Quinton Old Rectory Garden

Join us on June 9th for a photography workshop afternoon at Quinton Old Rectory Garden in collaboration with Clive Nichol, “Britain's Best Garden Photographer’

Includes welcome drinks, a presentation and a practical demonstration in the garden as Clive shares his tips and tricks to capture the very best garden images. We'll break for tea and cake and then away you go into the undergrowth!

The concert kicks off our weekend celebration of poetry, with a carefully curated selection of songs referencing nature and literature, bound together with short readings of poetry. We’re hosting the concert in support of Olney based charity Advantage Africa, a cause that we’ve been close to for many years now. We’ll have an onsite bar operating where you can buy wine, fizz, bottled beer and soft drinks before the concert and during the interval.

Led by the wonderful Sue Wood, you can expect a gentle flow sequence as Sue guides us on a poetic journey within, with plenty of words and inspiration along the way. The yoga session will close with an extended relaxation, with a poetic accompaniment

We’ll be welcoming our first readers of the day to our poetry marquee for an hour long exploration of the theme of nature through poetry.

We have four diverse poets lined up for the session, each with their own unique take on the topic, and we think you’ll be energised and inspired by what our Morning has Spoken poets have to convey.

We’re very excited to be welcoming Jane Commane to the garden to lead our very first poetry writing workshop.

After an introductory session with Jane, participants will be encouraged to explore the gardens and seek inspiration for their own writing, before returning to the poetry marquee to capture their thoughts through poetry, under Jane’s expert guidance, before wrapping up with a facilitated discussion about continuing the writing journey.

Carol Ann will be reading a selection of her many poems from 6pm, but our event opens a little earlier to allow you time to buy drinks and enjoy the garden before the poetry begins. After her hour long reading, Carol Ann will be signing books, and we’ll have a selection of her collections for sale on the day should you wish to buy one

It’s a tough ask to follow Carol Ann, but we’ve curated a selection of readers for you who we think are more than up to the job; we’ll be concluding our gala evening with readings from three poets chosen to entertain, inspire and challenge before bringing events to a close at around 8.30pm

Join a small group guided tour and find out more about the history and ethos of the garden, interspersed with nature poetry and readings.

Our tour guides share a love of gardens and of poetry and will entertain you with words ranging from Shakespeare to contemporary voices and your tour will end with tea and cake on the patio and the option for further garden exploration at your leisure.

Each tour will last for approximately 45 minutes.

The garden’s healing herb heart, full of therapeutic, medicinal and culinary herbs, is a recent addition to the garden and has inspired this latest workshop offering.

Joining instructions will be sent to all participants a week or so before the event.