The Woodbrooke Centre

Woodbrooke has been a place of meeting and fellowship for nearly 120 years. Once the family home of prominent Quaker George Cadbury, Woodbrooke has been the main venue for residential Quaker learning in Britain.  Over the decades the way Woodbrooke has delivered this learning has changed to meet changing needs. Gone are the days when people would come to spend a term or a year at Woodbrooke, immersing themselves in Quaker studies. In the 1990s we moved away from that model completely so that more people could access the learning. By 2019 Woodbrooke was running around 150 short courses a year on spiritual development and training to support both individuals and Quaker communities. This also meant that the Woodbrooke centre could be used by a wider range of groups and organisations for meetings, events and gatherings.

Like many charities, Woodbrooke has had to respond quickly to the impacts of the pandemic. Our 5 year plan for moving more learning online became more like a 5-minute plan! Now most of the learning is being offered online, or by our tutors offering sessions at Quaker venues across the country. This brings the benefit of increasing access to our learning across the UK and bringing the chance to connect with Quakers and others throughout the whole world. Woodbrooke has also been able to support the Quaker faith community with lots of opportunities for online worship – who would have thought you could create a real depth of worship in a silent meeting on Zoom!

All of this means there is even more opportunity for other groups and organisations to make use of the Woodbrooke Centre, for both day and residential events. Set in 10 acres of organically managed grounds, the Woodbrooke Centre has been a place for meeting, fellowship and for transformation for decades.

With 50 en suite bedrooms and a variety of meeting rooms, large and small there is a good chance of finding a space that ‘fits’ what the group needs.

Located on the border of Bournville and Selly Oak and on a major bus route, The Woodbrooke Centre aims to provide a nurturing and safe space that is easy to get to.

Read more about The Woodbrooke Centre HERE and on the facebook page.