Weekend Away at Grittleton
We were really pleased to be able to hire the The Old Stables again with its beautiful old buildings, grounds and surrounding area.
The Old Stables is set apart from the imposing Grittleton House in the village of Grittleton, and consists of 3 separate buildings within a cobbled courtyard. The Tower House has a lounge, kitchen and stables which are converted into a large dining room, there are also several bedrooms upstairs; The Coach House has been converted into a large hall; The Stable Block is solely bedrooms.
Because of the number of bedrooms available we were able to invite some former members of homegroup who have now moved away and some friends who don't normally come to homegroup or Church.
To help with costs we opted for self-catering, Jan Markey and Lesley Atchinson took on the resposibility of planning, purchasing, preparing, transporting, cooking and serving the food. They did an amazing job as always! Many others helped by baking cakes, bringing prepared food, clearing tables, washing up etc. We all took chocolates, nibbles and drinks etc. to share.
During the weekend it was a real bonus having the Coach House to use as a chill-out space because the weather was wet and windy most of the weekend!! Provided for our use was table tennis, table football, sofas and easy chairs. We also set out tables for drinks, nibbles and fruit, board-games, a puzzle, crafts and quizzes.
Our weekend started with arrival at 4pm on Friday. Early evening we had drinks and nibbles followed by a sit-down meal.
Saturday morning we started with a full English cooked by the men. The rest of the day was free for exploring the local area. For those preferring to stay on site there was a help-yourself lunch and a treasure hunt in the grounds. In the evening we had drinks and nibbles before a Tropical themed meal followed by a social time with games and quizzes in the Coach House.
Sunday morning first thing, a help-yourself breakfast was available followed by a time of Worship. We sang, had communion and many contributed using whatever medium they chose on the subject of 'Getting closer to God'. After a late brunch we cleared up, packed away and left for home by 3pm.
Here are some comments from those who came:
- It was so lovely to take time away from busy lives to just enjoy being together.
- Homegroup weekend, a great place to build friendships and remember the gifts God puts in our lives ...
- Another round of good food & good fun with good friends which we will add to our treasure chest of happy memories.
- Fantastic weekend joining in with the homegroup. Lovely idea for any homegroup to do.
- Full of fun, good fellowship, a time of sharing and the opportunity to spend quality time with one-another!
- We had great fun ... even though the weather was not the best we didn't really notice because there was so much going on!
- A refreshing, well organised and relaxing weekend with like minded friends.
- Excellent company, wonderful food. Great fellowship and sharing ...
- The ultimate Homegroup experience. Good company, good food, good fun. Time to build relationships with each other and God.
- Wooooooo! Thank you for a lovely weekend and for inviting us back! The food and company was amazing.
- Really enjoyed the crafting sessions and the worship time on Sunday morning.
- Always brilliant to spend time away with friends to call family.
- Five stars – a masterpiece!
- It was lovely to spend time with everyone and to have time relaxing away from home.
- A smashing weekend away – food, company and quizzing all excellent.
- Fabulous location and friends.
Everyone who came contributed to the weekend in their own way – a big thank you for coming, supporting, helping, joining in with everything and making it possible.