Grief Alchemy

Grief tending in community

9th - 13th April 2025

Join us for five unforgettable days of release, nourishment, and transformation in the healing lands of Erth Barton in Cornwall, England.

Open for booking

This profoundly life-shifting experience is centred around the exploration and integration of grief, in all its forms. Together we will explore how to cultivate a new relationship with grief, creating the space to feel it all and welcoming in transformation and alchemy.

Originating from the Latin root word ‘tener’ meaning soft and gentle; grief tending invites us to bring gentleness, compassion and kindness to our grief. Tend to your grief in circle and ceremony as a way to honour loss in community, move your body with gentle yoga and nervous system somatic practices, breathe new life and freedom into your heart with breathwork, and welcome grief as a gateway to a deeper connection to yourself and life itself.

We have designed the retreat for you to move fluidly between group workshops, embodiment practices and individual support. We intend to hold a space for you to allow your grief to be stirred, feel safe to express and release, and invite in the potential for healing and transformation.

This is a holistic experience for mind, body and heart. You will be nourished with incredibly delicious organic food and invited to soak in the healing lands of this forgotten corner of Cornwall, enhancing your connection to nature and self.

Rest, release and soften into the welcoming arms of this Grief Alchemy retreat held in the healing lands of Erth Barton, sitting on its own peninsula just across the border into Cornwall.

– Helen

“I can’t describe to you what has happened to me since and because of our retreat in Cornwall. I keep referring to is as transformation, but actually I think it’s liberation.”

– Amber

“One of the most incredible experiences I have had in a long time, if not ever. Nici and her amazing team held a space that felt as safe as they come.”

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Details

Anyone, everyone.
Anyone who is experiencing grief, or who has experienced grief. Whether because of a bereavement, relationship break up, health challenge, or any other loss or unmet longing.
For anyone who is interested in compassionately healing their grief and integrating it into all of who they are. People who are willing to let grief change them and to understand grief as the potential initiation into more authenticity and a deeper connection with life. Moving forward, rather than moving on.
This retreat will provide a safe space to be heard and understood with deep sensitivity.
The cost of the retreat varies between £1500 and £2800 depending on which accommodation option you choose. This price includes the full retreat experience - all workshops, catering, accommodation and the integration programme.
- Daily group grief tending workshops
- Daily embodiment workshops (breathwork, gentle yoga or trauma/tension releasing exercises)
- Introduction call with Nici before the retreat
- A grief ritual
- 3 beautifully prepared seasonal and organic meals a day
- 1 integration group call after the retreat (17th April, 6-7.30pm BST)
Erth is remote and yet, easily accessible by road and serviced by excellent rail links from London & the North. Located just over the border in Cornwall.
For those who wish to arrive by train a taxi will be included to and from Saltash.

Meet the team

Nici Harrison

Core team facilitator
Nici Harrison is founder of The Grief Space offering grief circles, retreats, and trainings. Her work to remember the lost art of grief tending and to create a space where grief can be deeply acknowledged, witnessed and welcomed. Nici has curated this retreat to support you experience grief tending as a gateway to the raw and vulnerable wonder of being alive.
Veronica Stanwell

Core team facilitator
Veronica is a multidisciplinary healing arts practitioner and founder of Rooted Healing, weaving her love for land, ceremony, somatics and song into intimate explorations for connection, healing and growth. Her MSc studentship in Transpersonal Psychology is driven by the remembrance of ancient wisdom in our quest towards belonging.
Sienna Richardson

Core team facilitator
Sienna is a highly regarded Somatic Therapist, Clinician and Speaker. She has lived experience and clinical expertise in the areas of trauma, addiction, recovery and healing. Her work draws on the modalities of body psychotherapy, trauma theory, somatic processing, yoga and mindfulness and she is passionate about supporting her clients to live an embodied, meaningful life.
Charlie Gavins

Core team facilitator
Charlie has apprenticed with grief tending and supported on many of The Grief Space retreats and rituals. Having recently returned from many years in Sad Ghuru’s ashram his daily life is a devotional offering. Charlie is also an artist manager believing that it is the role of the artist is to make revolution irresistible. Charlie’s presence on the retreats is invaluable and grounding.
Deborah Maddison

Guest workshop
Deborah will be sharing TRE® (Tension & Trauma Release Exercises) with the group. She is beautiful at holding safe spaces for people to reconnect to themselves. She still uses these practices daily to come home to herself, as they support nervous system regulation, release from tension and a deeper connection to herself and life.
Ciara Sherlock

Bodywork therapist
Ciara will be supporting retreat participants by offering individual BioDynamic Bodywork sessions. She is passionate about her holistic approach to enquiry and healing, with particular interest gentle, nurturing yet powerfully therapeutic massage that helps to unblock physical, emotional and energetic holdings as they manifest in the body. Her eclectic training and experience includes working with those suffering from PTSD and grief.
These sessions are at an additional cost of £85 paid directly to Ciara.
Jess Abis

Retreat chef
Jess co-founded her health brand, Natural State, in 2012. When not busy working with farmers or consulting on regenerative sourcing, Jess cooks for retreats and events. Her menus are based on the principles of macrobiotics and Ayurveda, eating to balance and harmonise. The food is organic as much as possible and bought from local farmers, many of whom Jess knows personally through her work.

