Programme – Hucklow Summer School

Hucklow Summer School: 15th to 22nd August 2025

ONLINE APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN – CLICK HERE

Please note that this year’s Summer School runs from Friday to Friday. There is an option once again to sign up for an online-only engagement group, running for two hours daily from Saturday-Thursday, enabling those who are unable to travel to Great Hucklow in-person to join in remotely with our core small-group activity. Our theme talks will also be livestreamed each morning for our online participants, and recordings will be freely available to all later the same day, via our YouTube channel and podcast stream.

Finding Our Religion: Being Unitarian in the 21^st Century

‘In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.’ – Peter Meiderlin

As we mark 30 years of Summer School (originally known as Religious Education Summer School) in 2025 we will turn our attention to the question of what it means to be religious, as progressive people of faith, at this moment in history. During the week, through daily talks and in-depth engagement groups, we will have a chance to examine, explore, reclaim, and affirm our religious identity as Unitarians and Free Christians, in this historic and radical faith tradition which upholds unity and embraces diversity. What would it look like for us – individually and collectively – to move beyond the spiritual ‘pick-n-mix’ and take our religion more seriously? How might we deepen our spirituality, develop theological and philosophical literacy, engage wholeheartedly with tradition, and allow ourselves to be transformed by our personal and communal religious practice? Can we discern and articulate a way of being unapologetically religious that helps us to live well, here and now, and build a better world for future generations? Join us as we tackle this theme and celebrate our 30th anniversary.

Engagement Groups:

Each person is part of a small workshop group which meets for two hours each day to explore a given theme. Please indicate your 1st and 2nd preference workshop (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) when applying. The number of participants in each group is limited so we may not be able to offer everyone a place in their first choice. It is a policy of Summer School that family members/partners should participate in different engagement groups.

A: ‘The Words we Speak Become the House we Live In (Hafiz): Constructing a Contemporary Unitarian Identity’ with Danny Crosby and Arek Malecki
By simply deconstructing our religious beliefs, we end up with an empty vessel. Much like the empty ice cream bowl that Rev Lovejoy in “The Simpsons” claims that Unitarians are: “There is nothing in it.” When we speak why do we so easily talk of the God we don’t believe in? Can we return to the heart of the matter, the God we might believe in? We will explore the house we live in, from the foundations to the decorations. We will begin by removing what we would like to leave behind, before moving on to construction. We will look at both: our heritage and contemporary spiritual and religious ideas. We will explore using personal sharing, solitary reflection and group discussion. Incorporating some music, song and gentle ritual. Offering a variety of media to aid our explorations. Our hope is that you will develop confidence in articulating your Unitarian faith, celebrating your own spiritual identity, and perhaps offering a home to the weary traveller. Arek and Danny will be accompanied by Molly the dog.

B: ‘Our Religious Toolkit: Equipping Ourselves to Face Life’s Complexities and Thrive’ with Michael Allured and Christina Smith
Our Unitarian toolkit is full of treasures and sometimes we need to pause for breath to find what we need on our journey towards wholeness. Finding the tools and anchors we need to ‘do’ liberal religion seriously isn’t easy, especially when – unlike mainstream religion – we don’t have the tools (of a codified theology) given to us. Yet being a Unitarian can feel like a ‘pick-n-mix’ approach to being religious. How can our way of being religious be more than a ‘take it or leave it’ spirituality? What then binds us? Is it the journey into living compassionately and what that involves for the way we live our lives? Is it standing up for justice and what that might mean in a religious context? We shall explore some of these questions and more through sharing our reflections in small groups, journaling, mindfulness and circle dance. If we choose a religious path it needs to be life enhancing and joyfully liberating because life itself can be serious and hard and we need as much encouragement as we can offer each other on the journey. In our time together we shall examine some of the ways in which we can access the spirit within and the spirit beyond so as to nurture and sustain us as individuals and in community.

C: ‘The Religious Life: Integrating Our Faith and Daily Living’ with Jane Blackall and Charlotte Chanteloup
Inspired by traditional expressions of religious life, and more recent experiments in new monasticism, this contemplative group will provide a chance to explore what it might look like for us as 21st century Unitarians to be bolder – more spiritually serious – and truly shape our lives according to our faith. We will consider various aspects of a well-balanced religious life – personal commitment and identity, prayer and practice, religious language and models of God, spiritual teachers, ethical principles, and faith community – and take time to reflect and take stock on how we actually relate to each of these dimensions in our everyday life. Through solitary reflection, guided prayer, creative expression, collective discernment, and sharing of wisdom, participants will be invited to construct a personal ‘rule of life’ – a simple framework of religious practices and commitments – which makes sense in the context of our own real-world circumstances and will help us live well and faithfully in the face of life’s inevitable ups and downs. Participants will be encouraged to do a small amount of preparation in order to get the most out of the group (we will send a worksheet to ponder a few weeks before arrival) but this is optional.

D: ‘Reclaiming Ritual and Exploring Ancient Wisdom’ with Kate Dean and Rita Woditsch
‘A ritual is a journey of the heart which should lead us into the inner realm of the psyche and, ultimately, into that of the soul, what Meister Eckart referred to as “the ground of all being.” Rituals, if performed with passion and devotion, will enhance our desire and strengthen our capacity to live.’ – James Roose-Evans. In this group, we’ll explore our Unitarian heritage, as well as the other philosophies and religious traditions that have shaped us, daring to look more deeply into what we want to reclaim and what we wish to discard. We also aim to discover the theologies which bind us together as Unitarians, valuing the enlightened and rational approach of our tradition, while enjoying the freedom to continue developing our beliefs. We’ll be reflecting on what it means to live a good life, through exploring rituals, individual creative activities and sharing in small groups.

