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Booking

HERE'S A BOOKING FORM for MILFORD

There are fifteen places available in any given year. Some places are ring-fenced for Milford first-timers until the Easter weekend prior to the event. Once the ring-fence deadline has passed any remaining places will be allocated to the waiting list first, and then offered to any and all applicants on a first come, first served basis.

  • Prices
    2024: £750 full week for bed, breakfast and evening meal. A non-refundable deposit of £200 is payable on booking.
    Balance payable eight weeksbefore the event.
  • Apart from a small Milford admin fee of £25, this sum represents your booking with Gladstone's Library for accommodation.
  • Your booking is not considered firm until you have paid your deposit and sent us a Milford booking form. It's a non-returnable deposit in the event you decide to cancel. (Or fully refundable in case of a covid cancellation by the venue.)
  • Once Milford is fully subscribed you can join the waiting list by sending your booking form and deposit. This deposit is held by Milford and is returnable in the event of a place not opening up for you.
  • Booking form: Word.doc
  • All booking forms should be returned to: Jacey Bedford to the postal address on the form, or by email to jacey(at)jaceybedford.co.uk
  • Questions anytime? Email the secretary: jacey(at)jaceybedford.co.uk
  • If booking from abroad, you can do an international money transfer in UK pounds. (Check out www.wise.com for cheap money transfers.) Our bank details are on the application form.

What happens after you book?

  • When you have signed up for Milford and paid your deposit you will receive basic information about the coming conference by email.
  • A few months before your Milford week you will be given the email addresses of your fellow attendees. We suggest you set up an email distribution list so we can get some group conversation going. This is for you to get to know each other beforehand, for newcomers to ask questions and for old hands to offer sensible advice. It's also set up to that participants can exchange manuscripts beforehand.
  • You will also be added to the main Milford mailing list (an io group) which is for everyone who has ever attended Milford. It's not a high volume list. but useful information occasionally comes your way and it's a way to keep in touch with each other.
  • The venue is: Gladstone's Library, Church Lane, Hawarden, Flintshire, CH5 3DF.
    Tel: +44 (0)1244 532350. There is plenty of on-site car parking for those driving to the venue.
  • If you are coming by public transport we suggest taking the train to Chester and a taxi to Hawarden. It's often possible to taxi-share from the station, or car-share with people for the whole journey. This is usually arranged via the email distribution list. If you are flying in from abroad your nearest airports are Manchester and Liverpool.
  • The venue is a registered charity. It's not a hotel. Your room is your own responsibility for the week. There will be a linen change at the halfway point.

Preparing for Milford

  • Please send your work via email up to four weeks in advance (minimum two weeks in advance) so that everyone can do some reading and critting before the (very intensive) week starts. This can be sent via email to the whole group.
  • The mornings are your own time, so it is theoretically possible to get away with not pre-reading or pre-critting, but you would be well advised to read ahead before the week starts if at all possible. This will increase your chances of getting through everything in a timely manner and not shoving your stress levels up through the roof. We want you to enjoy yourself.
  • What to bring. Just yourself and your work. If you haven't been to North Wales in September before, please be aware that the weather can be changeable. Dress is whatever you feel comfortable in. We're not very formal. There are walks around Hawarden village and through the castle grounds (though the castle itself is privately owned).
  • There's an honesty bar in the common room. Write what you've had in the book and pay at the end of the week.
  • The accommodation is bed, breakfast and evening meal. There's a kettle in your room with tea/coffee making facilities. Beds have linen and towels. All bedrooms are ensuite. Let us know if you prefer a bathtub to a walk-in shower (or vice versa) and we'll try our best to accommodate you appropriately. There are only two ground floor access rooms. We will take the greatest needs into consideration first.
  • The menu choice for evening meals include vegan and vegetarian as well as meat.
  • There's an honesty bar. Note, though, alcohol is not obligatory.
  • Someone always brings sweeties for the crit-room table. There's a tradition that if you gave someone an unfavourable crit you buy them a drink in the evening. Chocolate is an acceptable alternative. Of course, crits are always delivered constructively, so the sweeties are symbollic (and tasty).

What happens after Milford?

  • You will be added to the main Milford io-group for notifications. This is closed to all but Milford alumni.
  • Someone - usually one (or more) of the Milford first-timers - writes a report for the web page, complete with a group photograph.
  • You can contnue to keep in touch with your fellow attendees via email.
  • You encouraged to write a piece for our Milford blog at wordpress.
  • Please keep us up to date with the progress of your stories that you've put through the Milford mincer. We'll list the sales on the Success Stories page of this site.
  • And please come back and join us another year.

Web site design by Jacey Bedford