Reconnecting People & Organisations In Nature In A Sustainable & Regenerative Way

The Venue Retreat team sat down with Anton the person behind an incredible project to save a beautiful location and share this space with creative people around the world in the most sustainable and innovative way.

Drone show of the Selgars estate where individuals and groups can stay and work on their projects.

We asked Anton some questions about himself, the new project, their journey and their plans for the future. We hope you enjoy this look inside Selgars and their coliving project and please get in touch and let them know Venue Retreat sent you!

“Our purpose is to reconnect as many people and organisations in nature as possible, and in doing so help to build a more regenerative future for the generations to come.”

Tell us about yourself!: I was born in Moscow with a Russian father and Ukranian mother. Since 3 years old I have lived in London. I am a designer, consultant and entrepreneur who has been working at the intersection of tech, sustainability and real estate for the past 12 years. I am the founder of House of Transformation, Selgars Estate and re:build. Website links www.hotspaces.org and www.selgars.org and www.rebuild.events. It has always been a dream to open a place in nature and I couldn't be more excited to launch Selgars to the world.

Anton Chernikov owner of Selgars Mill Estate

Becoming a venue owner: We were planning a re:build / Enchanted Village gathering at Selgars Mill. Here is the website link Enchanted.org.uk Then a few weeks ago we heard that the operator that was running the venue was closing down. This was the moment to step up and make sure the place wasn't sold off to developers. We agreed a lease and option to buy with the owner and launched the website within a couple of weeks. I knew from my consulting work and research how important it would be to get the word out before the end of the year so that we aren't left with an empty calendar next year.

Uniqueness: As you can see from the photos on our website www.selgars.org we are surrounded with lush nature and water. Our venue used to be a Mill and sits the valley of the River Culm. The land is already very magical and enchanting with several bridges linking the different fields and woodlands. The venue is perfect for village scale events and weddings as well as smaller team building retreats and offsites.

Selgars main building for accomodation and work spaces.

We are also very well located, within an hour of Bristol and 2 hours from London Paddington. You can walk from Tiverton Parkway train station in 30 min and cycle in 10 min. We are also a very affordable venue in comparison to other similar locations.

Dreams & Goals: Our big dream is transform Selgars into a regenerative village where we can live long term as a community. We plan to build dozens of tiny house cabins across the site and host longer term coliving and cohousing residencies. We also want to renovate the barn into a regenerative temple like theatre and event space. On top of all of this we hope to fill the landscape with sculpture and art that will bring an added layer of storytelling and creativity to the venue. However, before all of this we need to run a successful venue, fill our calendar and demonstrate to investors that we can run this property in a financially sustainable way. This will make it possible for us to purchase the property ourselves in 2024.

Challenges: We need to run a successful venue, fill our calendar and demonstrate to investors that we can run this property in a financially sustainable way. We would especially like to connect with fast-growing businesses and climate focussed organisations located in London or the South West Region (e.g. Bristol, Bath and Exeter) as well as facilitators or coaches who host wellness retreats and educational or training programmes. Just email me (anton@hotspaces.org) or Whatsapp me (+44(0)7976049046) any intros you feel would be a good fit. Your support with this would mean a lot. The more bookings we get the better chance we will have to raise investment to buy the property next year.

Connecting with us!: We are just getting started and so collaborations with platforms like Venue Retreat will be extremely important for our success.

Advice: The most challenging part of your business is going to be sales and networking. You need to get your story and your photos and videos out there. Buy a drone, create great content and start connecting with platforms like Venue Retreat.

Venue Retreat Community Discounts! Happy to offer 10% discount on your first booking with us at Selgars.

Experience with Venue Retreat: Great platform for nature venues to connect with new customers.