writing retreats are: the structure, social accountability and support of others as well as the setting. In fact, I believe the setting is absolutely vital to the process. It needs to be a quiet environment with good light and no destructions. I also believe in a symbolical meaning of a table and siting in a circle. I have been to retreats with a more relaxed set up where participants could come and go during the writing sessions and use chairs as well as writing outside of the dedicated room and I felt that the ‘relaxed’ component of this environment killed the social accountability and the focused energy I usually feel during writing retreats. It is almost like a ‘quest’ to sit down with your fellow retreaters at the dedicated hour and start writing in a circle each focusing on their own project. There is a sense of belonging and purpose in that setting and that very ‘focused energy’ is what helps me to overcome the most dreadful and most complicated sections of my PhD.

How important is it for you to socialise and have opportunities to share your PhD experience with other people?

I find it extremely important. PhD is a very lonely journey and to be able to talk about it with others is extremely important. The advice and support I received during my retreat are invaluable. I also appreciate the opportunity to meet and talk to people from different disciplines and different walks of life. During the PhD process students are often encouraged to attend conferences in order to shape their network and meet fellow academics. I personally find writing retreats to be a much better way to achieve these goals.

How important is it to be in comfortable homely surroundings?

Extremely important. It is the combination of highly concentrated sessions and a good break as well as good food and fresh air which makes writing retreats so productive. Feeling comfortable and be able to truly relax during the break is vital for the process.

What are the attributes you look for in a facilitator?

The facilitator should be friendly and encouraging, open and approachable as well as structured. These are traits which are not always easy to combine, because at times the role of facilitator requires to interfere in conversations and keep the time in order to maintain the structure.

Marcella, you are a great facilitator! You always manage to create a very supportive group environment!

Does attending a Writing Retreat help you ‘re-set’ and re-establish a sustainable writing routine?

Yes, I think so. I certainly learned a lot though attending writing retreats. I believe that my current knowledge about writing could not be gained elsewhere.

A North Yorkshire Writing Retreat for postgraduates from Nottingham University

Thu, 10 Oct 2019 09:09:59 GMT

A North Yorkshire Writing Retreat for postgraduates from Nottingham University

Our September retreat saw a substantial presence of postgraduate students from Nottingham University. The cohort was an interdisciplinary group – students did not necessary know each other when they set off, but they were part of the same Doctoral Training Centre.

Thanks to the postgraduate student representative and group leader Cerys Gibson , all necessary organisational aspects were addressed and the Nottingham University cohort arrived promptly at our door at the end of the month. We received Cery’s blog post which we are delighted to publish.

As a PhD student, and a representative for my funding body’s year group at the University of Nottingham, I am all too aware of the difficulties that this stage of an academic career brings. My cohort had reported a lack of research community, wanting more support for their mental health

and wellbeing and more structured writing time. I thought that a Writing Retreat organised exclusively for Postgraduate Research students funded by the same body across disciplines, would be the perfect way to address these three concerns.

I chose Chapelgarth Estate as it combined dedicated, structured writing time with wellbeing activities and the space to unwind and get to know other participants. Marcella was very welcoming and encouraging and we soon had a group of 8 of us from different PhD stages and disciplines, Law,

Politics, Education, Geography, Psychology, Linguistics and Health Sciences on the minibus to the Estate that was to be our home for the next 3 days.

And what a home it was! As our minibus drew up to the drive, we were excited to see such a beautiful house nestled in the countryside. We were greeted by our friendly host and shown the airy, comfortable writing room where we would be working, overlooking the garden. And although it

of course was not a priority, we were shown the break activities we could be engaged in- table tennis, tennis, boules, trampolining, let alone going for a walk in the countryside to see the llamas!

