Blog

Celebrating 2023 – our 75th year of Hawkwood!

We have many things to celebrate as our 75th year draws to a close. This year we relaunched our annual community May Day Festival welcoming Mary Portas, Cindy Forde, and …

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Exploring Culture & Creativity

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Artist in Residence: Lara Eidi

Artist in Residence: Lara Eidi “Sounding out the Bells” was composed later that night, and it was a night filled with a need to release the turmoil of the lonelier …

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Unveiling the Fifth Edition of Our Online Climate Action Lab

Hawkwood CFT is looking for official sponsors to support it’s Climate Action Lab V: Igniting Change Together Envision an immersive virtual realm where ideas converge, connections amplify, and the embers …

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Local Charity turns 75 years old and welcomes a new Chair of Trustees

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Course Review – A Wild Soul Woman

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A Refreshing Summer

Spring is in full swing, and it’s only getting warmer. Sunshine is everywhere, and flowers are in full bloom. It’s time to be optimistic, to think about what to do …

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Keeping a Nature Journal

In the deep quiet that descended on us in during the first weeks of Covid lockdown, nature spoke to us differently, her voice more audible without the traffic and construction, …

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7 Books to Kickstart your Creativity

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Entering the Forests of our Imagination

It was after ten o’clock at night, and I was returning to my cabin nestled amid the redwood trees at a retreat center in the hills above Santa Cruz. I …

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Female Artists that Inspire Us Part 2

Last week we published the blogs of four great women artists who we had the good fortune of being able to host here at Hawkwood. Our aim was to celebrate …

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Female Artists that Inspire us

This month is Women’s History Month, and we thought it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate our female artists. These wonderful women brought their talents, their individuality and their energy …

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The Poems that Inspired us on International Women’s Day

Today is International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate and to #BreakTheBias. Today we’re imagining a gender equal world; free of discrimination and stereotypes, where diversity and inclusivity is celebrated. …

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Trustee Opportunity

Hawkwood are looking for Trustees. Opportunities have arisen for caring, passionate Trustees to join the board at Hawkwood. We’re looking for Trustees with a background in hospitality or fundraising, particularly …

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The Wild Soul Woman’s Journey

Awaken to the Five Archetypes of the Wild Soul Woman The hero’s journey, the dominant narrative of culture and personal transformation, has little to offer us as women. We are …

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10 Point Plan Competition Winners

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7 Books to Get You Prepped for COP26

COP26 is fast approaching. Soon the world leaders will be recommitting to climate action goals. To spread awareness, on November 1st until the 3rd Hawkwood is running it’s flagship Climate …

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Mind Art

Have you ever wondered why drawing helps us relax? Think about it. Every act of drawing helps make us calmer to some degree. It doesn’t even have to be some …

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Words of the Soul

Writing is important to Hawkwood. Writing is a form of art, a form of expression. It is a method of looking at something deeper than the surface, and conveying emotion …

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Transforming the World

It’s often said that hard times breed strong people. That when the world is going through tough times, strong leaders will drive us toward a better future. With climate change …

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Culture Recovery Fund – One Year On

Culture Recovery Fund Monday 5th July marked the 1 year anniversary of the Culture Recovery Fund. This initiative run by The Arts Council and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media …

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Emerging from the Urban

Lockdown is finally coming to a close, and a long time of being stuck inside has taken its toll. We’ve become unbalanced; focussing only on what’s immediately in front of …

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Spring Growth & 2021

Noticing Change Now that we have entered Spring and passed the anniversary of the first lockdown, it gives me the opportunity to express how things have changed and how the …

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Wild Writing: Co-Creative Practices & Inspirations

Guest piece by eco-poet and Hawkwood tutor, Helen Moore   What is ‘wild writing’ and how is it ‘co-creative’? I understand ‘wild writing’ as part of my own ecopoetic practice, …

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Working at Hawkwood

The team talks about their experiences working at Hawkwood. Our small gritty team share their learnings, challenges and inspiration. Cathy Working for Hawkwood during the past year has certainly presented …

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Artist in Residence: Dan de la Motte

A place where time works differently Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking is a place where time works differently. Where the incessant ‘next thing, next thing, next thing’ mentality of making …

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Gift Economy

Gift Economy: What it is and why we do it You might have wondered why Hawkwood, as an arts charity that has been heavily impacted by the economic challenges of …

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Art as a response to the world around us

Guest blog by Hawkwood tutor Alison Vickery I always enjoy running workshops at Hawkwood which I have now done for a number of years. My art is all about a …

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Dance & Nature Series

A community collaboration in Hawkwood’s woodland during the lockdown Dancing in nature has been a tradition for many cultures from the tribes of our ancestors to the traditional folk dances …

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News from our Chief Executive

Our charity’s struggle to survive the pandemic:  A year in reflection. It has been a rollercoaster journey and “improvise, adapt and overcome” continues to be our daily mantra. I recognise …

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Artist in Residence: A room (and Spring) of My Own

