Hosts Admin Hub

The latest edition of Pause, the newsletter from the Quiet Garden Movement, is now available as an e version. In this edition, enjoy a contributions from hosts, friends and guest writers.

We have experienced many changes within the Movement since our last Newsletter – gardens have closed and others opened; we have said goodbye to some and welcomed others.
A majority of gardens have remained closed this year; we were unable to organise our regional gatherings nor meet in person; but we have remained connected through other ways  offering resources on line and Quiet Days via zoom and of course we still have the freedom to connect with nature.
Brian Draper and Howard Green in their book Soulful Nature write of the eternal now – ‘ when we find ourselves somewhere that is essentially timeless save for the seasonal adjustments in the foliage a Pure Presence. And once we become attuned to it, it’s possible to bring it within the most fleeting of contexts.’  Be it within the bounds of a garden or the remoteness of the countryside spending time surrounded by nature in all its glory inspires and invigorates, nourishes and sustains. Being in nature – finding a space in the outdoors to pray, and reflect, nourishes not only our souls but our mental and physical well being. Those who manage the Trust accept, that in the coming months change will be an integral part of the survival of the Movement. Our future is going to be financially challenging and we will be looking at new ways of engaging others. In this edition it is a delight to share contributions from hosts, friends and guest writers.

Autumn has arrived here in the UK. Cooler mornings and evenings, shorter days, but so many vibrant colours to enjoy and the final fruits of the garden to cultivate and preserve.

A message from Kate Lawson – Chair of Trustees

What a very strange and difficult year it has been so far for the Quiet Garden Movement. I had the great privilege of becoming chair of trustees last November at our meeting in Birmingham, when we took Sue out for tea to thank her for all her hard work as chair over many years.

We had our next meeting planned for March in Worcester at the lovely home and garden of Jill Smith, but unfortunately that coincided with lockdown and we have been meeting on Zoom ever since.

The saddest outcome of this terrible virus for the Quiet Garden Movement has meant the Trust has been faced with very difficult decisions. As you are aware the Trust was already in a difficult financial situation; this did not improve, as we had  hoped. Our funding applications were not successful and subscriptions from hosts have reduced because Quiet Gardens have not been able to open.

Thank you to all of you for your continued support and encouragement;  Quiet Gardens and all they can offer are so important at this time, because ‘time out’ and space ‘just to be’, mini retreats in natural surroundings are so needed at the moment. Thank you to  those hosts who have managed to open again, and those like me who have been running Virtual Quiet Gardens.

Our most difficult decision was first to put the project manager post on furlough and then to make the post redundant. I am sure you understand we had to do what is most beneficial for the future of the Quiet Garden Movement.

I  would like to take this opportunity to thank Matt, on behalf of us all, for his hard work over the past six years, and especially for bringing the Quiet Garden Movement and its website into the 21^st century.

Matt’s last day as project manager is today 28^th September, and our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family. A lovely photo of Matt with his leaving present can be found on the website. https://quietgarden.org/news/

Praying you all keep well and safe over the coming weeks and months and that we can open our gardens in the very near future.

Love and blessings Kate

Matt says…..

“Thank you to all Quiet Gardens hosts who I have had the pleasure of being in touch with over the past six years. I wish you all the very best as you explore reopening your gardens, perhaps in new ways, in the months ahead. Quiet Gardens have much to offer the world, particularly at this time, and I hope that they will continue to be a source of refreshment and peace to those that visit them, as well as to those that provide them.” 

New resources 

As you look to reopen your Quiet Garden we have  been adding to our resources to help you. We have produced new guides to ‘silence and stillness’ and ‘mobile phones and contemplation’ – written for you to share with your visitors as your Quiet Garden re-opens or online. They are shared as both an online article and as a PDF for you to easily print yourselves to share and make available in your Quiet Garden. Other resources include posters and bunting that we’ve mentioned previously, plus the Learning to be Still resource from our archives.