What followed was three well-structured days of solid writing time; I managed to rewrite my methodology chapter that I had been putting off for some time. Although I worked fewer hours than I would have done in the office, I worked a lot better. Distractions were not permitted in the writing

room and so my mobile sat upstairs, and my laptop could not connect to the wi-fi at the other side of the house. Instead I worked hard for hour and a half segments, long enough to make good progress with my writing plan, without getting side-tracked with replying to e-mails or following

twitter. This dedicated writing time was separated with well-planned breaks, always with a cup of tea and homemade cake, but then with a choice of yoga, forest bathing or any of the activities

scattered around. The important thing was to take a proper break- to get up and move and talk to others and not to stare at the computer screen. This meant that we returned to work refreshed, with a target for our next session and enough caffeine and fresh air to feel that we could meet it.

The food helped the productivity too. Marcella had a chef who served up compote from the orchard, porridge, freshly baked bread and poached eggs and mushrooms. Lunch was at least 5 different serving trays of spicy rice dishes, vegetable lasagne, butter bean salad and other dishes we passed

around the warm kitchen. Dinner was served in the dining hall by candlelight with jazz music playing softly in the background. We had three course meals of delicious, healthy vegetarian food. We asked

the chef for her secret ingredient, and though she said it was love, we soon found out it was butter!

Eating well for three days, without a bowl of Celebrations to graze through, without having to think about what to eat and when (and how!) to cook it meant that we could concentrate on writing and

enjoy our free time.

This meant that while I had an incredibly productive three days, rewriting my methodology chapter, I also felt relaxed and refreshed. I had chatted with my colleagues from different disciplines and we gave each other advice, and perspective, on some of the research issues we were facing as early stage academics. We were all delighted to be on the Retreat, that although we had to work hard and Marcella made sure we stuck to our writing schedule, we also felt very spoilt by the end of the week and did not want to leave!

The Retreat was therefore a success in the three objectives and it had given us a clear structure for self-guiding our own work in the future. I’m not sure how well I will stick to it without Marcella’s encouraging discipline or Roma’s warm lunches, but the idea of the Retreat, and the support of my

new colleagues across the DTC will put us in good stead for the future, or at least until we go on our next Retreat as a reminder!

With many thanks to the ESRC for funding the Retreat and to Marcella Sutcliffe.

Mothers in Academia: Encountering a Residential Academic Writing Retreat

Thu, 29 Aug 2019 08:56:31 GMT

Mothers in Academia: Encountering a Residential Academic Writing Retreat

The summer brought a few surprises: our August Academic Writing Retreat had a high contingent of mothers in academia. While the kids were on holiday it was probably the most challenging time to carve out space to write… our residential writing retreat provided some mums with the solution. One of our participants, Katarzyna Fleming who is an Associate Lecturer, a part-time PhD student at Sheffield Hallam University and a mum, agreed to share her experience.

As life goes by, one seems to understand one’s individual needs slightly better and one starts recognising the calling of one’s inner voice whispering: ‘slow down’, ‘look after yourself’ or ‘be kind to yourself’. It may sound like a cliché, but my experience is that listening to this ‘inner voice’ can be particularly challenging for mothers juggling academic commitments with the hurly-burly existence that motherhood often entails.

Since I entered the wonderful world of motherhood, going to work has become a different kind of enjoyment. Calm descends on me once the school run has been accomplished and I enter a new zone: I leave behind the practicalities of the school run, often involving (as for many working parents) pre-work multitasking, including getting up the children, supervising teeth-brushing, ensuring the breakfast is eaten, negotiating tantrums, getting packed lunches ready, and on it goes..

Once I enter the ‘work zone’ I am thrilled to be preparing and delivering power points and discussing reflective tools with my students who don’t want to sing nursery rhymes on loop… There is so much I enjoy during my working day as a teacher (including having warm cups of tea and coffee which I remember I made), but if there is one thing that I really cherish as an academic it is engaging with writing. There are many benefits to this: academic writing supports the conceptualisation of one’s ideas, helps one synthesise concepts, theories and data and ultimately supports one’s own understanding and learning process. In order for this to be effective, however, academic writing requires structured periods of reading, thinking and ‘putting words on paper’. This proves hard to achieve when the many roles pull us in so many different directions.

