Women's Retreat 2012

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.

The retreat began with much laughter and fun as the ice breaker games and team building exercises lay a foundation for good friendships to come.

We were inspired with a talk given by Amina Inloes about spirituality in day to day life. It fostered a lot of discussion and thought as to how important our daily life activities actually are towards the development of our soul and spiritual self.

Sister Samantha's workshop on sustainability really brought to light the issues around the earth's resources and damaging consequences brought about by our lifestyles. As Muslims we have a responsibility to our planet and each other, towards preserving these valuable resources.

We had a lovely afternoon walk in the gardens of Audley End; relaxed by the lake and indulged in creamy ice cream, all this while being basked in beautiful sunshine.

Over the course of the retreat, interspersed with planned activities, the agenda also gave us ample time, whether at meals or in the comfortable lounges, to just sit and talk and get to know each other.

Overall, it was a great experience to get together with other women, learn some and laugh lots.

May Allah (SWT) reward all those who worked so hard to make this happen.

By: Sis Shabniz Kaba

“My first time at the Women’s Retreat was a lovely experience, the venue was serene and the activities had the right balance of thought provocation and enjoyment. Relaxing in the company of a wonderful group of ladies was an added bonus!  [Sis Sumra Khan]”.

Khawateen