Artist in Residence: In Reflection I have just had the most inspirational and creative time at Hawkwood as the Artist in Residence.  I had hoped to put the final touches …

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Changemaker in Residence: Eva Collins Alonso

Changemaker in Residence: In Reflection I am currently developing a Practice as a Research project on how radiophonic language can inform theatre-making, and how Foley Art can be used in …

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Artist in Residence: Alicia Jane Turner

Artist in Residence: In Reflection I spent time at Hawkwood in September 2020, to begin research and development on a new sound and instruction led theatre experience called THIRST TRAP, …

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Artist in Residence: Tim Redfern

Artist in Residence in Reflection September 2020 I had the joy and privilege of my second residency at Hawkwood. This time I had the gracious opportunity to be a part …

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Artists in Residence: Leo, Lowri & Lou

We asked our Artist in Residence to share with us their experience of their work whilst on residency at Hawkwood. Below are the reflections of a group of artists, Leo …

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Dance & Nature

A community collaboration in Hawkwood’s woodland during the lockdown In these difficult times, people have been finding different ways to work in nature and finding great solace from it. I …

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A Reflection from Contemporary Artist Gizella K Warburton

Guest blog by Hawkwood tutor and artist Gizella K Warburton I first came to know Hawkwood through an invitation to teach a weekend workshop, as part of a new collaboration …

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Artist in Residence: Angela Spencer

Artist in Residence in Reflection I was extremely fortunate to be awarded a residency at Hawkwood CFT, a beautiful centre for courses just outside Stroud, in September 2020, fully residential …

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The Music at Hand

Guest blog by Hawkwood tutor Robert Hollingworth Hawkwood is a rare chance to batten down the hatches and focus entirely on the music at hand.  This seems to happen quite …

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Strike A Light: Artist Residency Programme

Guest blog and testimonial from Strike A Light Working for a week at Hawkwood provides invaluable time and space for artists to develop their shows, write or rehearse. Unlike other …

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Transfiguration: Working with Hawkwood Online

Diana Durham and her experience working with Hawkwood Online The team at Hawkwood have made an amazing transition from on-site to on-line courses, managing to extend the very special spirit …

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Musicianship and Fulfilment

In the special atmosphere of Hawkwood, creative energies become vibrant. Singers achieve a level of musicianship and vocalism that only the calm supportiveness of such a place enables. The feeling …

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The Importance of Setting Healthy Boundaries

The gifts of setting healthy boundaries from a recovering people pleaser. A Personal Perspective At a time when there’s increased blurriness between home and work, between our own needs and …

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Following the Path of the Wild and the Sacred

I learned about poetry therapy in the early 2000s and was to study for two years to become a facilitator. From the start, I was drawn to the nature poets: …

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Nature’s capacity to heal

One of the most remarkable qualities of Nature is its capacity to heal itself. We must wonder at the remarkable intelligence that allows all living systems to be able to …

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Moving to a thriving mindset

Grief, anger, frustration, resentment, disbelief; many of us are feeling those at the moment.  Every part of our lives has turned upside down – over night.  We find ourselves working …

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Transforming Crisis – It all has to go

Transforming Crisis  |- ‘It All Has To Go’ In my role as a counsellor and coach I witness people’s surprising skill in transforming crisis into opportunity, says Catherine G Lucas. …

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Taking Care of House & Home

When the world’s systems as we knew them begin to break down and decompose, our survival instincts surface. While we all have to tend to basic needs, here lies an …

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The Poetics of Architecture: An insight from David Wilson

A personal insight from David Wilson During the early years of my training as an architect, I was always more inclined to look for hands-on experience of building than to …

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Discover – Flourish, Beyond Wellbeing

‘If you are thirsty you must drink. Do not go to the well looking to teach others to drink’  Flourish: Beyond Wellbeing is a retreat from the business and the …

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Iconographer: a theologian through images

Intro Iconographers Daily Prayer; Rule of The Seven Sacraments. Vol 9 Prosopon Journal  Every work has its own time. There is a time for working, and there is a time …

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Icon Painting in the Byzantine Style

An interview with our tutor, Nikita Andrejev Is Iconography primarily a religious practice in former times? When did it become available to laypeople & even those not allied to a …

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How to be an eco-system for well being

Loneliness and isolation hit most of us at some time in our lives, but there are places that provide solace and connection. Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking seeks to be …

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Every penny counts when it comes to climate change

By Bevis Watts, CEO, Triodos Bank UK Banks must acknowledge the role they have to play in tackling the existential challenge of climate change Little more than 10 years on …

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Poetry: Journey of self and the nature around.

1 Let the mist of morning song fill your heart with sacred gratitude for shared moments of connection Be full with the presence of tall trees as they rise from …

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Story: Ama and the Spider

Ama had lost his mother to illness and was told by his father that she now lived among the stars with the spirits of the great ones. Ama missed his …

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New Website!

Welcome to our new website! Following more than a few months of planning and hard work we are delighted to share with you and finally announce the launch of our …

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