Charlotte Church closes Welsh wellness retreat after five ‘beautiful years’

Charlotte Church is closing her wellness retreat after five “beautiful years”.

The Welsh singer, 40, opened The Dreaming in 2022 after buying the former home of fashion designer Laura Ashley a year earlier, with the renovation of the property also featuring in a Discovery Channel documentary series.

Based in Rhydoldog House near Rhayader, Powys, it offered retreats aimed at helping people reconnect with nature and spirituality, with experiences including sound healing, forest bathing and Druid ceremonies.

Last month, the retreat announced it would be “pausing” operations to “reassess” what it should offer.

However, it has now confirmed it is shutting down.

In a statement posted on Instagram, The Dreaming wrote: “After five beautiful years, it is time to say goodbye to The Dreaming. As the year draws to a close, and the land settles into its winter slumber, we find ourselves at the end of a very special chapter.

“When we last wrote to you, we shared our plans for The Dreaming to pause, to go fallow, to rest and make space for whatever might come next. At that time, we had hoped this would be a period of hibernation, rather than an ending.

“Sadly, we’ve come to realise that this is not simply a time of hibernation, but the end of our journey with The Dreaming. What a beautiful, wild and wonderful few years it has been.”

 

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A post shared by The Dreaming at Rhydoldog (@thedreamingretreat)

It continued: “Together, we’ve sung, danced, laughed, cried, rested, feasted, wandered through the woods, plunged into cold water, sat around fires and gazed up at the stars. We’ve shared stories, made friendships, held space for one another and found moments of stillness in a world that so rarely allows us to slow down.

“Thousands of you have found your way to this little corner of the Welsh hills, each bringing something of yourselves, and each leaving a little something behind. You have made The Dreaming what it is.”

The statement went on to thank the “extraordinary” retreat team, as well as the “volunteers, artists, makers, gardeners, housekeepers, cooks, healers and every single person who has helped bring this dream to life”.

Last month the business said it was in the process of “germinating new dreams for the future” and was set to “hibernate”.

Earlier this year, Church told the Press Association that The Dreaming was a response to the pressures of contemporary life.

She said: “I am really passionate about what we do, because I believe more than ever the world and the people of the world are in dire need of being held through some very difficult times.

“There are some very difficult transitional times for us as human beings on this earth. This is also due to the excesses in which society is so much based around, capitalist values and ideologies, meaning there is then less around care, people, community, nature and belonging. We are crying out for these things, every single one of us.”

She said that The Dreaming “can’t fix everything”, adding: “It’s not a magic pill, but it is a magical place.”

She previously confessed she had also blown “pretty much all my life savings” on the retreat.

Since opening, The Dreaming hosted more than 3,000 guests and also offered a “pay what you can” scheme starting at £1 per night, as well as free stays for NHS workers.

Church released her first album, Voice Of An Angel, when she was 12. Since then, she has released more music, appeared on TV – including her own chat show in the Noughties, The Charlotte Church Show.

Last year she also took part in the first season of The Celebrity Traitors.