It’s been a very busy year for Welsh singer songwriter, activist and wellbeing practitioner Charlotte Church as she continues to develop her rural retreat and wellbeing centre in Powys called The Dreaming, which was recently named the Welsh spa of the year by The Times and Sunday Times. Find out more about that here.
Since buying Laura Ashley’s former home from the owner at the time in 2021 Charlotte has completely renovated the property and created a centre for facilitating healing retreats, workshops and gatherings. The Dreaming offers short stay retreats surrounded by peace and immersed in nature in the most magical of locations, tucked away in the hills above Rhayader. Find out what it’s like to stay at The Dreaming here.
Charlotte says The Dreaming offering has since its opening developed retreats for sections of society that she thinks are not well catered for with specific offerings, as well as for people desperate for a break from the stresses of the modern world. Now The Dreaming is going full-on Christmas spirit with a range of festive day and evening events.
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Rain, shine or snow, The Dreaming is a magical place to be -Credit:Elliot Cooper Photography
What keeps Charlotte grounded and happy, she says, is still living in Wales, surrounded by a Welsh blanket of people who she says treat her almost like a distant member of their family. She said: “I think the people in Wales are lush, I think I’ve been around for so long I think people almost treat me like I’m a distant family member, like I’m a distant cousin and it’s actually really nice.
“I stay close to home and so people are generally happy to see me when I’m out and about. I used to get more aggy stuff when I was younger, but now I’m a big arsed woman most people are just really lush and generally just want to know how everything is – how I am, how my mum is, how’s the family, how The Dreaming is going?”
The bridges over waterfalls are lit up through the forest -Credit:Elliot Cooper
For the near future the festive offerings at The Dreaming are the priority for Charlotte and it’s a time of year at this enchanting location that she thinks is truly magical. She said: “Being at The Dreaming for Christmas time is about creating a welcome as people come together – it’s a deeper sense of belonging and I think that is what people love about Christmas, that sense of connection and cwtching down and being nurtured and having peaceful food and a relaxing time, and at this darkest time of the year, everything looks really beautiful – the sparkling lights and the aromatic sensory smells – all of that.
“I think that is what we’re thinking about when we’re curating these Christmas festive events in line with more the pagan ideas about Christmas time and winter solstice and those deeper messages from the land – that is what this time is about.
It’s a magical place to be at Christmas -Credit:Elliot Cooper
“We’ve got fires in every room, we’ve got two big firepits outside – the warmth against the dark sky is so atmospheric and we’re always bringing it back to nature and helping people to reweave their connection with winter or nature or with the darkness.
“I think being outside at night time is really magical and something we don’t often do because we get inside because it’s cold and dark, so we’ve lit up all the forest so that all the pathways are lit and look beautiful, so you can be in the forest at night time in the dark and for me that is a really special thing.
Festive family fun at The Dreaming’s Christmas events -Credit:Elliot Cooper
“It’s just about connecting you to the songs and the music and the feelings of Christmas and really getting people excited for this time of year, away from the overbearing pressure of Christmas, we’re trying to connect people to back to what it should feel like – remembering how excited we were about Christmas when we were kids.”
Week one of The Dreaming’s unique Christmas events run from December 13-15 once a day and include ‘Dreaming of a Green Christmas’ which is the retreat’s first green gifting workshop, an afternoon spent creating beautiful, sustainable gifts from natural materials gathered from Charlotte’s ancient woodland accompanied by mince pies and mulled drinks held in the charming potting shed.
Toast marshmallows, drink hot chocolate, and sing carols around the camp fire with Charlotte -Credit:Elliot Cooper
A festive high tea experience is a popular Christmas event that has returned this year where a guided tour takes you around the house and then into the enchanting land with a gathering for a festive high tea of seasonally curated delicious treats and warming teas, inspired by the spirit of winter.
Surrounded by twinkling trees in the ancient woodland there’s also an evening event that invites you to dance under the stars around a warming fire pit, with mulled festive drinks, marshmallow toasting, and great tunes to dance to – that’s the Festive Blessings Silent Disco in the Court of the Holly King within the magical land that cocoons The Dreaming.
Zac the chef creatives seasonal nibbles -Credit:Elliot Cooper
Into the week of December 19, 20, 21 and 22 and the three main events are another batch of Festive High Teas as well as Festive Family Christmas that includes crafting and a woodland walk. Finally, if you’ve ever fancied singing with an internationally famous singer then this is your chance because Charlotte will be gathering around the campfire with you for toasted marshmallows, hot chocolate and carols to sing out into the silent landscape. Find further information and ticket prices, dates and times here.
Next year is going to be just as busy as 2024 for this Welsh national treasure as The Dreaming keeps marching forward in its mission to ‘help people experience the magic of nature and the chance to find peace, to dream, rest and restore’ but also because Charlotte has revealed that she will be doing some live singing events – but not as you might expect.
Chance to explore the land in the daytime -Credit:Elliot Cooper
Chance to explore the land at night -Credit:Elliot Cooper
Charlotte says: “I’m hoping to be doing some gigs in beautiful places in the summer of 2025 which is more based around the sound healing world that I’ve been going into, which isn’t like traditional gong bath that people go to, I’ve taken it into a different sphere, I call it sound ceremony.
“I’m much more into the live experience nowadays – I am recording more music but it’s much more in a natural or organic way. I’m hoping to do those in beautiful outdoor spaces, in forests, in parks, but also potentially in churches because obviously they are built for sound essentially. It’s really using my voice and using music in a different way, in a way that is more of a vessel for healing the mind, body and spirit as opposed to just songs, it’s more like a ceremony, lots of singing, lots of beautiful instruments, musicians and players.
One of the most popular Christmas events at The Dreaming is the Festive High Tea and here’s one of the reasons why -Credit:Elliot Cooper
“It’s difficult to explain it if you haven’t experienced it, it’s like a healing sound ceremony where people can come and deeply relax. The sound ceremony is an invitation to you to lay down, get comfortable, and be nurtured by sound – it’s a great gift to nurture yourself and be away from the stress of life, I’m really passionate about it and I’m happy that my life, my artistry and my music has moved in this direction.”
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