Attending the writing retreat at Chapelgarth made me realise that I needed to create protected space for my writing: this would only be possible by putting on hold my other responsibilities. The space that the retreat provided was invaluable. I particularly benefited from having daily and sessional goals (which I secretly competed with myself on!); opportunities to discuss experiences and interests with other academics and postgraduate students; and being absolutely spoilt by the setting and the care which was put into making us feel at home at Chapelgarth! (The surroundings were stunning, guided walks before lunch were a real treat, meals were scrumptious and delicious cake during breaks was the cherry on the top!).

I prepared for the retreat diligently with all my documents, with previous writings safely stored on the USB stick and laptop and I managed to edit/write 4/5 of one of my doctoral thesis chapter. I set out to complete 2/3 of the chapter, but following what I would term as my ‘productivity awakening’, my goal was substantially exceeded. The academic writing retreat made me realise that the real value lies in the detachment from the everyday, usual surroundings and familiar structures; by being somewhere else, a place and space dedicated to writing only, I was able to keep my focus undeterred by other commitments.

Thank you to Marcella and Ed for being such wonderful hosts and welcoming us at Chapelgarth Estate – and thank you to Roma ( https://www.facebook.com/AromaDiningAtHome/ )for her excellent cooking that just made it more of a ‘home from home’ experience. I will definitely be bringing my next chapter to North Yorkshire soon!

A Planning Retreat: A Retreat with a difference!

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 08:45:00 GMT

A Planning Retreat: A Retreat with a difference!

As the academic year drew to an end, I was approached by Dr Georgina Brewis, ( UCL Institute of Education ) who was keen to organise a closed Academic Retreat which would bring together scholars working on the same ESRC-funded project ( https://discoursesofvoluntaryaction.wordpress.com / ).

The aim of the five academics involved (Georgina Brewis (UCL), Irene Hardill (University of Northumbria) , Angela Ellis Paine (University of Birmingham), Rose Lindsey (University of Southampton) and Rob Macmillan (Sheffield Hallam University)) was for participants to convene in a rural residential space – away from it all! – put their heads together and flesh out ideas which had been explored mostly remotely. A lot of work had already been done, individual papers had been presented at conferences, but the overwhelming feeling was that in order to deliver two co-authored papers and put together a viable, strong book proposal, something more was needed. The physicality of being together and the opportunity to focus in a quiet rural location, where all the practicalities of the daily routine would be taken care of, and the day was structured and guided by an external facilitator, seemed like the best way forward.

Would we take on the challenge?

Our experience until now had been in delivering Academic Writing Retreats https://www.chapelgarth-estate.co.uk/retreats ). As the name suggests, such retreats are all about writing – the process of all sitting around the table, writing in social spaces, with individuals focusing on delivering the work during the writing slots. It is customary in many such retreats (particularly those following Rowena Murray’s Writing Retreat model), to measure the success of a Retreat on the number of words written. Goals are often numerically measured in words; productivity has a word count. This retreat would be different, as the aim was more on engaging in interdisciplinary discussions, planning, allocating tasks and coming away with an agreed sense of direction and timeline. As far as WRC (Writing Retreats at Chapelgarth https://www.chapelgarth-estate.co.uk/retreats ) were concerned, clearly we would be navigating unchartered waters, but we were heartened by the knowledge that we were dealing with seasoned and experienced academics with a sound vision about their project.

From Day 1 it was clear that ‘rule one’ of the Academic Writing Retreat ‘Rule Book’ – effectively ‘shut up and write’ during the writing slots – needed to be re-written. Planning a co-authored paper could not be confined to the customary fifteen minutes ‘writing warm up’ prior to the one-and -a- half hour writing slots: goals for the sessions would be set, but discussion-flowing was a vital element of this retreat. Team work was of essence. Some of the tools we provided proved strategic. The flip board shared around a round table and post-it notes were essential for breaking down the different thought processes and for navigating agreed perspectives on a common narrative and approach for the paper. The choice of journal for the paper for submission was an equally sensitive task which needed to be weighed up carefully in view of the interdisciplinary nature of the group and the project.

