HEMP HARVEST RETREAT 2026

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Connecting people, land & materials

Visiting the old hemp linens of North Lopham in August 2024 we were completely unprepared for how they would make us feel.

They shimmered in the light. Their surface held a strength, yet they seemed almost silk like, luminous and very much alive. 

A translation of the script in one of the damask table cloth from the 1800’s read…

"WORKING TOGETHER, WE CREATE GREAT THINGS"

In that moment everything became clear. Those words captured exactly what Contemporary Hempery is about.
The Lopham linens were produced entirely by hand, processed spun and woven through human skill and shared labour. If they could create textiles of such extraordinary fineness then, why not now?
Connection sits at the heart of Contemporary Hempery.

We have become disconnected from cloth, many people no longer know what weaving or knitting truly are, never mind that cloth can be grown.

Contemporary Hempery brings people back to the field, back to the soil, back to the understanding that fabric can begin as a seed. From field to fibre to fabric, the process becomes visible again. 

Connection to the heritage of cloth in the UK.

There is nothing radically new in what we are doing. We have simply looked back.

The knowledge already exists rooted in generations who grew, processed and spun hemp and flax across Britain.

We are listening to those old ways and allowing them to guide us forward.

Connection to slower processes, to hands, time and patience.

Breaking. Scutching. Heckling. Bunching. Spinning. Weaving.

These are not just techniques; they are rhythms.
They ask us to slow down, to pay attention, to work with the fibre rather than force it. Each stage carries the imprint of the maker.

From the very beginning we have been met with a level of generosity we could never have imagined.
The textile world has welcomed us with open arms, inviting us into homes, studios and fields.
 
 
People have shared their skills, their stories, their hard earned knowledge. We have never experienced kindness quite like this.

It has reminded us that cloth has always been communal. It is rarely the work of one pair of hands, but many. 

Whether it’s to help us harvest in the summer, or come for long term volunteering at Wakelyns, we’re looking for volunteers during our harvest season.

Come and join us.

VOLUNTEER WITH US