New Wine ‘24
Next year our church-family summer getaway is going to be at New Wine!
25 - 30 July 2024, Bath & West Showground
New Wine, the amazing and influential summer conference, is returning (apparently for one year only) to the Bath and West Showground. So next summer we’re going to make it our summer event.
Many of us have been before. It is five days of camping (don't panic, mitigating factors are listed below) with amazing celebrations of great worship music and international speakers, fantastic seminars and workshops, a small town’s worth of cafés and entertainment, amazing activities for children and teens… and so on!
New Wine is really great for children and teens; a very safe environment for them to hang out with other young people and also some fantastic age-appropriate sessions.
Finally, one of the best parts of New Wine is that all us Vineyardians will camping together in the same ‘village’, giving us loads of time to hang out and get to know each other, especially at the before bed drink and snack sessions!
Camping 😱
Okay, there is no getting away from camping. For some of you (weirdos) camping is an enjoyable activity. For normal people it’s something to be tolerated/endured!
The campsite is level(-ish) with great facilities; toilet blocks, showers and so on. All of the events and activities at New Wine take place inside buildings or immensely large marquees.
Camping makes the event cheaper, but if it would require flying pigs to make you camp there are alternatives.
Day Visits: The Bath and West Showground, near Shepton Mallet, is about an hour and 20 minutes from Exeter. So it’s possible to an offsite ticket and commute from home. (Fun fact, for two years I (Dave) worked just down the road from Shepton Mallet and drove to and from work 5 days a week!)
Stay Off Site: You could also stay nearby at a bed and breakfast, hotel or Airbnb, making your night times more comfortable… and less chilly!
Hire/Borrow a Caravan: Companies do rent caravans out and many also will deliver to the campsite.
Staying off site still requires you to buy an ‘Offsite ticket’ to the event.
Booking
Apparently there is a feeling that New Wine is going to sell out. And quickly. Usually New Wine is repeated twice, back to back. However, in 2024 they’re just doing it once, which is why people in the know say it might sell out quicker than usual.
So, although we’re not the best at advance planning, we’re making the decision about next summer really early.
So, in a nutshell: we are not going to organise a weekend away at Heatree House next summer. Instead we’re going to go to New Wine.
Since we've made that decision, we are recommending people book as soon as possible. Currently they are offering Flash Sale and Earlybird tickets at reduced prices. These don't seem to be governed by a deadline, instead it seems to have set a limited amount of tickets at these prices and once they're gone they’re gone.
You can book onto New Wine on their website. Just click “Book Now”
Instalments & Bursary
We understand not everybody will be able to buy tickets now, but, rather than saving up and then discovering it is sold out there are some options.
New Wine offer their own instalment scheme. With this you have to pay half the cost now and the rest by 1st April. This allows you to secure the best prices available at the time of booking.
However, if New Wine’s instalment scheme won’t work for you, we’re going to offer our own instalment scheme. This will work by the church buying tickets for you and you paying the church back over a number of months (interest free!)
We won't administer this scheme until September, when everyone is back from their summer break, but to take advantage, you will need to email Rachel with what tickets you want and your schedule of repayments. Once you pay the first instalment the church will buy your tickets at the cheapest rate available.
If you’d love to come, but finances are the only thing stopping you, then contact Rachel and we can sort out some assistance. Part of being a church family is being there and helping each other out, so don’t be afraid to ask.
Being On Team
Another way to get to New Wine without the expense is to help out on a team. This might be Stewarding, Kids Work, Catering, Administration and so on. If you do this all your food is provided too and it is an amazing experience where you get to meet and work with a great group of people.
You still need to buy a ticket, but it’s only £30. Many Vineyardians have done this in the past and, while it is hard work, have always found it to be fun and rewarding.
Finally
Any questions… just ask. And start praying for perfect weather!