E (online only): ‘The Flame and the Chalice: Discovering our True Self in Sacred Community’ with Lizzie Kingston-Harrison and Rob Oulton
We all enter this world containing a precious flame – the symbol of our own unique energy, character and story. Our flame will give warmth and light to the world, and without it, the world will be poorer. In being true to ourselves, we help others be true to themselves also. Our flame cannot burn on its own, it is held and nurtured by others. From our birth to our death, our relationships nourish and shape us. The chalice is the symbol of our life-long experience of this relatedness, whose expression can be our participation in a free and creative religious community, where faithfulness to life and our intimations of God, can safely grow and flourish. During this week, we will explore our lives as flame and chalice- our own unique stories and our relationship with other people and the communities of which we are part. By means of story, deep listening, meditation, memory, gentle spiritual practice, creativity and laughter perhaps we can uncover the deeper meanings of our individual flames and encourage each other within the sacred chalice of religious community. [Note: we will meet at the same time as residential groups are meeting, from 10.45am-1pm Saturday to Thursday, and we ask all participants to commit to setting aside the time to attend all six sessions].

F (online only): ‘The Great and Fiery Force’: Getting to the Heart of Unitarian Spiritual Practice’ with Laura Dobson and Stephanie Bisby
In this group we will consider what has shaped our spiritual/religious practices and how they have evolved and might continue to evolve over time. What is your personal ‘Rule of Life’ and how does it help you to live well and balance the different areas of your life? Sessions will involve meditation, shared discussion, and time for personal reflection, journaling and doodling. There is no need to prepare anything formal in advance, but it would be helpful to have thought about: 1) your main spiritual and religious influences and 2) what spiritual practices or other activities currently support you, and what else you aspire to include in your life. Sessions take place on Zoom, and there will be a WhatsApp group to help us share ideas and resources. [Note: we will meet at the same time as residential groups are meeting, from 10.45am-1pm Saturday to Thursday, and we ask all participants to commit to setting aside the time to attend all six sessions].

G: (for under 18s): with Claire Ayers and Tim Harrison
Details TBC.

Angela Maher will be our Coordinator and the primary contact person for queries during the week in Hucklow. Nick Morrice will be our musical director. Rev. Sheena Gabriel will be providing pastoral care and staff support as Minister for the Week. Theme speakers are to be confirmed and will be announced in early 2025.

APPLY NOW USING OUR ONLINE FORM! Applications are due by 22nd April 2025. A deposit of £100 is required for residential participants. Full payment of £90 is required for online participants. The balance will be due on 30th June 2025.

Prices and Application Process

Adult (Standard Rate – Residential): £640
Adult (Supporter Rate – Residential): £720
Adult (Champion Rate – Residential): £800
Children 12-16: £435
Children 5-11: £370
Children under 5: £165

Adult (Online Programme): £90

Please Note: We aim to break even and do not typically make any profit out of summer school. £560 of the standard rate is the cost of a week’s full-board accommodation at the Nightingale Centre in a shared twin room. The staff team do not receive any payment for their work but their accomodation and expenses are covered. Hucklow Summer School is generously subsidised by the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, Kensington Unitarians, and several indivdual Friends of Summer School (we have introduced ‘supporter’ and ‘champion’ rates this year in case anyone is in a position to help subsidise the 2025 event). The true cost of each place at summer school, without this subsidy, would be £800 per person.

Rooms at Summer School are mostly shared. Availability of single rooms is very limited and so these places will be carefully allocated on the basis of need for people with special circumstances. If you have particular medical or other reasons why a single room is essential then you must inform the panel of your circumstances at the time of application so that we can take this into account. A supplement of £50 will be payable for places in single rooms or shared-en-suite rooms (£100 supplement for a single en-suite room). We cannot guarantee your room preference but will notify you of room allocation when places are confirmed in May.

The panel aims to attract approximately one third newcomers to participate in Summer School every year. We have set a deadline of Tuesday 22nd April 2025 for receipt of applications. Shortly after this date (in mid May) places will be allocated by the members of the panel (subject to the constraints of available accommodation). In the case of Summer School being oversubscribed, our criteria for allocating places will include giving priority to ministers, ministerial students, and those who intend to use summer school to equip them for the benefit of their congregation or the wider movement. If your application is unsuccessful we will refund your deposit at a later date. Deposits will only be refunded if you are not offered a place. If you need to drop out after you have been allocated a place neither the deposit nor the full balance is refundable. Please consider appropriate insurance in case of this eventuality.

Please do let us know if you have any particular skills or abilities that you would like to share during the week (e.g. music, dancing, art and craft ideas, worship, meditation, leading a one-off religious education workshop, etc.) by giving some details at the time of application. Members of the panel will contact potential session leaders in late May, after Summer School places have been allocated, to finalise the timetable.

Applications are due by 22nd April 2025. A deposit of £100 is required for residential participants. Full payment of £90 is required for online participants. The balance will be due on 30th June 2025.