Living and Breathing Whalley Abbey Ethos



LIVING AND BREATHING - ETHOS Reference WAEthos Version 1Dated: 05.04.2021 This policy will take effect from 1.05.2021. The Director has overall responsibility for implementing this policy, which will be reviewed and may be changed on a regular basis, annually or due to a change in legislation or guidance, whichever is the sooner. This policy will be approved by the Governance Group. Data collected to support this policy must remain confidential and be managed in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018, Data Protection and Cyber Security. Read only copies of this policy can be found at: ORIGINALLY PREPARED BY Adam Thomas, Director05.04.2021 UPDATED BY APPROVED BY GOVERNANCE GROUP 01.05.2021 Living and Breathing Whalley Abbey Ethos Whalley Abbey was founded in 1296 as a place of hospitality, prayer, study and healing.It still continues today to be built on these four pillars and provides a unique destination for groups and individuals to stay, meet, reflect or retreat. This document seeks to express how we do this, the values we stand for and the behaviours we exhibit. Defining, embedding and communicating these core values (internally and externally) is key to our reputation and will help us fulfil our vision. Our History Whalley Abbey was built as a Cistercian Monastery in 1296, the Abbey Church and many of the buildings where demolished through the Reformation, and the Abbey House was converted into a family home for Richard (Ralph) Assheton in 1553. In 1923 the site was bought on the instruction of the Bishop of Manchester, William Temple. He gifted it to the new Diocese of Blackburn in 1926 with the vision that it would become “a real spiritual powerhouse and place of learning”. It has been the Diocese of Blackburn’s retreat centre ever since and today is also the Centre for Christian Discipleship and Prayer. A new residential and dispersed praying community now anchor the Abbey and its work. The Abbey has always been a place of hospitality, reaching out into the wider community as a unique venue for conferences, events and overnight accommodation and meals.. Our Ethos and Values These underpin everything that we do at Whalley Abbey. All are welcome. Every visitor is Christ to us. We are rooted in the Christian faith, which acknowledges the value and uniqueness of every human and teaches the importance of love, respect, forgiveness and the need to work for peace and justice. Consequently, our Chapel is open from 8.00am to 11.00pm and may be used by groups for worship, talks and faith based seminars; and by individual guests for quiet contemplation or prayer. We are focused on the needs of our guests and the local community. We act with integrity. This means acting within a legal framework but also treating everyone with whom we engage with fairness and respect. We learn from our experiences and from each other so that we can be better at everything we do. We recognise that we are a service-based activity. Services are for people and produced by people. We aim to keep our staff and volunteers thriving in terms of personal and professional development, motivation, health and well-being so that they can best serve our guests. Quality of care is at the heart of all we do. We recognise the need for bespoke solutions because of the variety of our guests. We value innovation in thought and practice, whilst keeping in mind that we act as custodians of this long standing Christian site. We have policies in place aimed at ensuring our employees and guests are safe. Our Behaviours Our intention is to exhibit respect, support and the highest standards of professionalism at all times. strive for excellence in all we do. share our experiences and ideas for mutual benefit. honour all agreements reached in honesty and good faith. treat all staff fairly and respectfully. support an effective and creative work/life balance and, where reasonably practicable, will offer flexibility to benefit the employee and the Abbey. promote a training environment where staff are given the opportunity to achieve growth and fulfilment in their professional life. Our VisionCommunity: An inclusive community where all are valued – lay and ordained, paid staff and volunteers, friends, tenants, visitors.Discipleship: A place apart where people come to deepen their relationship with God and are sent out with a renewed sense of mission.Prayer: A real spiritual powerhouse, where prayer is offered (both gathered, dispersed and online) for the diocese and the world, and where the eucharist is central.Learning: A seat of learning where leaders can grow and be refreshed.Hospitality: A welcoming place offering generous hospitality to all, including those in need.Encounter: A place of encounter, where seekers can encounter Jesus Christ and where tourists can visit and stay in a place of generous spirituality.Sustainability: Living within our means financially by maximising our commercial income, and modelling what it means to live more gently with God’s creation and reduce our carbon footprint.Visiting the Abbey you should expect to see a building and grounds in which Christian discipleship and prayer are central, with