“We only grieve for what we love; so in this way grief is evidence of our love. Grief becomes an act of love that breaks our hearts open to the vast and beautiful landscape of gratitude and aliveness.”

— Francis Weller

Our home

Erth Barton is a historical, organic, ethical, and riverside retreat.

It marries its medieval roots with a 21st century vision of offering the opportunity to live simply, wildly, immersed in the unspoilt natural landscape surrounded by wildlife.

Erth Barton’s position, is elevated on Erth hill, with views from large granite mullion windows over the River Lynher that snakes around both its sides.

The movement of the tidal river breathes in and out twice daily bringing an ever-changing landscape and light.

This place is wild.

As soon as you drive onto the peninsula, you’re entering another world.

Wild flowers, buzzards, skylarks, swallows, geese, egrets, fallow deer in the oak filled woodlands, and owls in the trees at night call across the river…..

A typical day

8am – breakfast

9.30 – Grief tending circle

12.30pm – Lunch

1.30pm – Free time or bodywork sessions

3.30pm – Embodiment workshop (TRE / Breathwork)

6.30pm – Dinner

8pm – Group integration

“One of the most incredible experiences I have had in a long time, if not ever. Nici and her amazing team held a space that felt as safe as they come. The work was orchestrated in such a way that it flowed naturally and allowed a group of strangers to be so vulnerable with each other, and be able to experience sharing in a community unlike any other. It felt almost other worldly, being able to retreat from the world that can feel so harsh sometimes, and be nourished and nurtured back to a place more peaceful and joyous. An unforgettable experience. I am so so grateful to Nici for doing this work and holding these retreats.”
— Amber
“The grief retreat was truly life-changing for me - transformative and liberating. What I didn't expect was to feel more relaxed and cared for than I can remember ever feeling. Nici's attention to detail and capacity to be responsive, creative and unafraid of what was brought each day was exquisite, brave and tender, and I think these qualities were able to be mirrored beautifully by the group. I was hoping that my grief would be released from a stuck place to a flowing one and it absolutely was. The other wonderful discovery was that my love was too. I am profoundly grateful for this experience.”
— Helen
“This retreat was more than I could possibly have hoped for. I found it profound and beautiful. Every aspect from accommodation and food to the essential workshops was so thoughtful. The whole retreat was run smoothly and mindfully. Nici is an extraordinary person, holding the space with such warmth, natural ease and tenderness, and yet with clear boundaries. The workshops flowed easily from one to the other and the team was fantastic. This is not easy work and the way the whole retreat was run also facilitated participants helping each other. I cannot recommend Nici and her work highly enough.”
— Asha
“The grief retreat has been one of the most impactful steps I have taken towards healing my relationship with grief. I could only get there because the space that the team held was built from deep love and care. It made it safe for the parts of myself that have been locked away for a long time to come out. The love that was in the space made it possible for the pain to come out and with those two polarities being able to co-exist I found some healing, thank you!”
— Tim
“I'm so glad I came on this retreat at this point in my grief journey. It was the place I needed to reconnect with myself, and allow myself to receive the nourishment that was given to me. The space that was created and held felt safe and brave, which helped me feel comfortable to be vulnerable in the group. I am so grateful for the level of care, presence, patience and kindness the team showed at the retreat. It really was another level!”
— Leah

Accommodation and pricing

Granite – Shared twin bedroom with bathroom across the hall

Granite is an east facing bedroom that looks out across the River Lynher towards Dartmoor. This room comes with a large shared bathroom across the hallway, which looks onto the west, and St Germans.
£1500
Oak – Shared triple bedroom with master ensuite bathroom

Oak is the master room: a triple aspect bedroom with en-suite bathroom. This rooms looks out onto the River Lynher to the front and rear - spend the morning watching the boats and tide drift in & out from the window seat. This room comes with its own balcony with views towards Dartmoor.
£1500 (possibly mixed gender room)
Fern – Shared twin bedroom with ensuite bathroom

Fern is an east facing bedroom with en-suite bathroom. This rooms looks out onto the River Lynher to the front with views across to Dartmoor - it’s the sunrise bedroom.
£1600 (shared twin)
Gorse - Private single bedroom with shared bathroom (upstairs)

Gorse is a ground floor bedroom with open fireplace, which looks west over the River Lynher towards St Germans. Relax in the window seat and watch the boats across the river. This room comes with shared bathroom upstairs.
£1950 (private single room)
Shepherd hut / Cabin – Private bedroom with ensuite bathroom

We have two shepherd huts and one cabin located in the paddock nearest to the main house with views onto the Lynher. These are each offered as a private bedroom with an en-suite bathroom.
£2600
Moss - Private king bedroom with ensuite bathroom

Moss is a large room with en-suite bathroom, this is a light room with views onto the gardens. The bathroom has views across the River Lynher.
£2800