Dates

Our 6 nights Congress and gathering will begin on Sunday afternoon 2^nd August 2026 with arrivals from 4 pm onwards, followed by dinner and ending after breakfast on Saturday 8^th August 2026.

Departures by 4 pm (bedrooms should be cleared by 10am).

Venue and Location

Milton Abbey School, Blandford Forum, Dorset, DT11 0BZ.

The School is located just outside the picturesque village of Milton Abbas in Dorset, approximately 30 miles south-west of Salisbury, midway between the towns of Blandford Forum and Dorchester.

The nearest train stations include Dorchester and Gillingham. Trains from these stations travel direct to London Waterloo, where connections are available to Gatwick and Heathrow airports.

Airports in the South West include Bournemouth, Southampton, Bristol and Exeter.

Map

Gallery

Invitation

Getting Here

We recommend you come by car so that you are able to visit the many nearby tourist destinations. If you come by train, the nearest mainline station is Dorchester with direct trains to and from London Waterloo. If you let the Congress Organisers know your arrival time you will be met at Dorchester Station.

Kejiwaan

The National Dewan plan to give Kejiwaan activities more prominence. There will be a full programme of Kejiwaan sessions open to everyone, with the Helpers’ suite for personal testing, operating throughout the Congress. Bapak Room to watch/listen to Bapak/Ibu Rahayu’s Talks.

Workshops

Plenty of opportunities to share your talents and enthusiasm. We have acres of space: theatre spaces, art rooms, sports facilities and classrooms. Let us know if you would like to run (or help run) a workshop or activity.

Activities

There will be many exciting and fun activities and entertainments available over all 5 days for adults, youth, children and toddlers, including visits to places of interest and walks. Check out the website for these programmes as they appear on congress.subudbritain.org

Entertainment

There will be a variety of workshops, youth and children’s programmes and a crèche will be available over the 5 days.

There is an Indoor Swimming Pool, tennis courts, golf course and lots of activity spaces. Organised walks and outings will help you explore the many places of interest.

Congress Café

Our own welcoming café in the marquee is a great meeting place with coffees, teas, cakes, fruit, and savoury dishes.

Crèche

Our crèche is for younger children, run and supported by you. All parents using the crèche sign up on a rota for one session.

Swimming

The swimming pool will be available at certain times with a lifeguard in attendance. The prices will be advised on the Congress website.

Smoking

Whilst the School has a NO SMOKING policy for the whole site, the School will arrange a Smokers’ Corner.

Help Required

Volunteer Places: We need many hands to create our gathering; many volunteers are already working hard to make the time special, and more are needed during the event.

We need help of all sorts including in the: Arrivals, Café, Set up, Office, Crèche, Room and workshop preparation, AV, First Aid, etc.

TO SIGN UP AS A VOLUNTEER, CONTACT the Congress Organisers.

Helpers (Kejiwaan) are needed to offer their time on the Helpers’ Desks. Please tick the box when filling in the form and sign in, at registration.

Extra Support: Please, during the event, offer your help at any time, even if for just a short period, to help relieve those who have committed their week fully. We are all in this together, and each of us can make Congress a little better.

Art Gallery, Craft Shop, SPI Shop: please bring and share your exhibits, your art or your crafts. We can sell items for you but please offer a few hours behind the till. SPI (Subud Publications International) will be selling Subud books, CDs and DVDs. Please contact congress the committee/arts workshop before bringing artworks.

Volunteering — pay less or go free (ages 14+)

Young people aged 14 and up — we'd love you to be part of Congress 26, and we know the full fee is a lot for some. If you'd like to come but are struggling with costs, you can volunteer in return for part or all of your fees.

The deal

• Full volunteering: 5 days × 4 hours per day → Congress is free for you (six nights camping, all meals and registration included).
• Part-time volunteering: 5 days × 2 hours per day → you pay half the Congress fee for six nights camping, all meals and registration included.

Accommodation for this scheme is camping only — full-board rooms are too limited to be offered at these rates.

What you might do

Roles could include: helping in the café, organising lunch and dinner queues, putting up signs and information boards, crèche support, activities with older kids, workshop preparation, marquee set-up and take-down, clearing and tidying, registration desk, arts & crafts desk, handing out lanyards, moving furniture, AV, organising walks, and more.

