Pilgrimage seminar

In his talk, Martin will speak about:

• Our need to reconnect with the natural world, including here in Hertfordshire
• Pilgrimage today - its value in our modern world - audience participation from others with recent experience of pilgrimage - the need to manage the footprint of pilgrimage responsibly
• His experience helping religious and community groups around the world manage their sustainability

Finally, there will be an opportunity for participant organisations to network, share approaches and experiences and plan their next steps towards a more compassionate, just and sustainable world.

(If you just want to come and hear Martin's talk, that's fine too!)

Who is the seminar for?

Anyone with an interest in creating a better world: restoring the health of our planet and the wellbeing of its people. This includes individuals and businesses, as well as faith communities, local charities, schools and volunteer groups.

Recommended price £15...with some friendly options!

To cover the costs for the day, we aim for a contribution of around £15 per person.

But we also want to encourage groups of family and friends and for organisations to bring more than one person if they wish. So there's a 2-for-1 offer until the end of May.

PLUS - we really, really want smaller charities and volunteer groups to feel able to attend, so we've made it even more flexible with the option to make a donation instead.

Whichever option feels right for you, please be sure to book your place(s) soon as we're expecting strong demand.

Download: event leaflet (pdf)

About Martin Palmer

Martin Palmer is a brilliant thinker on the role of faith in human culture and a passionate environmentalist. He’s a major China scholar and author, a regular contributor to the BBC on religious and historical issues, and religious advisor to organisations such as the UN and the EAT Foundation. He helped set up an international Green Pilgrimage Network in 2011 and has written several books, including Sacred Land, published in 2012.

He co-founded, along with the late Duke of Edinburgh, the Alliance of Religions and Conservation, a secular organisation that helps faiths worldwide develop environmental project investments.

Martin is president of FaithInvest, an organisation that helps the world’s religions move their investments into sustainable development.

Refreshments

There will be a refreshment break around 3.30pm. The tea, coffee and soft drinks are included in the price of your ticket.

Public transport

St Albans City station (Thameslink - 20 mins from St Pancras) is just a 10 minute walk.

There are buses and taxis from outside the station.

Parking

The Maltings car park is right next door to the church. Entrance is in Victoria Street.

About the Organisers

The seminar is organised by the School of Philosophy, St Albans, a volunteer-run educational charity and a branch of the School of Philosophy and Economic Science, celebrating 50 years of teaching philosophy and meditation in Hertfordshire. Our role on the day is low-key: simply to manage the event and facilitate the discussion so that all participants get the most out of the experience.

About 'This Sacred Land'

This Sacred Land is an imaginative, multiyear initiative by the School of Philosophy and Economic Science and its branches across Great Britain. It aims to explore and celebrate our nation’s spiritual bedrock: its sacred rivers, forests and mountains; its Christian and pre-Christian sites of worship, pilgrimage and devotion; its sages, saints, poets and great thinkers and how, in modern times, this innate spirituality is finding new forms of expression among people of different faiths and of none.

Photo credits: ARC, Church Times, Global Wellness Institute

Host or Publisher School of Philosophy St Albans