Helen Stanton has been appointed as the new Warden for Holland House, the Retreat and Conference Centre based in Cropthorne, near Pershore.
Helen is currently Anglican Tutor in Ethics, Doctrine and Spirituality at Queen’s Theological College in Birmingham. She will take on her new role from 1 July.
Holland House is available for use by people of all faiths and none. As Warden, Helen will play a key role in shaping the future life and ministry of the house, which attracts both day and overnight visitors.
Helen said: “I have visited Holland House many times over the last 20 years. It is an incredibly beautiful place which offers excellent hospitality in many ways. I have worked in the Anglican Church my whole life and have a real passion for prayer and spirituality, which I plan to bring to this role. I am looking forward to helping Holland House be a home from home for people who may be feeling tired and stressed, and giving people from all faiths and traditions an opportunity to develop their own spirituality. I will be working alongside a talented group of people and continuing to develop the retreat and conference centre from an already strong place.”
Helen is planning to reintroduce weekly eucharist services and house prayers at Holland House and will be developing a varied programme, including days based on her own interests around contemplative prayer and the visual arts. “Prayer and retreat are important parts of Christian discipleship,” continued Helen. “I’d like to offer people the chance to quietly offer their lives to God, as well as pray for the life of the world, developing links with social action.”
Chair of the Board of Trustees, Paul West, said: “We’re all excited that Helen is joining us as Warden to lead our extremely loyal and dedicated staff team. She brings with her many years of practical experience of teaching and of leading retreats, which we’re sure she will apply to good effect. Like most other hospitality venues, during the pandemic Holland House suffered financially due to enforced closures and re-opening restrictions. Indeed, had we not received a very generous grant from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund in 2021, there was a very real prospect of us having to close the charity down. Thankfully, we’re now through those difficulties and Helen joins us at a perfect time to further broaden and diversify our visitor base, whilst retaining our core value of being a Christian house of welcome.”