Volunteering is fun and rewarding — you'll be part of a team, meet new people, help Congress run smoothly and pick up new skills, with plenty of free time to enjoy the event.

How to register as a volunteer

When you fill in the Congress registration form, tick the volunteering checkbox and use the related volunteering info field to say you wish to volunteer (full- or part-time). Add your phone number if you don't often read emails.

Please briefly mention what you're good at — e.g. organising people, experience with kids, DBS registration (helpful for childcare), first aid, festival work, making coffee — and your preferred contact method.

After you've registered, you will receive a standard confirmation email showing the normal (not yet reduced) price. A member of the Congress team will get back to you by text or email to discuss what you can do. If the organisers are able to offer you a volunteering place, they will confirm your role and you will then receive a new booking confirmation with your reduced or free volunteering price.

Lots of people are signing up, so please register as soon as you can!

Accommodation

The school has plenty of comfortable accommodation with meals included. There are kitchenettes in each of the accommodation houses to make your snacks. Bear in mind that there is no self-catering; everyone has booked the meals in the dining hall.

All accommodation is full-board and must be booked for all 6 nights. There are 153 rooms, comprising 98 single bedrooms, 34 double bedrooms, 11 triple bedrooms and 10 quadruple rooms.

Rooms with easy access are available – please let Hubert or Rashid know your needs to ensure that you get the right space.

Couples with children will be offered beds in the triple and quadruple rooms depending on availability. If you wish to share a room with a friend/s then please give their name/s in the Notes box.

Glamping

Glamping offers a comfortable, ready-made tented accommodation option, combining the closeness of camping with added comfort and convenience. The tents are supplied by Perfect Party Tents, a professional UK provider experienced in high-quality event accommodation. Glamps are for a minimum of two adults, but can accomodate up to four adults (in some cases more for family use). Please contact us for more information about glamping and prices for your party before registering.

Camping

The campsite, looking at the map, is on the lawn between No. 5 Hodgkinson House and No. 15 the Health Centre. Should you prefer camping, bring your own tents, sleeping bags etc..

You must have registered and booked the camping option per adult or child.

There are showers and toilets in the toilet block adjoining the camping lawn and in the swimming pool block (see No 8 on the map).

Camping includes three meals per day at the dining hall.

Day Visitors

Day visitors are welcome to join the Congress activities without staying overnight. Please register as a day visitor if you plan to attend only during the day. Day visitors can either register for the whole week, or for individual days.

Lunch and dinner in the dining hall, but not breakfast is included for day visitors.

Day visitors have the option of Hotels and B&Bs nearby if you prefer off-site accommodation in which case you register as day visitors.

Congress Guidelines

Our Congress is a special time to be together — to share the latihan, to reconnect with old friends, and to welcome new ones. To help everyone feel comfortable and cared for, we've put together a few simple guidelines. Please take the time to read them here.

Prices

We have kept prices at levels intended to encourage as many people as possible to have the pleasure and value of the whole experience. For pricing, children are classed as aged 2-13 or aged 14-15 and adults aged 16 and over. Reduced prices (as of January 2025) apply to children aged 2–13 and are already reflected in the table below. Ages 14–15 are eligible for volunteer discounts instead.

We have to advise the School the numbers of Bookings by 21st June 2026.

*Glamping prices are an estimate, and glamps are for a minimum of two adults. Your cost will depend on the number of adults and children in your party. Get in touch, or we'll contact you after registration to confirm the price.

Helping Hand Fund

The Helping Hand Fund supports members who want to attend Congress but cannot afford the fees. Any member finding themselves in this predicament is asked to test with their Group Helpers whether it is right for them to receive help and if so, in what amount. The contribution tested by the Helpers is charged to the Helping Hand Fund which is funded by your donations. Please decide how much you can donate and enter the amount on the registration form.

Contacts

These are the key contacts. For general enquires or if you're not sure who to address, email admin@congress.subudbritain.org.

• Congress Organisers – Lucas Adamson lightfeat@gmail.com & Amanda Bolt amanda.m.bolt@gmail.com
• Congress Treasurer - Rashid Rogers rashid.r.rogers@gmail.com
• Workshops for Art and Health – Lucianne Lassalle lucilassalle@gmail.com
• Registration & Website – Hubert Rogers admin@congress.subudbritain.org