Camilla Parry, a wedding photographer, and Sophie De Castro, an event designer, met on the school run in Christchurch and soon became firm friends. They both felt the growing need for connection and support amongst women, particularly in a post-Covid world, and so they looked for a group to attend together. ‘I suppose we were looking for a Women's Institute type group,’ Camilla says, ‘but with a focus on issues that are important to us such as juggling kids and a career, wellness or feeling adrift. We wanted to get specific knowledge to support us, but we couldn’t find what we were looking for.’
So, what started as friends throwing ideas around quickly solidified into The Fold – very quickly, as both move at speed when enthused. Their ambition was to create a space for women to come together, learn and empower one another – to build a community locally.
Around 100 women gathered for the launch event in Christchurch in June 2023, which showed that it wasn’t just Camilla and Sophie who were craving this kind of gathering for women. ‘It was heartwarming to see women of all ages come together, and there was such positivity in the room,’ Sophie says. ‘We really felt the support for what we were setting out to do, which was just the motivation and confirmation we needed to forge ahead.’
Camilla adds: ‘We originally had a room booked for the launch that had a maximum capacity for 40 people, and we had to change to a bigger venue. It was humbling to discover how many women were keen to come along and find out about The Fold.’
Live to learn
Since the launch, The Fold has gone from strength to strength. After trying a few venues, they found their home at The Brewhouse and Kitchen in Southbourne. The dedicated function room is very stylish with a wood-clad interior and industrial-style ceiling. Camilla and Sophie utilized their network of contacts and pulled together an inspiring programme of female speakers. From mental health, finance, sex and relationships to environmentalism and the menopause, there are some pretty universal themes of interest.
Last year’s events included a talk by bestselling author Frances Trussell about how to stop worry and overthinking (see box out). Cyber Psychologist, Carolyn Freeman spoke about digital wellbeing in the age of technology. Stylist, Alice Nichol shared her knowledge of sustainable fashion then hosted a style party and pre-loved clothes swap. And Dr. Kari Nightingale’s enlightening talk about understanding menopause provoked more questions at the end of the talk than any other topic. The events are structured so there is always time to ask questions. There’s also an opportunity for an informal mingle with drinks afterwards.
As well as the talks, there are one or more workshops each month. These allow smaller groups of women a more immersive experience. Practitioners have included free diver Tracey Howes, who gave an introductory workshop to functional breathwork. Holistic chef Patricia Nunes hosted a gut health cookery workshop and tasting, focused on fermented foods. And to get everyone in the festive mood, in December Laura Wagner of Blooming Marvellous Creations lead a sustainable wreath making workshop.
Creating a community
Setting up The Fold has been a learning curve for Camilla and Sophie, and an enormous undertaking – especially as they both have busy careers and two young children each. ‘The reward is seeing a community emerge,’ Sophie says. ‘Some women come to every event, but there are always new faces too. And I love the fact that women are brave enough to come on their own. They are always made to feel welcome.’
In the spirit of community, the duo regularly asks others what they want to learn about and make their bookings accordingly. There are frequent discussions on their Facebook group – from podcast and book recommendations to people asking for parenting advice. In response to many women who couldn’t get to the evening events, they have now started a monthly coffee morning.
‘We’re really happy with how it’s going,’ Camilla enthuses. ‘We’re building a strong and diverse community, and the things we hoped would happen are happening. We encourage everyone to adhere to our values of acceptance, open mindedness and empathy which are key to creating a safe and non-judgemental space. Women who come to our events are learning something new, making new connections or friends, and feeling listened to and supported. We can’t ask for more than that.’
Expanding The Fold
This month sees the launch of a new podcast, where Camilla and Sophie delve deep into a range of topics with experts in their fields - everything from overcoming procrastination and coping with grief to the truth about fasting and how to sleep better naturally.
There are exciting plans on the horizon for a Fold women’s retreat. And Camilla and Sophie are also supporting women to start their own Fold groups around the country using their format. They are open to ideas, so if you know – or are – a fascinating woman who is an expert in her field, please do get in touch with them. This could be for a live talk, a more practical or creative workshop, or a discussion for the podcast.
Find details about future events at thefoldcommunity.com follow @thefoldcommunity
Happiness how-tos
One of The Fold’s expert speakers, Frances Trussell, is a mindfulness coach, therapist and author. Frances helps people to look after their mental wellbeing, which is the foundation of a happy life. Here are her top five tips:
- Prioritise yourself: A busy life makes it all too easy to prioritise your to-do list and the needs of those around you over your own wellness.
- Keep it simple: Ask yourself, what brings me joy and what depletes me? We tend to know what’s good for us yet get distracted by habits which drain our mood and energy.
- Start over: Don’t beat yourself up over past actions. Instead, adopt a ‘beginners mind’ where you start over exactly where you are.
- Mindfulness meditation: This trains your brain to strengthen the reset button mentality, as well as reducing worry and overthinking by changing your relationship to thoughts.
- Connect with others: Going into new social situations is challenging for some but leaning into this discomfort reaps huge rewards for strengthening confidence and making positive new acquaintances. That’s why The Fold community is so great.
mindfullyhappy.com
