Earlier this month, fellows from across the Midlands MHN DTP came together for a dedicated three-day Writing Retreat, designed to provide focused time and space for doctoral writing.
Held at Breadsall Priory Hotel & Country Club in Derbyshire, the retreat took place in a scenic country location, offering a calm and restorative setting away from usual day-to-day pressures. The programme combined lightly structured writing sessions with opportunities to connect, reflect and recharge, creating the ideal environment for sustained progress on individual projects.
Across the three days, attendees followed a carefully designed schedule of writing blocks interspersed with breaks and informal time. The programme enabled fellows to focus on a range of outputs, including thesis chapters, research papers, analyses and journal submissions.
Each day balanced concentrated writing sessions with opportunities to step away, whether through informal discussions, group activities or time spent exploring the grounds. The supportive setting, combined with excellent hospitality, ensured that fellows were able to fully focus on their work. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to the staff at Breadsall Priory, who kept everyone extremely well fed throughout the retreat and contributed to a welcoming and comfortable experience for all. An honourable mention to the cookies!
Fellow reflections
Feedback from participants highlights the impact of the retreat:
“Having focussed time to work in a calm and quiet environment. Also really nice to see other PhD students who are in a similar position. Thanks for organising such a fantastic retreat for us.”
“It really refocused me on writing. I’ve redrafted the same application 6 times and actually being somewhere new really re-centred me and made me much more productive.”
These reflections emphasise the importance of protected time, a supportive environment, and peer connection in helping fellows overcome common challenges in academic writing.
Looking ahead
The success of this year’s Writing Retreat reinforces the value of creating dedicated opportunities for fellows to step back, refocus and make meaningful progress on their work. As a programme, we remain committed to supporting our fellows not only in their research, but in developing the habits, confidence and community needed to thrive throughout their doctoral journey.
We look forward to building on this success in future retreats and continuing to provide spaces where writing, wellbeing and collaboration go hand in hand.