a variety of activities going on such as:A rhythm of daily prayer for the diocese and the world, and a regular eucharist led by the small resident community in a renewed chapel, which will be heartbeat of the house, open for prayer at all times.Individuals, lay and ordained, booking in for self-guided retreats, sharing in the community’s daily prayers and using a revamped library for private study.A inspirational place for meetings, conferences and business or leisure overnight stays where all are welcome.Guided prayer walks – that engage with the natural surroundings of the site and wider Ribble Valley, and with bespoke works of art in the gardens.A retreat programme that attracts people from far and wide.Parish visits for weekends, vision days, quiet days and Alpha weekends.Joint events with the cathedral, including pilgrimage walks, Holy Week and events for the dispersed praying community around the diocese bound together under a common Rule of Life.Children and young people and schools’ groups coming to engage in outdoor learning about sacred history and the environment.Ordination retreats and residential courses for curates and ministry discernment panels.Individuals in need or distress coming for respite and refreshment, referred from the parishes.A place central to the local community of all agesPart 2. Our operational life; Our tone of voice It is important that we speak to each other and our guests in a consistent tone of voice that reflects our values. That voice should be; Accessible: conversational, jargon-free, and straightforward Honest: clear and explanatory Positive: welcoming and friendly Respectful: inclusive and non-patronising Our environment To meet our aims effectively it is essential that our environment reflects our ethos and values, therefore we are seeking that Our buildings should be decorated to a high standard with good quality, functional furniture. Some rooms with great historical tradition may be furnished in a style more in keeping with their era. Our public areas should be welcoming and comfortable and promote an atmosphere that supports our claim to be a place of retreat. The furnishings, such as pictures, should either pick up our historical roots, reflect ou location or our aim to be a place of Christian Retreat. Our grounds should enhance the experience of being here. There should be plenty of places to sit and relax in a well maintained garden and where the history of the site can be explored. Our Chapel is open from 8.00am to 11.00pm and may be used by groups for worship, talks and seminars; and by individual guests for quiet contemplation or prayer. Our bedrooms should offer a sense of tranquillity where quality furniture, colour schemes and soft furnishings focus on providing a good night’s sleep. Bathroom products should be ethically sourced. Art work should be focused on reinforcing our desire to benefit body, mind and spirit. Our meeting rooms should be furnished with comfortable chairs and excellent AV and conference equipment. Our dining experience should be focussed on high quality, seasonal and local ingredients which are cooked in-house. Our Chefs will be trained in ensuring healthy eating is promoted. Our menus will be designed in line with our overall Ethos with a specific focus on sustainability and nutrition. Our dining room will have the same atmosphere as the rest of the Abbey. The catering requirements of our guests are paramount and special diets will be catered for. Our rooms, throughout the buildings, should have high speed WiFi which is free of charge. Running the operation We aim at making a surplus on overall turnover, so as to be able to support the charitable work of the Abbey. This allows us to provide reduced rates for not-for-profit and church/community users as well as some guests such as those in need, clergy and those with a long-term commitment to staying with us. The surplus also allows us to work with our partners making a difference in the Diocese and beyond. The balance between commercial and charitable operations is careful monitored. There are agreed subsidies in place. The local church and clergy in general are particularly well supported. For this to happen we have to create a surplus on our commercial activities. Where possible, we recruit staff from the local community and try to ensure we reflect its diversity. We treat our employees fairly, paying a minimum of the Living Wage. We endeavour to ensure that each employee is treated without discrimination and with attention to individual circumstances. We seek to be consistent in our decision making. We actively support talents of all ages to develop their skills through two-way communication and mentoring at all levels. We aspire to grow our support to the local community through actively engaging with young people who wish to learn a profession in a secure and spiritually guided environment. We aim to encourage our staff team to exhibit traditional values based on honesty and fairness. We hope to create staff with the above qualities alongside financial awareness and a desire to empower their colleagues whether paid or voluntary. ................
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