the Maternal ALchemist presents…
GATHER
A heart-rich retreat for mothers and mamas-to-be
Samhain (or you may know it as 'Halloween') sits at a threshold, an ancient turning point between autumn and winter, traditionally a time to honour what has been, release what we no longer need and make space for what is to come as the dark draws in. A time too to honour our ancestors and lineage.
And perhaps motherhood asks the same of us.
So, tucked away in the wild beauty of the Dorset countryside, we’ll gather for a day of warmth, movement and a little seasonal magic.
We’ll move our bodies. Breathe deeply. Journal and reflect. Eat beautiful food around a shared table. Make something with our hands. Wander outside. Talk, laugh, rest.
GATHER is held near the beautiful landscape of Cranborne Chase: a place that feels rooted, spacious and steeped in a slower rhythm at the brilliant Launceston Farm.
Here, nature isn’t simply the backdrop to our day. It is woven through everything.
This is for you if you want time to honour who you are becoming. You want to move, breathe delve into some self-care and take time away from responsibilities at home.
You desire connection - at a time when we are moving so quickly from A to B without enough time to really spend connecting with others in a deep and impactful way.
You are curious about the ritual and elements and you crave a chance to learn more about the season of samhain as we mirror nature's patterns
Release, relax and let go
COME AWAY TO THE COUNTRYSIDE FOR THE DAY…
A day to step away from the lists, the lunches, the washing, the appointments and the endless mental tabs open in your brain.
To arrive exactly as you are.
Perhaps you are deep in the beautiful, messy thick of motherhood and cannot remember the last time you had six whole hours where nobody needed anything from you.
Perhaps you are pregnant, standing at the threshold of one of the greatest transformations of your life, feeling the quiet pull to connect more deeply with yourself before everything changes.
Perhaps you simply know you need a day that feels different.
Here, nature isn’t simply the backdrop to our day. It is woven through everything.
Limited Places available
TICKETS £111
Food, drinks, goodie bag and more all included!
We’ll breathe the country air. Move with the season. Wander beneath the open sky. Gather natural treasures. Eat food inspired by the landscape and create with our hands using the textures and colours of the earth around us.
This is a chance to step out of the constant hum of motherhood and into a landscape that has been quietly holding women, families and stories for generations.
A day to remember that you belong to nature too.
Gather has been created for women across the seasons of motherhood including pregnancy and the years beyond.
You might arrive with a beautiful bump, deep in the trenches of early motherhood or mothering children who no longer need to hold your hand.
Your version of motherhood is welcome here.
All movement will be gentle and adaptable, with space to listen to your own body throughout the day. There is no pressure to participate in every element. Resting, observing and choosing what you need are all part of the experience.
We’ll move our bodies, gather in circle, journal, create, eat gorgeous seasonal food and allow the natural rhythm of the day to lead us.
No rushing. No performing. No trying to become a better version of yourself.
Just a heart-rich day of women, warmth and wild Dorset beauty — created to help you gather the pieces of yourself back home.
What does a retreat day look like?
Gather & arrive - warm drinks, a beautiful opening circle and time to land, exhale and leave the outside world behind
Move & breathe - nourishing yoga, intuitive movement and breathwork to soften the body and settle the nervous system.
Pause & reflect - seasonal journalling and gentle Samhain ritual to honour what has been and make space for what is coming.
Feast together - a delicious seasonal lunch, shared slowly around the table with good conversation plus treats throughout the day.
Return to nature - time outside breathing in the October air and reconnecting with the rhythm of the season.
Make with your hands - a gorgeous grown-up crafternoon; something tactile, creative and seasonal to lose yourself in and take home with you.
Rest & reconnect - candles glowing, warm drinks, conversation, quiet moments and the rare luxury of having nowhere else you need to be.
Come pregnant. Come mothering. Come exactly as you are.
if you're pregnant…
You’re in the becoming - rowing a baby and a whole new version of yourself. Come step away from the planning, move, breathe, feast and honour this wild, beautiful threshold into motherhood.
If you are brand new mother…
Your whole world has shifted, and somewhere amongst the feeds, nappies and broken nights, you’re still in there too. Come be looked after for a change — eat while it’s warm, move gently, create, connect and remember yourself.
If you've been mothering a while
You’ve been holding everyone else for long enough, mama. Put it all down for six glorious autumnal hours and come move, feast, make, laugh and reconnect with the woman underneath all the mothering.
"Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons."
Jim Bishop
Don't miss out - just a limited number of spaces
Launceston FaRM, Dorset
AIMEE STRONGMAN
yoga Teacher, ritual SPace holder, Priestess, healer, mother
Born from a lineage of midwives and florists it is no coincidence that she is here today entwining these magic ancestral threads of hers and the deep wisdom they hold to support women, who are seeking connection in a deeper way at life’s gateways of change and sacred rites of passage.
She is a trained level 4 Yoga Teacher with the British Wheel of Yoga and a pre and postnatal yoga specialist accredited with Yoga Alliance Professionals.
She is passionately curious about the body and with the help of movement, breath and spirit believes it is essential to curate a deep sense of self trust and connection to our innate inner wisdom.
Her work reconnects women with their ancient wisdom for modern motherhood through movement, education, ritual and devotional bodywork.
Aimee Strongman
The Maternal Alchemist
Muddy Stilettos Winner 2026 — Best Wellbeing Specialist in Dorset, Somerset and Bristol
There’s a reason I wanted to hold Gather here, tucked away in the Dorset countryside at this particular moment in the year.
By the end of October, nature is doing something we mothers are generally pretty terrible at: slowing down. The leaves are falling, the light is softer, everything is turning inward and there is this gorgeous feeling of the landscape almost giving us permission to do the same.
So for one whole day, I want you to let it and weave in a little Samhain ritual and maternal magic along the way.
This is an invitation to put you first and gather with us this autumn as the wheel turns.