DRWF Events: DRWF Events: A new residential event this September for women with diabetes
Welcome to Gaia – a wellness weekend for women with diabetes.
The signature residential escape designed exclusively for women navigating life with diabetes, women’s health and every journey in between. This isn’t just an event, it’s a coming together.
Join us at the first DRWF residential weekend designed especially for women living with diabetes from Friday, 18th to Sunday 20th September at the Voco Oxford Thames hotel.
Space to breathe. Room to belong
Living with diabetes can be a constant burden of personal responsibility with a relentless internal dialogue. At Gaia, we invite you to turn the volume down on the data and daily management and up on the soul.
The weekend experience
The weekend offers a curated blend of clinical advice and support with wellness, the sharing of lived experience, holistic wellbeing, stillness and nature. We have traded the fluorescent lights of conference and classroom for a historic setting, café and lounge comfort, forest trails and restorative flow.
Leave the medical jargon at the door. Come in your leggings, your favourite knitwear, and your truest self. This is a “no-explanation-needed” zone where checking your levels at the dinner table is the norm, and sharing your story is the greatest medicine.
Set within the serene Voco Oxford Thames estate, this is a weekend designed to bridge the gap between clinical management and holistic wellbeing.
Whether you are living with type 1, type 2, gestational diabetes, prediabetes, maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY), latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), you are the expert on your own body, but here, you don’t have to carry the weight of that expertise alone.
This is a unique space for women to come together in support, learning, discussion circles, sharing of the diabetes experience and making lifelong friends with others from the female diabetes community.
The programme
After you have settled into your private en-suite room, the weekend will start with a welcome reception in the hotel’s historic Crusaders Bar and Lounge followed by private dining in The Little Barn.
Throughout Saturday we will enjoy a varied programme of expert, mindful and intentional discussions and networking with experts from our medtech sponsors and NHS clinical leaders who speak with you, not at you.
Movement as medicine will also be a core part of the weekend with offerings such as morning Pilates, grounding yoga and guided nature walks designed to honour your body’s rhythm.
Saturday will conclude with private dining in The Little Barn and our guest after-dinner speaker.
After a healthy and relaxing Sunday morning breakfast, visiting expert Dawnie will take you on an immersive sound-bath experience, a visceral journey into relaxation that requires nothing of you but your presence. Following a later morning session and Sunday lunch we will conclude the event.
The vibe
High-end sanctuary meets kitchen-table warmth. Gaia is exclusive in its curation, but informal in its soul.
The venue
Nestled within 30 acres of picturesque gardens, the Voco Oxford Thames blends modern luxury with historical charm, offering a tranquil retreat just minutes from the heart of Oxford.
Dating back to the Middle Ages, the hotel provides an idyllic setting for relaxation. Comfort-meets-style in the well-appointed guest rooms, featuring plush bedding, modern decor and all the essentials for a restful stay. Each room has high-speed internet, a flat-screen TV and a cosy workspace, making it ideal for relaxation and productivity.
During your stay with us, indulge in the serene ambience of The Riverside Leisure Club and Spa, which provide a tranquil retreat and variety of treatments designed to pamper and rejuvenate, set within the peaceful, picturesque surroundings.
Start your mornings in the bright and airy Napier’s River Room, offering stunning views across manicured gardens and the tranquil River Thames. Enjoy our delicious breakfast buffet to kick-start your day.
As evening falls, a private dinner will be served in one of the hotel’s most atmospheric spaces, The Little Barn. Here, Executive Chef Ciprian Dumitrache showcases his signature style, blending elevated British classics with a refined French influence for a truly memorable dining experience.
The hotel’s prime location makes it easy to explore Oxford’s rich heritage, including the architectural beauty of Oxford University, the fascinating Oxford Castle and Prison, and punting on the River Thames.
Total immersion
Step out of the daily grind and step into Gaia. The fee of £240 is an all-access pass to restoration with no other hidden costs.
Register your place here
Spaces are strictly limited to maintain an intimate, retreat-style atmosphere.
For news on all upcoming DRWF Events visit here
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