All the resources are available via the Hosts Admin Hub at https://quietgarden.org/hosts-admin/covid-19-updates/

Welcome Display Board for your Quiet Garden

We have also produced a new display board to welcome people to a Quiet Garden. The board introduces people to the Quiet Garden Movement, connecting your garden and visitors to the wider Movement. It also has a simple contemplative exercise for visitors to use and provides links to further resources on our website, as well as invites people to complete a visitor survey.

Web links are provided by QR codes for visitors to scan with their mobile phone to quickly open and save the links – and a quote from Mark 6:31 and former Patron Margaret Silf complete the messaging. We think it’ll be a welcome addition to any Quiet Garden!

The board is available to order for £40, including delivery to the UK (for delivery outside the UK please contact us to confirm the delivery charge), and will be delivered as soon as we have our minimum quantity to do an order with the printer.

Please have a look and consider putting in an order as soon as possible – full details and photos, along with the order form is on the Hosts Admin Hub at https://quietgarden.org/hosts-admin/display-board/

 New Leaflets

If you know anyone that might like to join our ‘Friends Scheme’ we have a new webpage and leaflet introducing this, so please do direct people https://quietgarden.org/friends or print a leaflet to give to them. We also have a new leaflet and webpage about leaving a legacy too – https://quietgarden.org/join/legacy/

 Next Newsletter

Our Quiet Garden Newsletter will be written during November and we would love to receive contributions from hosts. If you feel you would like to make a contribution in the form of a reflection, or maybe a book review that you’d like to share can you please email;

The theme for our Advent Newsletter will be Encountering Inclusivity and will be distributed in the format of an e-newsletter.

With warm wishes

Sarah

The good news to share is that some gardens have re-opened and folk are now having the opportunity to visit and spend some quiet time outdoors.

The website https://quietgarden.org/hosts-admin/ has a variety of resources that will support you if you are thinking of hosting a Quiet Day.  Here you can download the ‘we are open’ poster and ‘re-opening resources‘. The page will be updated in the coming weeks as more recources are added.

If you are conducting out door Quiet Days please keep in touch with us so that we can assist with advertising on the website, facebook, twitter and instagram. Feedback from these days would be useful to have too, if you are willing to share.

I was contacted by Margaret who lives in New Zealand who writes:

 From NZ I bring you greetings and say how nice it is to receive your regular newsletters.

I had planned for a months’ sabbatical in the UK during May, but that had to be cancelled.
I am now looking at options for 2021 and would be please to hear from any quiet garden owners who would be prepared to host me, so I could visit around the UK, and experience a different type of spirituality.
Go well, and keep safe.
Kia ora good health ( greetings)
Margaret Birtles.

If you are a host in the UK and would like to touch base with Margaret please email me and I will put you in touch with her.

Thank you so much to those of you who have contributed by sharing your experiences over the last few months. Please continue to send pictures, quotes, poetry, prayers and videos for us to share.

Our Quiet Garden Newsletter will be written during November and we would love to receive contributions from hosts. If you feel you would like to make a contribtion in the form of a reflection, or maybe a book review that you’d like to share can you please email;

The theme for our Advent Newsletter will be Encountering Inclusivity and will be distributed in the format of an e-newsletter.

Dear Host

We are keeping you up to date with the most recent advice, and will continue to do so.

If you are considering re-opening your garden now – please do keep in touch with us so that we can assist by letting others know of your plans. Remember please only do this if you think it is safe to do so.

We have produced some advice for reopening, which can be found at https://quietgarden.org/hosts-admin/covid-19-updates/.

Here you can download the ‘we are open’ poster can be displayed when your garden re-opens. It contains a QR code linking to our website, a template containing advice for hosts and one containing advice for visitors. We will also update the page with some further ‘re-opening resources‘ in the coming weeks.

It is important for us to continue to raise our awareness so any pictures, quotes, poetry, prayers about how you have withstood the past months will be very gratefully received.

With warm wishes

Sarah

Firstly a message from our Chair of Trustees – Revd Kate Lawson:

Dear Garden Hosts

It is with sadness to inform you, that as a board of trustees, we have had to come to the very difficult decision, to make the post of Project Manager redundant. This is entirely due to financial reasons, made much worse by the Covid lockdown, closing Quiet Gardens.