On Day 2, which focused on the book proposal, combining flip-charts and post-it notes seemed to yield results. Participants collated individual flip-charts by using post-it notes with specific ideas. Each flip-chart was then compared and, as ideas converged, post-it notes were moved and arranged in a communal reflective poster. Once each poster was collated, each poster was given a title: each poster, as it turned out, was the makings of a chapter of the book.

Once the planning was completed and the structure of the book emerged, it was time to do some writing. Again, this process could not neatly follow the conventions of our regular Academic Writing Retreats. ‘Rule two’ – avoid using the internet! – also had to be broken: the need to work on a common, shared document meant that all participants needed to access a shared Dropbox File, where the relevant initial draft of chapter to the book had previously been stored. It was clearly worth accessing the Wi-Fi for this shared project.

The Book Project File, containing the different chapters, could now be allocated for reworking to each member of the group. Following an intense writing session, participants sent colleagues their draft chapter to review at home. Other tasks allocated around the book proposal included editing, addressing competition analysis and target audience.

Day 3 was about revising a second paper abstract. After some discussion, roles were allocated and the group was divided into two sub-groups working in different rooms on separate tasks. The outcome of the discussions showed the importance of being flexible with the approach and with the allocation of the space – hosting a Planning Retreat is all about keeping an open mind! The main outcome is that progress is made..

Conclusions

It was clear at feedback and round-up time that such progress had been ‘exponential’, as the PI of the project, Irene Hardill, revealed to me, as she reflected on the outcomes of the Planning Retreat.. ‘The retreat also strengthened us as a team’, she later added.. what more could I wish for?

I was delighted to receive the following confirmatory emails a couple of days after the retreat:

The retreat was especially timely for the project, we had outline plans for each academic output, but being co-located at Chapelgarth enabled us to have the time for combining deep thinking and lively debate, which resulted in exponential progress with our writing plans (IH)

We had a wonderful and very productive time at Chapelgarth. In fact, we submitted our full book proposal exactly one week after leaving the retreat, which is really great news! (Georgina Brewis, UCL).

Great News Indeed!

If you are planning a collaborative project – whether a co-authored book or a joint grant proposal – and feel the need to convene in a quiet, homely environment where groups’ ideas can take shape, grow and translate into words, do get in touch.

A Doctoral Training Programme in Residence

Thu, 18 Jul 2019 08:24:56 GMT

A Doctoral Training Programme in Residence

June saw a cohort of 16 postgraduate students convene at Chapelgarth Estate for two days of writing and training: time slots were predominantly allocated to writing, with some dedicated time focused on questions related to academic writing. The students were all part of the White Rose Doctoral Training Programme – which brings together postgraduates from the University of Hull , the University of York, the University of Sheffield, University of Bradford and the University of Leeds https://wrdtp.ac.uk / .

Facilitated by Dr Elsbeth Robson, the cohort gathered students from the Social Sciences, mostly in the later stage of their PhD – typically at the writing up stages of their project – but also students who were at an earlier stage intheir research, including a couple of MA students. The cohort was selected and organised by the Dr Matthew Bishop, Director of the Pathway, Civil Society, Development and Democracy etc https://wrdtp.ac.uk/who-we-are/civil-society-development-and-democracy-cdd/

The students – who were a mix of young and mature students – were asked to give feedback on their experience. Most revealing were the answers to the following prompt:

‘The best aspect of the retreat for my writing was…’

What I found particularly fascinating about the responses to this question was the sheer variety of answers. Here they are!

‘the sense of writing community’
‘concentration on what I write’
‘increased fluency through the writing sessions’
‘the discipline of setting short-term goals and the discipline of taking breaks’
‘being able to get a lot of writing done!!!’
‘exclusive writing time without gadgets’
the ability to focus safely on writing’
the social aspect/exchange opportunities’
the location and structure, which were both very helpful’
the quiet concentrated writing periods’
the amount of work achieved’
having the right environment to promote writing’
the capacity to concentrate’
the ability to improve my concentration’

I found it very helpful to read and compare the answers given – each one captured one of the many vital elements of a residential academic writing retreat; some answers highlighted the uniqueness of the ‘environment’ and the ‘location’. Most of the attendants were on their first writing retreat experience, and those who had previously attended a residential retreat were definitely the minority.

