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A weekend at Willersley Castle

Over 40 members of the church recently spent the weekend together at Willersley Castle in Derbyshire.

Willersley Castle weekend
Morning service in Willersley Castle

The Friday evening was spent playing board games, chatting, and relaxing after the journey. I’m told that the Monopoly game went on into the small hours, but I was asleep by then. Saturday was a fine sunny day (after a brief snow flurry during breakfast) and most people wnet out, either walking or by car. A keen group of 16 people went for a walk up to the Black Rocks above Cromford in the afternoon. After dinner the evening was taken up with a quiz. On Sunday morning we gathered together for a service, which was planned and led by members of the church, with the music provided by our own band. After a roast beef lunch we made our our separate ways back to Leicster, through appalling rain.

Willersley Castle provided a warm and comfortable venue for the weekend, with excellent food, efficiently served and very friendly staff. We had the use of a large meeting room, which we used in the evenings and where we held a service on Sunday morning, and a lounge and TV room.

Willersley Castle was built in the 18th centry by Sir Richard Arkwright, whose name is associated with the industrialisation of the textile industry which took place in the Peak District, with its plentiful supply of water power. It is now a Christian Guild holiday hotel.