2026 at Oru: Looking Ahead
Hello from Vibushan,
Oru El Saltador, one month in. Full of discovery, 2 retreats hosted & an action plan to heal the land.
We thought we were buying a retreat centre. Instead, we bought a piece of Moorish history. A cortijo is more than a house. It’s a rural farmhouse or estate, traditionally linked to farming and livestock, often beautifully isolated, much like ours. As we’ve explored the land at El Saltador, we’ve uncovered something extraordinary: an ancient land-and-water management system that still exists on our site today.
We discovered:
Boquera (catchment inlet)
Acequia channel leading to a storage and settling pond
Retention well, we very nearly fell into
Dry stone walls woven throughout the landscape
We moved in on the 30th of December, and I'll be spending around a week a month here in our launch year. Come visit, book into a retreat... it'll change your life, it did for me, and now retreats are an essential part of my life.
We had a few weeks to get the site refreshed and looking sharp, and then we hosted our first retreat with our very own talented wellness leaders, Miri & Mel, for Yoga & breathwork! I played the role of maintenance man and co-host. Getting grips with our 12 thousand litre water stores at the top of a mountain, well pump, solar panels, incredible underfloor heating was probably the toughest bit...we changed out the beds, bedding, lighting upgrades and gave our dining table a new lease of life! The group, however, was the most magical thing as it ALWAYS is. Some members, some newbies, some investors, some...on their THIRD retreat with us, some of whom have only been on retreats with us.
We then went on to host our second-ever retreat at Oru El Saltador and our very first permaculture retreat, and over five wonderful days led by John Goldwyn, Gabino Carballo, Regenerative Landscaper & Susana Rodriquez and me, hosting the daily yoga practise. The true power of the collective was deeply felt. An incredible group of people came together to learn from the land and each other, setting a meaningful foundation for what’s to come. Together, we planted over 25 trees, laying the foundations for our edible food forest, and even co-created a full irrigation system, making steps towards long-term restoration.
Heal the Land Retreat launched. We’re inviting you to join us. We’re planning a dedicated week focused on healing the land. We’ll be learning traditional dry stone walling, planting, and, quite literally, stepping back in time to restore the landscape as it once functioned. On this retreat, we will take part in 4 essential practises that will help us to begin to support the healing and protection of the land:
Dry Stone Walling, with an expert local.
Channel Closing, slowing down the water surface run off.
Caña Covering, harvesting this invasive plant and putting it to use.
Planting shrubs, checking in on our orchard!
These ancient features we discovered are not accidental. The dry stone walls perform a vital function: they slow surface water runoff, allowing the soil to absorb moisture like a sponge, and prevent the erosion of precious topsoil. By restoring these walls, we restore the land’s ability to hold water. From the tops of the surrounding mountains, water trenches naturally form and rush downhill during rainfall. Our work is to gently slow, spread, and sink this water back into the earth. We do this by rebuilding the walls, adding organic matter, placing rocks and soil to interrupt the flow, and working from the top of the mountain downwards, just as the original builders intended. Paul and I have already begun this process. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, head to our retreats page to find out more & if you have any questions, please email retreats@oruspace.co!
The year ahead…
We’ve got some exciting developments on the way this year. To name a few:
We’re building a beautiful dorm room with immediate effect that will allow us to deliver really accessible price points in retreats, which is really important to us.
We’re working closely with SelgasCano, Madrid-based architects, as well as local tradespeople, to design the rest of the site, adding en-suites to all of the rooms and changing the main space for the better with minimal intervention.
We’ll be creating a bio- swimming pool and implementing energy and water-saving as well as water-harvesting techniques.
We also have 11 more retreats planned for the rest of the year, with even more still to be added to the schedule. With such a diverse offering and a vibrant community of teachers leading each experience, we’re incredibly excited for this year of retreats at Oru El Saltador. The Barre & Mindful Fitness Retreats are both nearly sold out, so if you’re feeling called to join us, we recommend heading to our website to find out more!
More Connection & More Energy.
There’s so much in Store for Events this Year!
With 2025 being our busiest year yet, we’re excited to beat that this year, and January has already proved incredibly promising.
We kicked off the year with an Inspired Conversation from the brilliant Dr Hannah Brownlee, exploring ‘What Actually Is Trauma, a Unified Perspective from Psychology, Quantum Physics and Spirituality’ during this sold-out talk, Hannah exploring the universal layers of trauma and how it affects us all through the lens of spirituality and quantum physics. This insightful and profound talk was not one to miss. If you did miss it…stay tuned as Hannah may be bringing this talk to Sutton.
Workshops have been the word so far this year for our events team! Stepping into 2026, we’ve had a wonderful offering of restorative and energising workshops from soundbaths, writing workshops, and Winter Herbal Tea making. There are lots of exciting workshops to come; head to our events schedule to see them all.
