FEBRUARY 20-22 at TREALY FARM, MONMOUTH
Feeling disillusioned with sham politics and social uncertainty in a fractured and polarised world? You’re not alone — and now is the time to do something different.
At the 2026 Winter Gathering, amongst other things, we will explore reclaiming our sovereignty, how to be proactive in our communities and resourceful in creating new ways of living and co-existing — grounded in shared values and practical action. How we can fully listen to each other.
Together, we are Trailblazing: from spark to constellation, shaping a movement that starts with us finding the common ground and lights the way for others.
It's time to map out how we want to live our lives.
POTENTIAL DISCUSSION TOPICS
The Trailblazers Manifesto 2026
Updating our original Manifesto
A vision for finding our agency, born in the glow of the fire
1. From Division to Belonging
We reject the false binaries that pit neighbour against neighbour, left against right, nationalism against globalism.
We are more than voters, consumers, or tribes.
We are human beings, rooted in community, bound by care, connected by story.
Face to face conversations, even difficult ones, are necessary and absolutely preferable to ongoing polarisation.
2. From Parties to People
We no longer outsource our power to distant elites.
Politics as we’ve known it is broken — captured by money, ego, and endless division.
We choose a new path: self-organising, self-governing, rooted in everyday life.
Our authority comes from circles, not hierarchies; from dialogue, not dogma.
3. From Growth to Flourishing
We will not measure success by profit alone.
Our economy must serve life: homes people can afford, food grown with care, energy drawn from the sun and wind.
Work should bring dignity, not depletion.
We embrace cooperation, not extraction.
4. From Control to Stewardship
The earth is not a resource to be exploited, but a living commons to be cherished.
When droughts, floods and wars might displace families, we recognise shared humanity, not enemies at the gate.
True sovereignty means resilience — tending the land, honouring culture, protecting future generations.
5. From Silence to Dialogue
We reclaim the ancient practice of listening.
In citizens’ circles and people’s juries, every voice matters, every story counts.
Through dialogue we grow nuance, dissolve fear, and build the courage to act together.
6. From Cynicism to Imagination
The old order tells us change is impossible.
We know better. Around the fire, we have always dreamed new worlds into being.
This is our politics: hopeful, playful, human, alive.
It begins not in Westminster, but in every village hall, street corner, and campfire.
What is the Winter Gathering?
The Campfire Winter Gathering is our annu
al moment to come together — to pause, reflect, and reignite our shared purpose. To bring our skills and our gifts to offer to the community. Over one weekend, we will open space for embodied movement, discussion, connection, music, storytelling, and creativity, while also laying the foundations for systemic change.
Our intention is to co-create and evolve our Trailblazers Manifesto — a living document of shared values and practical next steps. Through workshops, pilot projects, and fireside conversations, we’ll explore how to activate local Beacons, experiment with cooperative initiatives, and imagine new ways of organising ourselves beyond outdated systems.
This is more than a retreat — it’s a trailblazing step towards a future rooted in belonging, resilience, and shared imagination. Each gathering is a laboratory for imagination and action. Participants are not spectators — we are all pioneering and shaping what’s next.
READ MORE ABOUT THE WEEKEND HERE