The Briars Welcomes Team 24/25

Every year, The Briars plays host to young adults from across the country, to live in the community and volunteer in service, whilst also growing closer to God in the Catholic faith. During retreats, the volunteer team also facilitates the most wonderful encounters with Our Lord for the young people visiting, something that they may not have experienced in their everyday lives.  

Six young adults from across the UK, Luxembourg and Germany join the existing Briars team for the 24/25 academic year at the picturesque retreat centre in Crich, near Matlock. With varied backgrounds and personalities, the volunteer team collectively brings skills, ideas and life experiences that enhance and enrich the community. Following team training, these young adults will provide invaluable ministry to young people in the diocese of Nottingham and beyond.  

“Our year at The Briars started last Sunday and has kicked off amazingly. We have all felt so welcome and at home and are loving settling in to our new Briars community.We’ve been enjoying the opportunity to get to know each other through our training and team building (especially the low ropes!) and developing our understanding of our faith and how to connect with the young people of the diocese. We hope to grow stronger as a team and help guide young people in their relationship with Christ. We look forward to meeting as many of you as possible, see you soon!”

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Team 24/25 - Jacob (Buxton), JP (Walsingham), Nele(Luxembourg), Helena (Germany), Eleanor (Matlock), Molly (Eastwood)

This year’s volunteers join an exclusive membership of over 50 years of ‘Briars Teams’, their experiences, and the skills that they have developed, interwoven in a vast tapestry of workplaces throughout the UK. Past team members have gone on to become prominent figures in our Catholic communities in the education sector as teachers, chaplains and school support staff; in vocational roles such as nursing, youth mental health, youth and social work and international relations; as well as being the Catholic voices in the corporate world as business owners, geologists and engineers. The Briars centre has played a pivotal role in nurturing faith foundations and essential workplace experience, to prepare young adults for their future careers, giving them the skills to enter with confidence.

Staff based at the Briars retreat centre work with thousands of young people on spiritual retreats organised through their schools or parishes or, through outreach in their school setting. Each retreat is tailored for the age of the young people and the team explores themes such as service, identity, vocation and the greater purpose for our lives.

We ask for your continued prayers for the team in their work at the Briars during this academic year, as they continue to provide opportunities for young people to encounter God and develop on their faith journey.

If you are interested in joining the team for 25/26, please visit www.ndcys.com/join-our-team/year-on-team/

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