There was great enthusiasm for the shared experience, which came across vividly during our feedback session. Our retreat was an opportunity to write, but it was also much more: some third year PhD students felt that this event was the only one organised by their Doctoral Training Programme where they had felt really connected with their peers, genuinely part of a community of practice. Other day-events, unlike the residential experience, had not delivered this for them.. There’s certainly a case for getting away from it all.. it brings out the best in everyone and hopefully new and lasting connections will have been made.

A BIG THANK YOU TO ELSBETH ROBSON FOR ORGANISING THIS EVENT!

The benefit of residential writing retreats on the wellbeing of Postgraduate Researchers

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 07:35:30 GMT

The benefit of residential writing retreats on the wellbeing of Postgraduate Researchers

We asked one of our recent postgraduate cohorts to reflect on the benefits of participating in one of the Writing Retreats at Chaplegarth. Annika Coughlin , a sociologist studying for her PhD at UCL Institute of Education, gave us her thoughts. She is our guest blogger this month.

When you suffer from anxiety it can sometimes be difficult to think clearly, make plans and stick to them. It can be difficult to go to bed, or to get up, as you lie there paralysed by the work you have to do. It can be difficult to plan your (nutritious) meals for the day/week, let alone go shopping and cook. The day seems to whizz by so quickly that it feels wrong to factor in rest, exercise, fresh air and social time. Every second needs to be spent working – especially if you have achieved nothing all day – that’s what evenings and the early hours of the morning are for aren’t they?

After reading this you probably can feel a tightness in your chest and want to shout: ‘Stop! This isn’t good for you!’ And of course, those of us who worry a lot are already fully aware that this pattern of behaviour is damaging to our bodies and our minds – let alone to the state of our PhD thesis.

So how can a residential writing retreat help combat some of these negative behaviours and help with student success? Well, first of all, at a retreat other people are taking away some of the daily burdens. Someone is cooking for you, someone creates a timetable, someone schedules in the break-times and most importantly enforces them. Secondly, there are other people there for whom you can share goals and mutually motivate and spur on. When I attended the residential writing retreat at Chapelgarth Estate in May 2019 , I deliberately chose to tackle the part of my chapter I have been avoiding for weeks. It is easier to do these scary or more demanding tasks in the company of others because you are not alone with your mind that is always screaming negative comments at you. It shuts up for a bit and lets you focus.

Sometimes you have to experience something to fully understand the benefits, but I would say the retreats make you realise at the time, as well as when the retreat is over, that you can achieve a lot during a working day when you follow the structure. A structure that others have thought out for you, tested and refined (another thing you don’t have to worry about!).

In conclusion, I would highly recommend the residential writing retreat at Chapelgarth Estate because it gave me the boost I needed at a time when I was particularly struggling with my anxiety. My anxiety will never go away, but by attending retreats, and then following the structure alone or with my PhD colleagues, I know that I can manage my time better and not let my anxiety get in the way of my thesis.

Writing Retreats at Chapelgarth (WRC) – May

Sun, 09 Jun 2019 07:22:01 GMT

Writing Retreats at Chapelgarth (WRC) – May

With Writing Retreats at Chapelgarth (WRC ) steadily becoming a monthly event and, knowing how popular acronyms are amongst academics and HE institutions , I have decided to adopt an acronym – WRC ! Acronym it may be, but WRC comes with a purposeful Mission Statement : to provide PGRs, ECRs (and academics in general) a restorative, rural haven, where busy academics may escape the pressures of work and home to devote time to writing in a social and supportive environment in the company of like-minded individuals.

