HILL COTTAGE - Key Persons

Helen is a singer, pianist, composer, vocal coach and choir leader. Her musical journey thus far has carried her through the theatre, to the concert platform and jazz club, as well as opera houses and arts centres in the UK and abroad. She constantly crosses genres in her own work, and has also established herself as a vocal coach, working for the National Theatre, Helen Chadwick Song Theatre, as well as undertaking projects with children, the elderly, the Royal Opera House and the environmental charity Common Ground. She lives in the Tamar Valley in Cornwall where she runs Gresham House Studios, together with her husband, the artist and writer Petrus Ursem.

During the retreat Ken and Jeremy will provide a framework for exploration of the Dhamma with space for questions and comments within the group. They will also offer space to discuss your practice. Jeremy Bruce qualified and practiced as a Quantity Surveyor. He later worked for Groundwork UK, the charity promoting sustainable living, for fifteen years before becoming an independent consultant advising charities and government agencies.

Ken Garrod received temporary ordination for over a year with Ajahn Sudhiro. He has spent many years visiting him at his monastery in Thailand and helping with pilgrimages. He is also the President of the Manchester Buddhist Society and a trustee of the Buddha-Metta Society UK

Laura ordained as a nun with Ajahn Sumedho in 1995 and was resident at Amaravati and Chithurst monasteries for eighteen years until she moved out to live as a solitary nun in 2010. Over the past ten years she has spent extended periods of time with the Burmese teacher Sayadaw U Tejaniya. In 2015 Laura left the monastic tradition to pursue the Diamond Heart (Ridhwan) spiritual path which incorporates both Buddhist and Sufi principles and practices.

Zarine Katrak worked for many years as trainer, facilitator, and writer for national charities such as FPA, National Children's Bureau, Brook and MIND in the field of Sexuality and Sexual Health as well as Anti-discriminatory Practice.