As well as this, we’ve really treated you guys this year for Valentine’s. Whatever your situation, however you want to spend it, we’ve got you covered at Trinco & Oru. From Pizza Making in Sutton on the 14th to Galentine’s (For All) Sparkling Wine Tasting with Roebuck Estates, to a delicious 5-course set menu at Trinco Dulwich. To make things easier, we have made a linktree so you can browse all things Valentine’s this year and book!
Big News: the Q4 Impact report has dropped!
Our Q4 Impact report is here! It was a busy and impactful season at Oru, and the numbers tell the story better than we ever could!
Over the past 3 months, we supported 1,556 people across Sutton and Dulwich through our free community wellness programme, alongside 22 people via our Bounceback programme as they navigated career change and work transitions. In Sutton, our rooftop collected 16,356 litres of water, harvested 38kg of fruit and veg, and our chickens laid 174 eggs.
Looking to the year ahead, we want to deepen our impact even more and continue to be transparent about how we report this to you. There’s so much more that we want to do, from further incorporating our garden produce into our menu, closing the loop throughout Oru, to fostering more connections with the community around us.
And we can’t talk about impact without talking about Oru El Saltador, which offers us a unique opportunity to explore impact on a much larger and more meaningful scale. Spanning 81 acres, this land is both a classroom and a canvas, a space where we can nurture ecosystems, experiment with regenerative practices, and put permaculture principles into action. It’s a place to learn from the land as much as to care for it. Through our work here, we hope to create lasting environmental, social, and community impact, while building a deeper connection between people, nature, and the rhythms of the earth, treasuring our responsibility as custodians of the land.
Upgrading Your Wellness Experience this Year
It’s a new year and a new look for Sanctuary in Dulwich. Over the festive break, we gave Sanctuary an exciting transformation, with your practise in mind. We wanted to elevate the space, with the intention of deepened relaxation, allowing you to ground into your practise and leave the to-do list and worries at the door. We've transformed the studio with a lovely new lime wash, not only on the walls but also on the fixtures and radiators to ensure a smooth finish. We have also added a filter to the windows, ensuring more privacy as you practise and allowing you to further let go of the outside world! We hope you love it as much as we do. See you on the mat…
For those of you who are looking to elevate your wellness this year and haven’t had a membership with us before, we have just a few days left of our Intro Offer. This month, we are running a very special offer on our 2-week Intro offers for 1 class a day. Down from £40 to just £25! This offer is for new customers and gives you the chance to try all of our classes, from yoga, pilates, barre, hot yoga, sound healing, strength & fitness, pre & post natal yoga, and so much more.
‘Dinner at Trinco, then a Film at East Dulwich Picture House, sound good?’
There are so many good things coming out of Trinco this year so stay tuned. Over in Sutton, we‘re looking forward to Spring, when we will be welcoming the return of the Trinco Rooftop and the return of lots of fun and music on the rooftop! We’re also excited to be planning lots of Trinco events across both sites this year, from Wine Tastings, Coffee Tastings, and more, so keep your eyes peeled.
Something we’re very excited to announce is our Pre-Picture Feast in collaboration with East Dulwich Picture House! Enjoy a delicious Sri Lankan–inspired 2-course meal, with a welcome chai designed to be enjoyed before your film at Dulwich Picturehouse! Simply book a table via OpenTable and show your cinema ticket on arrival. Meals are timed to ensure you’re relaxed, satisfied, and seated in time for the big screen. This special offer is available for just £20 per person and is the perfect way to start your cinema night at Dulwich Picturehouse!
2026 is going to be an exciting year for Trinco as we continue to expand our menu, prioritising seasonality and good-quality, nourishing ingredients and dishes. We will be delving deeper into this in our quarterly Trinco Newsletter, where you’ll hear insights from our head chefs and take a deeper look into the menu!
As we step into 2026, we continue to Prioritise Connection & Wellbeing
We’re incredibly grateful for our Oru community, now over 400 members strong across both locations. It truly means so much to facilitate such a vibrant, warm and welcoming network, and we love seeing so many genuine friendships and collaborations grow within our spaces.
As we move through this year and look ahead to 2026, we’re excited to continue growing the Oru community in a way that feels intentional, supportive and human. Connection and wellbeing will always sit at the heart of what we do, from our coworking spaces to our wellness studios, cafés, events and shared moments in between.
In the year ahead, we’re looking forward to creating even more opportunities for members to connect, learn, rest and thrive together. Whether that’s through new events, expanded wellness offerings, thoughtful programming, or simply making space for conversation and community, our focus remains the same: to nurture an environment where people feel inspired, supported and truly at home.
Thank you for being part of Oru and for helping shape the community into what it is today and what it’s becoming.