With May being chosen as ‘Mental Health Awareness Month’ and with the Mental Health and Wellbeing of academics gradually rising in the list of priorities of UK HE institutions, the focus on the stresses of academic life has sharpened. An article from BBC News education and social affairs correspondent, Hannah Richardson, reported how ‘Stressed out academics are inundating university counselling services as they grapple with heavy workloads and oppressive management’.

And the problem is not limited to those in the academic profession. It is becoming increasingly clear that PhD students are equally in need of more support in the context of Mental Health and Wellbeing, with international students in particular most recently being identified as a group which greatly suffers from isolation and study-related stress (See Vitae Report). This state of affairs feeds back into international students’ own Supervisors’ experiences, as they find themselves on the front line when providing support to doctoral candidates who have ‘poor levels of psychological wellbeing’.

As the debate on mental health in HE institutions is steadily rolled out and solutions are sought to address the most urgent questions, we feel quietly reassured to know that in our own small way we are providing a safe haven for PGRs, ECRs and Supervisors alike, in the non-hierarchical, interdisciplinary and supportive environment that WRC participants enjoy once they arrive to spend a few days on a residential writing retreat in rural North Yorkshire.

Our May cohort was small in numbers but striking for the passion and enthusiasm for own research which exuded from all participants. I knew from the onset that this was going to be a group of very stimulating individuals: one of them was flying in from Addis Ababa, armed with steely will power to make the few days of the academic writing retreat an experience which would ‘turbo-charge’ her productivity. As is often the case, this was an all-women academic writing retreat which had a global feel about it. Chapelgarth Estate was providing the writing hub which connected women who had travelled from all corners: a lecturer from Scotland, a PGR from the South of England, a Dutch Early Career Researcher, a Russian PhD student from Scotland, a Loughborough University PhD based in Ethiopia and an Aussi writer in the process of leaving Finland!

The group’s intention to make the most of the North York Moor setting when taking a break from the intense writing slots was evident from the start: equipped with sensible shoes if not jogging gear, they were often to be seen perusing the grounds and the surrounding woodland – often providing an impressive photographic record of the tranquillity of the rural landscape.

As the participants became more familiar with the estate and gradually more intrepid, they set off to explore our small wood, negotiating the stepping stones along the way.. each of those steps resembling a step towards the writing goals that they had set out for each session.

Breaks were also an opportunity to ‘talk the walk’ and share the range of academic topics which were being drafted and redrafted, edited and polished. The interdisciplinary range of topics researched was fascinating and the passionate drive of each participant infectious: conversations flowed in a whirlwind of academic discussion, which ranged from analysing how power relations are reproduced in the discourse and practices of a large food charity on one hand, to the role of water, sanitation and hygiene in the context of pastoralism and climate change on the other hand.

As it became clear that all participants were committed to making their WRC experience an opportunity for de-stressing as well as for writers’ empowerment and productivity boosting, it was agreed to turn the evening break into a relaxing Yoga session. Luck would have it that one of the participants was also a Yoga teacher, so we were all able to benefit from a teacher – led restorative Yoga session at the end of the day.. and we did not hold back!

As the third day came to an end and we regrouped for the final feedback session, the overwhelming feeling was that everyone had felt well ‘looked after’ and that the rural tranquillity, the healthy food and the companionship of other academics had all helped participants make excellent progress on their writing, and in some cases, overcome the dreaded ‘writer’s block’. It was sad to say goodbye to everyone as the academics boarded the minibus that took participants back to the station – everyone had written so much and offloaded possibly more – and that gave me heart. Who knows? Some of them may return another time, to edit or polish that tricky chapter, should it crop up again!

We will be delighted to welcome them back!

Academic Writing Retreat – April

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 16:01:16 GMT

Academic Writing Retreat – April

There is so much about Structured Academic Writing Retreats that still is quite unfamiliar amongst academics that I sometimes feel like taking a step back and unveiling the ‘arcane’ to all neophytes.. After all the practice of Residential Structured Academic Writing Retreats is still the reserve of a few academics ‘in the know’.. But why should it be?

