Welcome to the Association for Promoting Retreats!

Are you looking for somewhere to go on retreat?

We can help!

On the interactive map above you will find all the APR member retreat houses, with contact details and a link to their website; we also have member houses in Ireland, Grenada, and South Africa. We support the work of several retreat leaders across the UK, many of whom can offer you an online retreat.

Promoting Christian Spirituality Through Retreats

The Association for Promoting Retreats exists to encourage more people to go on retreat and to support the ministry of our member retreat houses and retreat leaders. We also organise a biannual conference for Church of England diocesan spirituality advisers, and administer a bursary fund to enable individuals to go on retreat when cost is an obstacle.

Retreat Calendar

Calendar of Events

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

6 events,

Silent retreat at Ballyvaloo Retreat Centre
Monastic experience retreat at the House of the Resurrection, Mirfield

7 events,

Caring for the Carers retreat at Rydal Hall
-

9 events,

Craft week at Hilfield Friary
-

7 events,

10 events,

6-day IGR retreat at the House of Prayer
-

8 events,

Silent retreat at Ballyvaloo Retreat Centre

10 events,

Walking retreat at Parcevall Hall

6 events,

-

7 events,

-

12 events,

-
-

9 events,

St Francis at 800 retreat at Hilfield Friary
Art journaling retreat at Foxhill House
Psalms retreat at the Franciscan Centre, Ladywell
Singing retreat at Parcevall Hall

15 events,

7 events,

11 events,

Creative retreat at Rydal Hall
-

10 events,

-

13 events,

Interfaith retreat at Parcevall Hall
-
-

9 events,

Leadership retreat at the Royal Foundation of St Katharine

15 events,

Julian of Norwich retreat at the House of Prayer
Poetry retreat at Hilfield Friary
Labyrinth Retreat at Holland House
Carers’ retreat at Parcevall Hall
-
-

12 events,

Silent retreat at Ballyvaloo Retreat Centre

7 events,

IGR at the Franciscan Centre, Ladywell

10 events,

Creative Retreat at Shallowford House
Standing Tall retreat at Whalley Abbey
Creative retreat at Foxhill House
Silent retreat with the School of Contemplative Life
Meditation retreat at Launde Abbey

14 events,

Turning towards God course day at Sarum College

16 events,

Guided Pilgrimage with the Julian Shrine, Norwich
-

14 events,

Creative retreat at Rydal Hall
-
-

13 events,

11 events,

‘Living with ageing’ retreat at Ballyvaloo Retreat Centre
Families camp at Hilfield Friary
-

8 events,

Celtic Wisdom retreat at Abernethy Kilmalieu

10 events,

8 events,

-

8 events,

Contemplation retreat at the House of Prayer
-

12 events,

Creative retreat at Foxhill House
Silent Retreat at St Mary’s Convent, Wantage
Resurrection Retreat at Holland House

14 events,

-

9 events,

-

At the APR we aim to:

  • promote the value of retreats and the work of retreat houses and retreat leaders
  • support the provision of opportunities for quiet and reflection within the context of everyday life
  • encourage training in retreat leadership and spiritual direction
  • facilitate renewal and growth in spirituality
  • enable the exploration of different expressions of Christian spirituality

As a membership organisation, we rely on subscriptions and donations to enable our work. If you are not already a member, please do consider joining APR, or you can make a one-off donation by clicking the ‘Donate‘ button at the bottom of the page.

Announcements

New President: We are delighted to announce that Bishop Guli Francis-Dehqani from the Diocese of Chelmsford will be the new President of the APR. Read the full press release here.

Cycling Fundraiser: APR Administrator, Demelza Henderson, completed her Land’s End to John O’Groats bike ride, cycling 1180 miles in 23 days, and visiting 20 retreat houses/leaders along the way. Read all about it online here. Demelza hopes to raise £5000 for the APR Bursary Fund – it’s not too late to sponsor her – to do so, please click here.

Bookings are now open for the 2026 APR Autumn Retreat, which will be held at Holy Rood House (N Yorks), from 20-22 October and led by Cameron Butland, and for our Online Quiet Day (to be held on 9 July, and led by Alison Christian).

Spring E-Newsletter: Read all our latest news online here.

Searching for Retreats

If you are looking for an Individually Guided Retreat (IGR) or Quiet Day, simply type ‘IGR’ or ‘Quiet Day’ into the search function on our online calendar – there are dozens of both listed throughout the year! Or search by name for the place you would like to visit…

This week we are praying for...

Each week we pray for one of our member retreat houses or leaders. This week we are praying for all who seek refreshment at Edenham Regional House in Lincolnshire. 

Are you looking for a new challenge?

There are vacancies for staff at the following APR Member Retreat Houses:

Pastoral team leader at the Bield at Blackruthven
Head Housekeeper and/or Office Manager at Abernethy Kilmalieu
Caretaker at Othona Community (Essex)
Residential Team member at Quiet Waters Retreat House
Housekeeper and/or Office administrator at the Sheldon Community
Warden at Edenham Regional House
Assistant manager at Hummingbird Retreat, Grenada
Pastoral Worker at the Bield at Blackruthven
Community member at the Sheldon Community

Membership

Please consider joining APR, and help us support retreat houses and extend the benefit of retreats to more people. See the membership page for more information.

Bursaries

Our Bursary Scheme is there to help our retreat house members enable more people to benefit from retreats, especially where cost might be an obstacle. See the Bursary page for details.

Resources

We regularly post articles and information on topics related to retreats, prayer, and Christian spirituality. We hope you will find something of interest; see the Resources Pages here.

Support the work of APR

As a membership organisation, we rely on subscriptions to enable our work. If you are not already a member, please do consider joining APR, so that we can do even more to promote retreats.

If you are a UK taxpayer, please consider Gift Aiding your donation. We are able to claim an additional 25% from HMRC on top of your donation, at no extra cost to you. All you need do is complete our online Gift Aid declaration form and we’ll take care of the rest.

How to Donate

If you would like to make a donation to support the work of APR, or specifically to the Bursary Fund, you can do so by means of the online donation button below.