CANCELLED - Nourish & Nurture Day for People of Colour including those of Mixed/Dual Heritage

Nourish & Nurture Dartmoor Day Retreat for People of Colour including those of Mixed/Dual Heritage

Singing + Herbs + Radical Rest + Sauna

Location: Southcombe Barn, Widecombe-in-the-moor

Time and Date: Saturday 18th May 2025, 10am - 5pm (followed by optional sauna)

Donation sliding scale -

'in need of support’ - £10 donation

‘fairly comfortable’ - £15 donation

‘fairly abundant' - £20 donation

‘generous support’ - £25 donation

This day is for people of colour including those of mixed/dual heritage only.

Taking place on Sunday the 18th of May at the beautiful Southcombe Barn Widecombe-in-the-Moor, join facilitators Fran ​​André & Mariam Mohamed for a nurturing and nourishing funded day retreat filled with singing, nature connection and herbal wisdom. With the backdrop of the moors and wildflower meadows to hold us, it will be a rich day to connect and rest with other people of colour in nature, sing our hearts into joy, experience deep community rest together through a post lunch yoga nidra meditation and ground our bodies into the earth simply by being in such a beautiful natural place.

Song leader and space holder Fran André will be inviting us into collective singing, opening our hearts and bodies to the ancient healing medicine of sound. No singing experience is needed. Songs will be simple and taught by ear. We will connect to the healing powers of plants with community folk herbalist Mariam Mohamed. 

Please either bring lunch to share with the group, or your own individual lunch (whichever you prefer).

The day will end at 5pm and a wood-fired sauna and optional cold dip in the pond is available afterwards for those that would like.  Please let us know if you will be staying for the sauna by filling in the google sheet below.

We are happy to be able to offer an affordable day thanks to funding from the National Lottery. We are asking for a small sliding-scale donation of £15-30 to secure your place. Free places are offered to those who need them, please get in touch if you need a free place, or to pay less.

Please email Fran on franandreretreats@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Southcombe Barn

https://www.southcombebarn.com/
 

Southcombe Barn is a nature, arts and wellbeing retreat space located in Widecombe-in-the Moor, Dartmoor. Set in 16 acres of wildflower meadow, pasture and ancient woodland and backing onto the open moor, we offer beautiful guest accommodation, events, workshops and an art gallery dedicated to supporting emerging women artists.

Fran André:

Natural Voice Network Bio

www.blmcommissioning.com

Fran André is a bringer of song medicine and embodied presence work. She is a woman of mixed-heritage with roots in both UK and Mauritian soil. She currently leads the Building Bridges National Lottery funded project with a focus on decolonisation through song for people of colour, people of mixed heritage, and white folks.  She was part of the founding team of the BLM commissioning project, during lockdown which sought to bring a symbolic and practical gesture of reparation for black music appropriated throughout the ages and in the community choir world. The project raised £26,000 from choir singers in the UK, the US and Canada and funded the creation of 8 new songs by black composers from the UK and US. She was also a Trustee of the Natural Voice Network during this time, where she was instrumental in bringing in a levy fund to support work by people of colour in the network, and where she led on ARCH work (anti-racism and cultural honouring).  Fran leads retreat for people of the Global Majority with a focus on embodiment, nature connection, singing and sharing circles.

Mariam Mohamed:

@radicalplantfolk

https://www.radicalplantfolk.com/

Mariam Mohamed is a community herbalist, medical herbalist trainee, grower and mother who lives in Totnes, South Devon. She was born and raised in London and her ancestral roots lie in the Horn of Africa. She stewards a community herb garden based at School Farm, Dartington. She is founder and director of Radical Plant Folk C.I.C, a community growing project that supports community sharing on plant knowledge and cultural heritage. In October 2022 she ran a healing nature connection circle for black, mixed heritage and people of colour that explored themes around identity, belonging and healing with the land. Her work centres around land justice and themes of belonging, reconnection and reclaiming relationship with the land.