Testimonials

'Leonie gently facilitated an environment in which we felt safe enough to be brave; to dig deep and to discover the wordsmiths within ourselves.'

Katharine Elwis, (participant on Project Freedom , Isle of Tiree, October 2017)

As Adult Carer Support Worker at the North Argyll Carers Centre, supporting unpaid carers, I have witnessed Leonie guide, encourage and inspire carers to write creatively. In doing so, carers involved in the group have discovered a life outside caring while receiving the therapeutic benefits of developing writing skills in an empathic environment of trust and fun. Carers have produced wonderful poems and pieces inspired by their life experiences, entering several national competitions.

Jane Hewitt, North Argyll Carers Centre

Thanks to Leonie's skills our group had a wonderful, moving and highly creative time. She managed to make the workshop accessible to people of all levels of experience, including those challenged by literacy.

One person said, "The highlight was the writing session - took me back to my childhood. I never thought I'd be able to do it."

Michelle said, "Brilliant! Leonie was particularly good, went back to the old times, the memories, which is a good thing."

Peter Ross, MECOPP (Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project).

Leonie came and ran two workshops on a ‘No-Technology, Exploring Process' retreat for Fine Art students. She was naturally sensitive to the diverse group, made us feel relaxed and brought out the very different shapes of best in us all. Everybody loved the workshops and they sparked some inspired writing as well as very interesting discussions.

Lucy Gray, Sculptor

Testimonials from Glen Kinglass writing retreat:

‘The long, and very beautiful, ride up the glen rattled us down like shaking boxes of cereal, we arrived with all the good bits on the top. The ‘horsey walkers’ actually walked in from the other end of the Glen, from Victoria Bridge, miles and miles in the pouring rain and wind, they arrived radiant and soaked to the skin. We were in a free creative space, that was clear. We were lovingly fed and watered and and given the right ingredients to grow, to be ourselves - wonderfully creatively ourselves. To go back to the cereal analogy, the nuts were encouraged to be nutty and the raisins to be raisins. Leonie stirred us like a master chef and brought out flavours I didn’t even know I had.’ Lucy, Argyll.

‘A truly magical arrangement by Leonie Charlton and Alasdair Ross. I cannot thank them enough for this experience, I owe them so much for opening up this possibility for me to express my ‘inner rumblings' through writing. Do yourself this favour and come find your writer’s voice amongst these wonderful people, in this enchanting place.’ Marieke , The Netherlands

‘I had such an interesting time on this retreat. The place and the way Leonie and Alasdair led those few days made me feel I could be myself within the group. Living, walking, eating, swimming, listening, writing and reading out loud together - all challenges, but deeply meaningful, I felt safe in those bothies and hills. Leonie was a very gentle midwife on the writing. I loved the concrete manageable writing tasks and all the special details like the pocket notebook, questions for the faeries, the bothy fire and eagle-watching drams, the sunny frosty weather they arranged, the combination of fabulous people (all so different), and the thought that went into the food provision made it exceptional as an experience. I loved Alasdair's calm, smiling, knowledgeable presence and really hope to return.’ Anne, Cambridge

'Glen Kinglass in the poetic company of Leonie is a rare place. It is an opportunity to breathe, create and celebrate life and landscape.’ Tina, Fife