Matt has been with us for six years, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for all his hard work, and especially for bringing the Quiet Garden Movement and its website into the 21st century. 

He is back with us today, having been furloughed for two months, and is with us until the end of September. 

Many Blessings at this difficult time

Kate 

We hope that you are keeping safe and well. The email that was intended for June was not sent (my error) so sincere apologies for that; we haven’t forgotten you. Some of you will be thinking about re-opening your gardens; in particular those of you who Host gardens in public spaces.  Matt is busy creating some resources in readiness for Gardens to open; we  pray, that by October, we can celebrate together,   the re-opening of our Quiet Gardens across the world

If you are considering re-opening your garden now – please do keep in touch with us so that we can assist by letting others know of your plans. Remember please only do this if you think it is safe to do so. Please click on the link for advice.

https://quietgarden.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/COVID-19-Advice-for-

It’s vital we tune in to the latest facts and use these to guide us towards the wisest and kindest actions. It is very clear that how effectively a society responds makes a big difference. We have enjoyed sharing some Virtual Quiet Days with hosts and thank you fo keeping in touch with your news and pictures.

We have also created a we are open poster. We encourage you to display this when your garden re-opens. It contains a QR code linking to our website.

https://quietgarden.org/2020/poster-for-hosts-wishing-to-re-open/

It is important for us to continue to raise our awareness so any pictures, quotes, poetry, prayers about how you have withstood the past months will be very gratefully received.

With warm wishes

Sarah

1. Covid-19 and sharing Quiet Gardens

Wherever you are in the world you will be affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and will be altering your Quiet Garden access and events appropriately following your national government advice. In the UK, and much of Europe, we are currently in a lockdown requiring people to stay at home, except for very limited purposes.

Some Quiet Gardens in public spaces will still be accessible for a very limited number of people taking their one form of exercise a day, but the vast majority of Quiet Gardens will not be accessible at this time. We have added site wide messages on our website explaining this, which should minimise the need for you to update the details for your Quiet Garden page.

2. Our collective creative response

At this difficult time when anxiety levels are high we have been exploring ways in which the Quiet Garden Movement can respond, and share our collective resources of resilience and hope.

We believe sharing something of our Quiet Gardens online at this time will be beneficial for our collective wellbeing and the future of the Movement. It may be a prayer or poem you have written along with a photograph. It could be a short video of your garden space and soundscape, or an audio reflection you’d like to share from your garden. 

We are inviting all Quiet Garden hosts to contribute in this way. 

We know that there are lots of creative responses online at the moment, and we are happy to share some content that you have found helpful from elsewhere, but ideally we are asking you to send original content that is supportive, hope filled, and shares something of your Quiet Garden.

Please send them to us in the coming days and weeks, and we will share them far and wide via our email list and social media channels.

Simply email them to us () or share them directly with us through our social media channels:

Facebook: @quietgardens / https://www.facebook.com/quietgardens

Twitter: @quietgardens / https://twitter.com/quietgardens

Instagram: @quietgardentrust / https://www.instagram.com/quietgardentrust/

To receive what others contribute follow the channels above and ensure you are subscribed to our news email list.

3. Supporting one another

We want the Quiet Garden community to support one another where we can, and already have the Hosts Group on Facebook to help with this – join at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/QGHosts/

If you have other ideas or suggestions for ways you’d like to connect with Hosts or the Movement more widely at this time please do let us know and we will set things up where we can.

4. The future

It is clear that the Covid-19 pandemic is going to keep changing our world for some time to come. The timeframe and knock-on impacts are hard to predict at the moment – with the only certainty being that the world will look different in the future.

As you know the Quiet Garden Trust was already struggling financially, and we know having so many Quiet Gardens closed at a time when the majority have most of their visitors will not help this. In the next couple of weeks we will be asking for annual donations from Quiet Gardens – and while we know this is an uncertain time, we hope you will understand the need for us to continue to do that in the normal way, and help see us through to better times.

The Quiet Garden Trust office is continuing to run, with Matt and Sarah both working from home. The trustees met last week virtually and decided to postpone the production of our next Pause newsletter, but instead enable virtual sharing from our Quiet Gardens as explained above.

