How to Book a Place on a Retreat

NB: The booking address has changed again with effect from 5^th October 2007. Check this page for the current version of the booking form showing the current booking address, before sending your booking.

Book Early!

Please try to book retreat places well in advance, so as to secure a place for yourself and to help us with the planning and organisation.

Often retreats fill up quickly and we have to turn people away.
Occasionally retreats book up slowly and at the time that we send out booking confirmation letters (about a month beforehand) we have to decide whether to cancel an under-booked retreat.
Whilst we try to accept late bookings these can be quite disruptive. If you book late then the cook will have already planned the meals and may have bought some of the food, the accommodation may have been already planned based on the sex ratio and names already listed, and so on.
Please try to book at least 4-6 weeks, and no later than two weeks, beforehand. If you try to book any later than that we may be able to accept you but please be prepared to miss the retreat even if there are places available, since it may be too difficult for us to co-ordinate arrangements.

For places on these retreats send your completed retreat application form to the address on the form, enclosing a deposit, cheques payable to: Western Chan Fellowship.

retreat application form as pdf (25kb)
retreat application form as rtf (115kb, editable)

Retreat fees must be paid in full by six weeks before the retreat starts
If you book more than six weeks ahead then you may secure your place with either full payment or a deposit (see below for details of the deposit required).
If you book within six weeks of the start of the retreat then you must pay in full at the time of booking.
If your balance payment is not received by six weeks before the start of the retreat then your deposit may be forfeit and your place transferred to someone else on the waiting list.
If after booking you find you cannot attend and give at least six weeks notice of cancellation then both your deposit and any balance/full payment will be refunded in full.
If you cancel within six weeks of the retreat, or do not turn up for the retreat, then your fees are forfeited. If we are able to refill your place from the waiting list then your balance will be refunded and only the deposit is forfeited.
These payment arrangements are to minimise wastage of places, given the limited capacity of our retreats. It is a shame when our retreats have waiting lists and we have to turn people away, only to find that we have late cancellations or ‘no-shows’ and those turned away could have been accepted if we had sufficient notice of non-attenders. Please give good notice if you are unable to attend.

Applications without a deposit will not be accepted. If you send your application form by email then it must be followed promptly by confirmation in writing enclosing the deposit or else the booking may not be confirmed.

For UK applicants the deposit is £80, or £50 if applying for a bursary (NB the deposit is doubled to £160 if applying for both weeks of the two-week retreat).
For applicants from outside the UK the deposit is €200 or $200 (or £150), or double this if applying for both weeks of the two-week retreat.
The deposit is non-refundable if you cancel or change your booking within 6 weeks of the start of the retreat.

Please make UK Sterling cheques payable to the 'Western Chan Fellowship'.

In order to minimise bank charges for both parties, overseas applicants should send their deposit as a bank note(s) for the above amounts. This will be converted at the prevailing exchange rate on the day of receipt. Any risk of loss of currency in the post is your risk.

To discuss a retreat with John Crook Phone or Fax 01934 842231 Evenings when available. Teacher(at)WesternChanFellowship.org.

We shall indicate on the retreat calendar if a retreat is fully booked. If not then you can book as above. If for some reason you need to check availability of places email the membership secretary at Bookings(at)westernchanfellowship.org

Data Protection Notice - Please Read

On most retreats some people are travelling without their own transport and either require or appreciate lifts from those with cars. To facilitate this, when you book a place on a retreat, we will give your contact details to others who may need a lift to help them to travel to the retreat. If you prefer your details not be released then please state this clearly when you make your retreat booking.

Bursaries

Concessions, for Students and Low or No-Waged Applicants

The Western Chan Fellowship (WCF) is registered as a charity and has received donations to provide a bursary fund to help people with low or no-waged income to attend the WCF retreats. There will be a limited number of bursary places per retreat. Financial support will vary according to the applicant's needs but typically is a discount of 50%..

If you would like to apply for bursary funded support to attend a WCF retreat please write giving details of your requirements. Bursaries must be applied for in advance of the retreat either prior to or at the time of booking.

Please contact the treasurer or refer to the donations page if you would like to make a donation to the bursary fund or to other WCF projects.