Our retreats are for everyone who has a writing deadline – generally while working in HE or completing an assignment. This recently took the shape of an NQT teacher and a senior lecturer both working on completing their portfolios! But more frequently, it is focused writing that gets done, no matter the discipline.

ake our latest April cohort: it was as interdisciplinary as they come – it always is – bringing together expertise from the Social Sciences, the Humanities and Language Learning. Participants did not know each other and had come from far and wide: there were some lucky ones who were only a drive away, having come from Newcastle University, Leeds University and Keele University; but others had travelled by train from Exeter and Sussex. Hull University was well represented, thanks also to the Facilitator running the sessions, Dr Elsbeth Robson. We did have one participant who had flown in from Dublin – Maynooth University. Irish participants are becoming a regular feature at our retreats – and we love them! – We are very lucky with Leeds Airport serving the area very well.

Academic Writing Retreat – March

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 16:00:04 GMT

Academic Writing Retreat – March

Last week I said good-bye to our latest Academic Writing Retreat. It was our first one in 2019 – others having taken place in 2017 and 2018 under the firm guidance of Prof. Rowena Murray and, more recently, Dr Elsbeth Robson.

Elsbeth, who is conveniently based at the University of Hull is Senior Lecturer in Human Geography in the Department of Geography, Geology and Environment and this may explain why there was an unusually high number of PhD students and postdocs within the social sciences. Lunch breaks conversations were fascinating, enlightening me on the latest field projects currently being carried out in the Arctic – as a historian I am fascinated to delve in the world of science – much talk about the latest discoveries on the composition of volcanic magma..

If there is one thing I love about hosting our academic writing retreats is the informal conversations over our homemade supper. As a previous Fellow at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, I enjoy creating new opportunities for interdisciplinary exchanges – they are illuminating for both sides and they are a wonderful way to relax and think about other people’s research other than one’s own.. All happened in our homely breakfast room which hosted all our main meals due to this cohort being quite a small group.

It was the first time we hosted such an intimate group of Academic Writing Retreaters. On other occasions we have had over a dozen participants and I was curious to see how the day and the dynamics would roll out.

In fact there was a brilliant atmosphere. Everyone felt relaxed and happy to contribute what they could to the group. Focus and productivity was of course paramount – and already by the first evening participants had clarified their goals and were feeling energised. By Day Two they were on a roll.. one wonderful participant, who is a Yoga teacher, was generous enough to offer us all a Yoga session during the evening break – absolute bliss. I had read about the benefits of Yoga and Relaxation in conjunction to Writing – after all these Writing retreats are good for productivity as well as well-being! – but it was great to experience this first hand.

The meals were a relaxed and healthy affair – As usual they were all vegetarian, but we did introduce some new Healthy Recipes which went down very well – we will repeat! I was also delighted to see that the Italian pasta – which had come especially from an Italian Pastificio was a real hit – clean bowls galore! This is what you get in North Yorkshire..!

It was sad to wave good-bye to everyone, but satisfying to know that GOOD PROGRESS had been made by all. And as always.. this is never good-bye, but Arriverderci!

A weekend away.. at our house!

Fri, 15 Jun 2018 23:00:00 GMT

A weekend away.. at our house!

Staycation, staycation staycation! Well, last weekend we took this new trend to the limit and decided to have a holiday at Chapelgarth Estate. We invited old friends to enjoy our house, gardens and surrounding North York moors – and with the help of our three grown-ups kids we had a ball

So now we know even better why our guests enjoy it so much here – a bit of market research which was not only pain less but actually enjoyable..!

So thank you to all our wonderful friends that made this possible..

We should do more of this!

Walking on the moors

Making our way to Ingleby church – with our llamas following us.

A visit to Kildale church

The waterfall

An edible mushroom?

Ingleby church – Sunday service

Sheep eyeing us up on the moor

Sheep showing us the Cleveland Way

Hurray! It’s only a 5 minute train journey back!

Time to relax!