Please do stay in touch, continue doing what you need to do to keep yourselves and those near you safe, and we look forward to sharing our Quiet Gardens in new ways online over the coming days and weeks.

1. Coronavirus –  Advice for Hosts and Visitors

As you will be aware the situation with COVID-19 is presenting big challenges for people all over the world – and will effect how you open your Quiet Garden. We have written some advice for Quiet Gardens on COVID-19, otherwise known as Cronoavirus – COVID-19-Advice-for-Hosts PDF. At this difficult time, we can each play a vital role in helping to reduce the impact and look after ourselves and each other. It’s vital we tune in to the facts and use these to guide us towards the wisest and kindest actions. It is very clear that how effectively a society responds makes a big difference.

Whilst you may decide to cancel events in your Quiet Garden, access to Quiet Gardens will continue to be important for peace, and well-being. You may, therefore, wish to consider making you garden accessible in different ways, for example for individuals to drop in.

Whilst there are going to be many challenges in the months to come, there will also be many opportunities to support others and consider running your Quiet Garden differently. We hope the advice is helpful, and encourage you to keep up-to-date on advice from the government and take the necessary precautions to keep yourself and your visitors safe.

COVID-19-Advice-for-Hosts PDF

2. Annual Day – 21 June 2020

Also as you may have noticed we got the date wrong in the last email reminding you about the Quiet Garden Annual Day – this year it is on Sunday 21 June 2020. We encourage you to mark it in some way and use it to raise awareness of your Quiet Garden locally and the wider Movement.

It was great to hear Quiet Gardens mentioned in BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship on 1st March when they marked St David’s Day in a meditative reflection on the theme of Light and Energy, with Beryl Edwards sharing from the Quiet Garden she hosts at Eglwys St Michael Llanfihangel Rhos-Y-Corn in Wales.

“This is our quiet garden, part of the quiet garden movement. It’s set in a hollow beside the church where people have gathered together in prayer over the centuries. The garden is a place of contemplation, and as we walk the labyrinth, even as the wind blows, we are invited to return to the still point at the centre of our being.

God of creation, we pray that your light would illuminate our minds. God of love, we pray that your joy would lift our hearts. God of mercy, we pray that your care would inspire our actions.”

Listen in full and read the transcript

Visitor surveys and numbers

We encourage Quiet Garden Hosts to keep a record of the number of visitors to their space and to encourage visitors to complete a short survey about their visit. The reason for asking for both of these is to help us make informed decisions and improvements and to plan for the future of the Movement.

Following our request in December for your numbers we have now collated the data you shared. A summary of the 2019 results, as well as recently updated advice on how to record visitor numbers, can be found here – please do take time to have a look. We hope that it will encourage you to collect this information this coming year, and to share the visitor survey with those that use your space.

Regional Gatherings 

You may remember that we are not holding an Annual Gathering this year, but instead encouraging Quiet Garden Hosts to organise a get together through regional gatherings. In the UK we currently know of plans to hold one near Brighton (date yet to be confirmed), and in Edinburgh on 3rd October.

If you are willing to help organise a regional gathering in your area please do let us know. 

Also as you plan your year, a reminder that the Quiet Garden Annual Day this year is on Sunday 21 June 2020. We encourage you to mark it in some way and use it to raise awareness of your Quiet Garden locally and the wider Movement.

Free Trees?

Could your Quiet Garden space or local community spaces you are connected with benefit from free trees to plant? The Woodland Trust in the UK offer free tree packs to schools and communities on land that is publicly accessible. Even if your land is not eligible for the free scheme, you can buy tree packs, or take advantage of subsidised tree packs. Find out more

Your news…

If you have news from your Quiet Garden to share, resource suggestions and book reviews, please do let us know so we can include it in the next newsletter or on the website. We always welcome sharing news and updates about your events, experiences and resources you’ve found helpful.

Finally, a reminder that you can find links to all the Quiet Garden Host resources on the regularly updated Hosts Admin Hub – which includes safeguarding, insurance, health and safety advice that all Quiet Garden Hosts should check and consider at least annually.

