Arrival
Please arrive at Milton Hill House from 15.00 on Tuesday 21st April to check-in and find your room.
Using What.3.Words, the location code is ///arise.heartened.enhanced (how fitting??)
Once you’ve found your room, you are welcome to head to the newly refurbished Library and Bar, where our friendly Worship Network team will be sat with a hot drink to welcome you and chat.
We’ll have a Welcome session at 16:00 gathered in the Wisteria Room, where we’ll be for most sessions throughout the retreat.
Getting Here
Details about accessibility, parking and other transport to the venue can be found in the sections below.
Check-In
Upon arrival, please use the Main Entrance and come into the Reception lobby to find our New Wine check-in desk. Our friendly team will be on hand to check you in, provide you with your lanyard, room key and welcome pack and answer any questions you might have.
If anything about your booking changes (such as dietary requirements or room preference), please email the team on info@new-wine.org.
Prayer Ministry
We’ll be making space to pray for one another at the retreat. To ensure that all are prayed for in a safe and honouring way, we ask that if you wish to pray for others, you complete the New Wine Prayer Ministry training online beforehand.
Prayer Ministry Training must be renewed every 12 months. If your current training ID holds a date more than 12 months ago, please complete the training again.
Once completed, please bring your digital/paper confirmation ID (emailed to you after the training) to the New Wine staff team at the retreat to collect a purple ‘prayer ministry’ wristband.
Complete the Prayer Ministry Training
CLICK HEREThe first session will begin at 16:00 on Tuesday 21 April, starting with a Welcome in the Wysteria Room – our meeting room for the week. The retreat will close after lunch at 13:30 on Thursday 23 April.
Everything programmed is optional – this is a retreat and we totally understand that people rest and re-charge in different ways. We’ll have opportunities for connection and input throughout the retreat, but please take time out for personal reflection, walks, journaling, swimming – use the grounds and facilities to retreat in the best way for you.
| Day | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | 15:00 | Arrivals |
| 16:00 | Welcome Gathering | |
| 16:45 | Small Groups | |
| 18:00 | Dinner | |
| 19:30 | Main Session (Worship, Teaching, Ministry) |
|
| 21:15 | Evening Drinks | |
| Wednesday | 07:00 | Chapel |
| 08:00 | Breakfast | |
| 09:30 | Main Session (Worship, Teaching) |
|
| 10:45 | Personal Reflection Time | |
| 11:30 | Small Groups | |
| 12:15 | Lunch | |
| 13:00 | Workshop – Developing Worship Teams | |
| 13:45 | No Scheduled Activity | |
| 15:15 | Workshop – Vocal Health | |
| 16:15 | Workshop – Songwriting | |
| 18:30 | Dinner | |
| 20:30 | Main Session – Communion | |
| 21:30 | Late Night Worship | |
| Thursday | 07:00 | Chapel |
| 08:00 | Breakfast | |
| 09:15 | Small Groups | |
| 10:00 | Coffee Break | |
| 10:15 | Main Session (Worship, Teaching, Ministry) |
|
| 12:00 | Commissioning | |
| 12:30 | Lunch | |
| 13:30 | Depart |
We are delighted to welcome a range of speakers and contributors who we believe carry encouraging, challenging and inspiring messages for our network. However, views and opinions expressed by our speakers during this retreat are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of New Wine generally. We value the diversity of perspectives shared and encourage delegates to engage with and reflect upon the content thoughtfully and prayerfully.
Milton Hill House is located in Abingdon, Oxfordshire (OX13 6AF), is located near the A34, providing easy access from Oxford (13 miles) and the M4/M40 motorways. It is accessible via Didcot Parkway railway station (approx. 4 miles) and is surrounded by 22 acres of parkland.
More details can be found via the venue website (www.miltonoxfordshire.co.uk/).
Getting Here
The venue address is Milton Hill House, Steventon, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 6AF.
By Road: Located off the A34, near the Milton Interchange, making it accessible from Oxford and the M4.
By Train: The nearest station is Didcot Parkway, with train lines connecting to London Paddington, Reading and other destinations across the South West. Didcot Parkway is a short 15 minute taxi ride away.
Parking: On-site parking is available in a large car park.
All the rooms at Milton Hill House are fully equipped with free Wi-Fi, a secure safe, phone, heating, flat-screen TV, ensuite bathroom, amenities and hairdryer, tea & coffee making facilities, free parking and dry cleaning service available on request and are accessed using hotel-style key cards.
If you’ve selected a Single Occupancy room, you’ll be assigned to a Standard room with a double bed on your own.
If you’ve selected Shared Occupancy, you’ll be assigned to a Standard twin room with two single beds to share with one other person. For those who’ve requested specific sharing partners, you’ll be allocated to the same room.
