It was towards the end of my Healer Training with Jennifer, and whilst I was volunteering with Exeter Healers, a little thought was growing inside me - ‘Let’s open a Healing Centre in Dartington!’ This was in 2020. Covid sent everyone online, Exeter Healers closed, and the void of centres in Devon was even greater.
Fast forward to 2023, after three years of caring for my mum, I set a date to go to panel in mid 2024, then started making plans to start a new centre. Dartington, near Totnes, is only a 30 minute drive from Plymouth and 20 minutes from Torbay, so is well positioned for the South of Devon. It was important to find somewhere with it’s own parking, disabled access plus disabled and baby changing facilities. All of that can be found in Dartington Village Hall - and there is a bus stop round the corner!
After submitting a Centre Application Form to Lis in the office, a meeting was set up at the beginning of January with Anthony Stewart and Sarah Webb, for an overview of GDPR. It was actually very straight forward, easy to share and put into practice. It was good to know that we were starting off GDPR compliant. Other essential preparations were naming the team of healers and checking they were still current members (for Balen’s insurance purposes) and making sure everyone was aware of what to do in the case of a fire in our venue. Although it isn’t a centre requirement, Jennifer and I updated our First Aid Certificates at the beginning of February.
We advertise on The Healing Trust Website, as well as four local Facebook pages, and display posters in surrounding towns and villages over a 15 mile radius. We plan to run some ‘Introduction to Healing’ Workshops this winter, after I have completed my Tutor Training. Currently, we are the only Healing Trust Centre in Devon, and we welcome student members who wish to increase their healing hours under supervision.
Although we’ve only been up and running for four months, we have already gelled as a team and are planning innovative ways of expanding what we offer to the local community. If you are ever in South Devon, come and pay us a visit, we’d love to see you!
Contact us: thehealingtrustatdartington@yahoo.com