1. Details for your Quiet Garden

The public details for your Quiet Garden can be found by searching for your garden here – this is the dedicated webpage for your Quiet Garden, where the public will find contact details, as well as a description of your space and what you offer to visitors and how you open. It can also include whether you have a labyrinth or offer accommodation, as well as a map indicating where you are, and up to 5 landscape photographs. Please take a moment to visit your webpage and check the details are still correct.

We also hold contact details specifically for you as a host on our private secure database, which we use to contact you, primarily by email a few times a year with specific news for hosts, and by post twice a year with our newsletter. If your postal address, email or telephone number change please do let us know.

If any of the above needs updating at any point in the year you can let us know or follow the instructions on the Hosts Admin Hub > Amend Details.

2. Your events in 2020

If you would like details of your Quiet Garden programme and events included in the Events Calendar on the website, please send us details by &su=Add%20QG%20Events">email at anytime or follow the instructions on the Hosts Admin Hub > Add Events.

Other news

Local Funding

The Postcode Local Trust provides project based funding in the UK for local projects working on the themes of, “Improving biodiversity & green spaces, Increasing community access to outdoor space and Combatting climate change & promoting sustainability”. We understand some won’t want to apply for lottery generated funding but others will be happy to apply. If you have a local Quiet Garden project you’d like to apply for funding their next deadline for applications is 10th March – further details at: postcodelocaltrust.org.uk

Psalm 23 Garden

We thought you’d be interested to know that the Bible Society are launching a ‘Psalm 23 Garden’ at this years Chelsea Flower Show, with the aim of inspiring communities, churches and schools to create their own Psalm 23-based gardens…. Continue reading. For more details visit psalm23garden.co.uk.

BBC visit Reflections Quiet Garden, Staffordshire

Last year the BBC1 series “Walks of Life” visited the Reflections Quiet Garden in Staffordshire as part of an episode following the “The Two Saints Way” pilgrimage route. The garden is designed as a sequence of 5 small gardens themed on the spiritual journey and environmental care. Watch it on our website.

Display Board Project
We are currently looking at developing new display boards for permanent and temporary use in Quiet Gardens. These display boards would primarily be aimed at those Quiet Gardens in public spaces that want to invite people to use the space and equip them with prayer and meditation practices to use in the Quiet Garden.

The display boards will enable Quiet Gardens to provide a welcoming and supportive resource to visitors. They will also point to the wider welcome of the local community running the Quiet Garden, as well as support services and the wider Quiet Garden Movement. The boards will include a prayer practice and simple prayer for people to use themselves, as well as links to audio practices and prayers that people can access via a mobile phone.

We are applying for funding to help with the development of these boards, and it would be very helpful to know if your Quiet Garden would be interested in installing one? We do not yet know about costs, but it would be envisaged that installation costs would be covered locally and that we may be able to access some funding towards the production costs of the boards. Expressing an interest now would help us estimate numbers and potential impact, which will be crucial in funding bids towards the project.

Please indicate your interest by contacting us with the name of your Quiet Garden. Your response would not commit you but will guide us in planning and funding raising.

Number of people spending time in your Quiet Garden
As we come to the end of the year, we’d be grateful for your estimates of the number of visits to your Quiet Garden, where possible. We appreciate that the estimate may be very approximate or not possible for all Quiet Gardens, such as those with 24 hour open access. By asking for these numbers we are not, of course, implying that more is better! Each Quiet Garden is unique and offers different types of quiet space which is valued by individuals or groups. Your estimate of numbers provides a rough indication of the use of Quiet Gardens which is helpful in reporting to the Charity Commission and possible funders.

If you can please do let Sarah know how many people came to your Quiet Garden each time it was open in 2019? Simply email Sarah at or for further details and help visit the Hosts Admin Hub at www.quietgarden.org/hosts-admin/visitor-numbers/.

Update to Trustees
We are delighted that at our recent Trustees Meeting it was agreed to welcome Jacqueline Fudge (Host of The Quiet Garden at Clearwell) and Patrick Swan (Garden Designer and long term supporter of Quiet Gardens) to join the Board as Trustees. Details of all our current Trustees can be found at: https://quietgarden.org/about/people/