To view pictures of the rooms, please check out Milton Hill House’s website here.
Here’s a list of recommended items to pack. This list is not exhaustive, but our team would advise bringing the following:
– Bible
– Notebook & Pen
– Walking/outdoor shoes
– Keep-Cup/Thermos (paper cups can be provided, but reusable helps us prevent waste)
– Water Bottle
– Instrument for workshops/writing
– Any extra drinks and snacks. (Meals and tea and coffee are provided as part of the retreat, but there is no onsite shop and treats are recommended!)
At New Wine we know that additional needs are wide-ranging and we want to support those with additional needs and disabilities to enable everyone to join in with all that’s going on.
Venue Accessibility
The venue provides the following accessibility features:
- Level access to all venues, including bars, restaurants and leisure facilities.
- Accessible toilets.
- Lifts to upper floors (not required for our retreat).
- Guide dog friendly.
- Large font menus can be printed on the day.
- Ground floor bedrooms are equipped with alarm cords.
- Fully accessible rooms available upon request to our team, with fully equipped wet room or bathroom.
The venue is a historic country house and it is not always possible to remove steps from the main building. In these cases, alternative access is provided via other well-lit and maintained areas of the building.
Accessible Parking
There is Blue Badge parking available near the entrance to Milton Hall House in their car park, with step free access to the main building.
All meals have been covered by your ticket price. Breakfast will be a buffet served in the restaurant, as will both lunches. On the first night, dinner will be a buffet in the Rose & Fuchsia room, and on the second it will be a more formal seated dinner in the Wisteria Room. Meal times are detailed below and included within the retreat programme.
Breakfast: Day 2 & 3, available from 07:00 – 09:00
Lunch: Day 2 12:15-13:00, Day 3 12:30-13:30
Dinner: Day 1 18:00-19:30, Day 2 18:30-20:30
If your dietary requirements have changed since you booked onto the retreat, please do let Alice know at Alice.forbes@new-wine.org. There is a tablet by the buffet which has allergen information – but please do speak to a member of the restaurant staff for help if you need any assistance with dietary needs.
Refreshments & Bar
Also included in your ticket price is tea and coffee throughout your stay – there are several hot drink serving stations around the hotel which we’ll point out to you on arrival. If you would like additional snacks then please bring these with you.
There is a bar onsite. The bar takes cash or card and operates a challenge 25 policy, so please do bring along identification if you would like to purchase an alcoholic drink. On the first evening we will have a drinks reception, with your first drink included in the ticket price!
Free wifi is available throughout the venue.
During your stay at Milton Hill House, the spa & wellness facilities will be available for you to use throughout the retreat. The onsite gym will be open all day, every day and the indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam room will be open daily from 07:00 – 22:00. So if you’re keen to make use of these, don’t forget to pack your active/swimming gear!
There will be a swimming school using the facilities during our stay, so the pool will be closed to guests during the below times:
Tuesday 3:45pm – 6:15pm
Wednesday 3:45pm – 6:15pm
Thursday 11:00am – 1:00pm
Our media team will be capturing photo and video content at this event for use on our social media and websites. If you would prefer not to be captured, please do let our team know and they’ll provide you a yellow ‘No Media’ lanyard when photography is taking place.
New Wine is committed to safeguarding as an integral part of our ministry and mission, and we set high standards to keep everyone safe. Safeguarding Officers are present throughout the duration of the event.
Please report any and all safeguarding concerns you have. This includes anything you see, hear, are told or become aware of that causes you to feel concerned about the safety or wellbeing of a person.
Please report this in one of the following ways:
- Scan the Referral QR code available on posters around the venue
- Visit https://www.new-wine.org/reporting
- Call our Safeguarding team on 0204 583 2915
The Safeguarding team will respond to all referrals appropriately and make sure people are safe and their needs are met at the New Wine event, and link with other agencies to support when the event is over.
For more information or to read our full safeguarding policies and procedures, please visit: https://www.new-wine.org/policies
We do all we can to keep you safe at our events and require your help to do so. You can assist with keeping everyone safe in the following ways:
Lanyards & Keys
Please wear your named lanyard whilst at the retreat. If you lose or find a room key, please report this to the venue reception.
Emergencies
In an emergency, please follow instructions from the venue staff, who will initiate the appropriate emergency procedures. If you discover a fire or other emergency, please use the fire alarm call buttons located throughout the venue.
Smoking & Vaping
Smoking and vaping are not permitted inside or near the entrances/exits to the venue. Designated smoking areas are available.
If you have any queries or concerns before the retreat, please call the New Wine office on 020 4583 2935 or email alice.forbes@new-wine.org.
At the retreat, you can also contact us online at new-wine.org/reporting or via the QR code on posters around site to report Safeguarding Concerns & Event Feedback or come and speak to the team.