Bridgewood Events

A few people have asked how I'm planning to use Bridgewood for events. I'm not really intending to have big Saturday night type club events in a marquee - they're not appropriate for the woodland setting and there are plenty of events like that already. So think Open Day rather than Club. However, I do want to maintain a recognition of D/s with a minimal set of rules (the Byelaws) shared by everyone, so that's more like a golf course than a completely unstructured grassy park.

I have several types of events in mind: first, general open days where people we know can come and use the wood for a small donation in any reasonable way - for example, private scenes, in groups doing, say, rope bondage or pony play, or with workshops, BBQs etc organised by us; then themed days where the emphasis is on one activity, eg a slave hunt, perhaps organised by an outside group; finally work days, either with self-supervised volunteers, or with submissives working under direction of their owners or in a chain gang under Bridgewood's own bailiffs (ie our dungeon monitors). Having said that, the wood is big enough for all of these models to co-exist alongside each other on the same day in many cases, and I'm keen to let people use the space to go off and do their own thing.

I also have some new types of event in mind, which haven't really been tried in the UK even in conventional venues. These include "retreats" where people can explore D/s and how they relate to it more deeply, both by sharing experiences with peers, and by serving or being served in practical ways in a simple, primal, and natural environment.

However the wood is being used, I want to establish it as a place run along D/s lines, where D/s is the norm rather than the exception: as almost a BDSM equivalent of the "sacred space" woodlands some pagan groups have, with rules and customs which mark it out as a special place.

Part of this can be with woodland terminology: so "bailiffs" rather than dungeon monitors, and "byelaws" rather than rules. The layout of the site and it's privacy measures will tend to create a feeling of separation from the everyday world, as can coming round a bend and seeing a gibbet cage creaking in the breeze. Knowing that some features of the site have been built with slave labour, or having your kit brought from your car by a porter chained to his cart all adds to the atmosphere. Finally, the byelaws themselves can help, although this is the hardest part due to the variety and conflicting protocols that individual owners have: once you go beyond basic rules of safety, respect for private property and conventions like collars there's little common ground.

Nevertheless, I think the whole project can be made to work as more than just my private playground and nature reserve, and I'm inspired by other Open Air BDSM venues to create more than just an outdoor version of a BDSM club night.