Spending charitable funds on a residential away day feels indefensible until you cost the alternative: another year of decisions deferred, another round of avoidable turnover, another strategy document nobody owns because nobody was in the room when it was written. The Brambles Retreat is an exclusive-use country house in the Mourne Mountains, hired as a whole property rather than per delegate. The dining room seats sixteen around one table, which is the right shape for a trustee session because nobody is at the head and nobody is presenting at anybody. The library works as a breakout room or somewhere to have the quiet one-to-one. The lounge is where the evening conversation happens, and in our experience that is the most productive room in the building. For anything involving genuine disagreement — strategy, restructures, difficult financial decisions — the overnight is what makes the difference. In a one-day session people hold the position they arrived with. Add a meal and a night and positions soften. We are self-catering, so you can bring in your own facilitator rather than accepting a venue's package, and control the catering budget entirely.
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£700 per night midweek for exclusive use of the whole property. At sixteen people that is £44 each, beds included. Weekends are £900, or £56 each, but charity away days almost never need to be at a weekend. Put that beside a hotel quote. A day delegate rate, plus bedrooms, plus dinner, plus AV, for sixteen people usually lands at a multiple of £44 a head, with much of it going on function-room hire and marked-up catering. And because the price is per property, it doesn't move when two trustees drop out a fortnight before. Eight bedrooms, all en suite, sleeping sixteen, with room for four more on airbeds. Day visitors welcome, so trustees who can't stay overnight can still attend the sessions. Fifteen minutes from Newcastle, under an hour from Belfast, Newry and Lisburn. Free parking, WiFi throughout, fully licensed, dog friendly. One thing to know before booking: all eight bedrooms are on the first floor with stair access only. If anyone in your group has mobility requirements, please raise it with us first. We are happy to provide a written quotation for the whole property that you can attach directly to a board paper. Tell us your group size, your dates and what the two days need to achieve.
At the Brambles, we are here to help, simply call us, email us or fill in the form. We will be happy to help in anyway we can.
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