Sharpham Trust people
Director: Julian Carnell
Julian oversees the entire Trust and the 550-acre Sharpham Estate. Originally a teacher he has worked overseas in international development before returning to his roots in Devon. He loves canoeing on the River Dart which meanders past the Estate.
“Sharpham is a special place that people fall in love with and I am privileged to have a brilliant staff team who work hard to create the Sharpham experience, which is one of caring and nurturing the individual and our environment."
"The positive feedback and stories people share with us make it all worthwhile.”
Trust Administrator: Amy Ruewell
Amy's is the voice you'll hear when you ring the Trust's general number.
She makes sure the Trust runs efficiently, thanks to her many years in hospitality and hotels, where she was a general manager.
Now she's happy to have a more peaceful day-job. "I want to make a difference and work as part of a team, and I've found it," she said. "It's beautiful here and everyone's so friendly."
Amy also administers Sharpham Meadow Natural Burial Ground.
Programme Administrator: Margot Eliadis
Margot helps people book onto the events, retreats and courses that we run. She’s also the contact for hiring our venue and for booking at our Point Field campsite (open seasonally).
"Driving onto the estate every day is such a blessing” says Margot. “Sharpham is a beautiful place to work and we have the best team.”
House Manager: Denise Scribbins
Denise runs the House, making sure it's fit for retreats, weddings and ceremonies.
She likes the variety of her work. "It's never boring!" she says.
Witnessing visitors appreciate the surroundings, the House and benefiting from their stay here helps to make Denise's work worthwhile. And that's particularly satisfying when they return again and again.
Assistant House Manager: Janey Dornheim
Janey runs the House with Denise, looking after the building and the people within it.
She's impressed by The Sharpham Trust's ethos. "I really believe Sharpham is living its mission," she said. "The Estate is living up to what it says it wants to achieve and I want a role in that".
Caretaker: Christian Llewellyn
Christian lives here and looks after Sharpham House & Grounds, and the Estate too! He's busy...
He's also a talented scuba-diver and underwater cameraman, specialising in submerged vessels. See his work here at Wrecks of the World on Instagram or on LinkedIn
Programme & Development Manager: Ben Ballard
Ben oversees the Sharpham programme of retreats and courses and develops new projects here on the estate.
Says Ben: "We live in a time of disconnection socially, environmentally and spiritually. Our programmes support people to reconnect through mindfulness and spending time with nature."
"It’s a privilege and an inspiration to work in an organisation that endeavours to support people to live a more compassionate and awake life."
Head Gardener: Frances Tophill
Frances is doing maternity cover for Bryony Middleton and has taken over responsibility for keeping our Grade II* gardens and parkland looking wonderful all-year-round, and ensuring that our Walled Garden feeds our participants properly with organic veg.
You might recognise her: she's got another life on TV on Gardeners' World, plus she's a published author too. Find her book in the Growing section of our online bookstore here
Assistant Gardener: Chloe Ellis
Chloe supports Frances in caring for our Grade II* gardens and parkland, and feeding retreatants with produce from our organic Walled Garden.
People who stay on retreat at The Coach House participate in daily mindful gardening with Chloe and Frances.
Finance Manager: Sara Widdicombe
Sara makes sure that Sharpham's finances are all in order. When she's not doing the numbers, she's playing tennis and walking her dog!
She likes Sharpham's landscape. "It's such a beautiful location, what's not to like?!" she says.
Marketing & Communications Officer: Katie Tokus
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Katie helps to make sure this website looks and sounds good, writes and sends our newsletter, talks to the media and sings better than Julian.
What inspires her about Sharpham? The birdsong and the food. Especially when the staff get leftovers.
Click here to find out how to get in touch with her, and other parts of the The Sharpham Trust.
Cook: Antony Wall
Antony loves working with the fresh ingredients grown in our Walled Garden to create the vegetarian and vegan food that nourishes our retreatants.
“That's the best thing: being able to create some incredible stuff with something picked that morning and serve it the same day,” says Antony.
When he's not making delicious meals - he previously worked at Riverford Field Kitchen - he's exploring the trees here on the Sharpham Estate.
Volunteer & Mindful-in-Nature Co-ordinator: Tracy Cheesman
Tracy helps volunteers engage with The Trust and leads on the Mindful-in-Nature project, offering mental health recovery in the Great Outdoors.
"Sharpham holds a very special place in my heart. The river, the land, its people. It’s a magical place that greets everyone who visits with a warm hug, letting us know how proudly welcome we all are in the world. Years after I first visited the Barn, I continue to be deeply touched by this place; by the inspiring constellation of folk who work here; and by the incredible community of retreatants we’re lucky to share it with. P.S. the food is off-the-scale delicious!"
Education & Events Coordinator: Lisa Carnell
Lisa Carnell entices nature lovers and local schoolchildren to visit the Estate and learn about its rich wildlife and habitats.
"I want to encourage people to open their eyes to what is around them, because it's when you look closely that you discover more," she says.
"The beauty and exquisite landscape here is also so rich in natural wildlife because there's such a variety of habitats on the Sharpham Estate - and that's what makes my heart sing".
Accounts: Verity Weedon
Verity is our book-keeper, working part-time at Sharpham.
She loves nature and birds and enjoys coming to work here because of the amazing surroundings.
She says: "I just love the peacefulness and the work that we do - I wish everywhere was like this!"
Assistant Housekeeper: Amanda Lee-Cornell
Amanda helps to make sure Sharpham House is clean, comfy and tidy for us and our visitors - and she's great at it too.
"It's the only place I've ever worked where I leave feeling calmer than when I arrived," she says. "It's such a lovely place to work".
Assistant Housekeeper: Sarah Remy-Mitchelson
Sarah is part of the vital housekeeping team that looks after Sharpham House.
"I like the peace and quiet and the people who work here," she says. "And I love meeting the people who come on retreats too, and knowing they're going away changed a little bit".
When Sarah's not housekeeping, she's making cyanotypes, including some with nature's artefacts that she finds at Sharpham.
Assistant Housekeeper: Sarah Blockley
Sarah is part of the vital housekeeping team that looks after Sharpham House.
She says: "It's genuinely beautiful and tranquil here. Every morning when I drive onto the Estate I feel blessed that this is where I come and that's a rare thing."
Assistant Housekeeper: Rachel Probert
Rachel loves meeting the retreatants when she's looking after Sharpham House.
"It's enjoyable to get to know people from all different walks of life while I'm here," she says.
Rachel completed an 8-week course in mindfulness a decade before she ended up working here. "I felt then that Sharpham was a special place that I felt an affinity with and I hoped one day I'd work at. Now here I am and it has lived up to my expectations."
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