Nestled among the picturesque town of Saffron Walden, are the historical buildings of St. Marks College, the location of this year’s Women's Retreat which was organised by Khawateen of CoEJ.

The backdrop of the stately Audley End House, and vast gardens, proved to be the perfect setting for 2 days of activities and rejuvenation.

We woke up at 8:30 and were very excited about our trip to milton keynes. We had a delicious breakfast and then rushed to change. After we got ready we went to get our pack lunches of kebab rolls and headed to the coach. It was a long but exciting journey.

Finally when we got there we went to the park and played on the climbing frames. We then took a walk across the lake to the ariel extreme course. At first we were a bit scared but it turned out to be fun in the end. We had variety of activities.

This year the CoEJ young girl’s camp came to my home town, Stanmore.

This was my third year attending the camp and it was my favourite year so far. I especially enjoyed the Islamic workshops where we were taught all about the hijab and salaat because I learnt new facts that I was not fully aware of.

For example, when wearing a hijab you have to make sure that your hair is completely covered and your clothes have to be loose so that no one can see the shape of your body.  We also attended other age appropriate workshops which were extremely useful and informative.

"The Wales retreat was a truly inspiring trip. Our journey included fun activities like gliding, sports like rounders and thought-provoking talks on topics such as Qalbe Saleem and anger management by Sajidabai Rashid. The beauty of the natural surroundings of the valley was a truly unique experience. I particularly enjoyed the caves we visited. I would honestly recommend this trip to all the women in our community and would like to thank the Khawateen for organizing such a fantastic trip".  JazakAllah.

- Gulzar Mawji