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Meditations & Mindfulness Retreats

News Mindfulness
17th April, 2025
by Katie Tokus | 3 Min Read
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a meditation group beneath the wisteria at Sharpham

Nearly 3,000 retreatants attended our mindfulness retreats in this reporting year, along with an estimated 500 participants for our online meditation sessions.

We introduced some new offers, which were received enthusiastically, plus our work linking nature and positive mental health featured on national television this year.

 

High satisfaction from our retreatants

Feedback scores from retreatants across our venues remain very high.

We scored an average 4.5 out of 5 for impact around a deeper connection to nature, deepening mindfulness practice, coping with the challenges in life, and feeling more compassionate towards self and others.

96% of respondents said they would recommend our retreats to a friend - a powerful endorsement of our work.
 

SOURCE: Figures from 2024 post-retreat feedback forms 

See our year in numbers here
Sharpham House on the Sharpham Estate beside the River Dart
Ern Stock

Sharing Sharpham with our hire clients

We continue to hire Sharpham House to groups who support the principles of the Trust and across this reporting year, 670 residential-hire guests stayed with us.

Our enduring partnership with Emergence and The Golden Sufi Centre saw more than 80 guests attend their Summer retreats at Sharpham. 

The Coach House hosted new retreats for National Health Service staff in partnership with Brighton and Hove NHS trust. These were well received as was a tree-planting retreat for Muslim and Christian women, facilitated in partnership with St Ethelburga’s Centre for Peace and Reconciliation.

Learn more about hiring our venue here
Ageing well, living mindfully

New retreats in Sharpham House

Sharpham House’s programme included some new retreats for our more mature participants.

We launched offers aimed at addressing the paradigm of ageing and a retreat for those navigating life transitions, offering space for reflection and growth. 

A joy to be in a beautiful place and to share the challenges of ageing with like-minded people

 - a retreatant on Ageing mindfully, Living well, January 2025 

This retreat was everything I needed it to be and so much more! The sense of safety and belonging has renewed my faith in humanity after feeling so let down by the people in my life. I feel more able to meet my suffering with great care

- a retreatant on our Life Changes retreat, February 2025

 

View Sharpham House retreats here
The Dharma Pathway

A Dharma Pathway begins at The Barn

At The Barn Retreat Centre we launched a two-year programme of four connected retreats.

The Dharma Pathway invites participants to engage deeply with the teachings of Buddhism through retreats guided by experienced leaders. Rooted in the core qualities of loving-kindness (metta), compassion (karuna ), joy (mudita ) and equanimity (upekkha), the programme offers a structured path of practice and reflection.

View Dharma Pathway retreats here
Woodland retreats - tents

New nature-connection retreats launched

In our Woodland Campsite, our new Rewild Yourself retreats linked personal transformation with ecological restoration.

This is an innovative approach bridging personal wellbeing and environmental stewardship, creating a powerful model for holistic, nature-based transformation.

View our Woodland Retreats here
The Sharpham Trust featuring on national television - BBC Countryfile - in May 2024
BBC Countryfile

Our nature-mindfulness work on national TV

In the lead-up to Mental Health Awareness Week in early May, Sharpham was proud to be featured in a special episode of BBC Countryfile.

The episode, devoted entirely to the theme of mental health, brought national attention to the Trust’s longstanding work connecting people with nature for improved wellbeing.

Presenters Margherita Taylor and Sean Fletcher spoke with Sharpham’s Director Julian Carnell, Head Gardeners Bryony Middleton and Amy Cairns, and several participants whose lives have been positively impacted by the Trust’s programmes.

The episode, which was broadcast on national television, showcased how spending time in nature can support mental, emotional and physical health.

See story & pictures of the BBC Countryfile shoot