The quality of the space and place we offer and access to wild nature are seen as critical to the transformative experience of Sharpham.
This year, we continued to deepen our impact through a growing range of nature connection, conservation, and mindfulness initiatives with the aim of bringing people into more meaningful relationships with the land, each other and themselves.
Our events provide a hands-on experience, enabling participants to feel a personal connection with the land here.
Over 160 people experienced the natural beauty of Sharpham's rewilded estate on our family-friendly walks this past year, and connected with nature on events including Dusk Chorus, Family Firecraft and Trees, Bats & Stargazing.
I enjoyed the bat walk, the music they make, the informative and friendly, inclusive expertise of the leader. I enjoyed the ambience and the beauty of the space. I enjoyed the space talk and gazing at stars through a telescope though it was overcast – I loved all of it!
- Bat walk and stargazing participant in August 2024
See our what's on calendar here
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The former vineyard at Sharpham continued its transformation into home and food for pollinators.
Retreatants were led through the meadow to a sit-spot, or were invited to explore it in their personal time.
Varieties including poppies, daisies and corn cockles (pictured) continued to attract and feed bees, butterflies and other insects showing us that our work to preserve this rare habitat is so worthwhile.
The year saw major progress in our saltmarsh restoration project on the River Dart - an important step in protecting a rare, carbon-rich habitat.
Backed by £200,000 in funding and a powerful partnership including the Environment Agency and the Bioregional Learning Centre, this important project is restoring around four hectares of precious marshland at Sharpham Point and North Quay.
Volunteer-made hazel and willow bundles are now capturing sediment to support new plant growth, while the heritage stone walls were rebuilt to protect marshland from erosion. New species have already been recorded, and the site has been designated a County Wildlife Site, joining our reedbeds in receiving expert conservation guidance and monitoring.
In January 2025, the saltmarshes were designated as County Wildlife Sites, acknowledging their importance as locally significant habitats. They join our reedbeds in this designation, which means they will be monitored for biodiversity, feeding into Devon-wide wildlife reports and helping to determine how our natural environment is faring. The designation means we get advice on specific habitat management and further sources of funding.
In early March 2025, work began on repairing stonewalling which protects areas of saltmarsh at, Sharpham. With the help of Dart Harbour, stone was transported from a local quarry up river on a barge. Then local stonewaller Martin Stallard began to rebuild the sections of dry stone wall which have collapsed over the decades.
In this reporting year we supported the Friends of the Dart with two gifted mindfulness retreats, helping raise nearly £60,000 to address pollution in the River Dart - a powerful example of aligned action for community and ecological wellbeing. Work on this project began in earnest in April 25 and we’ll be reporting on our impact in due course.
See more about the saltmarsh work hereIn June the Sharpham Trust supported The Melt - a striking public artwork by Anthony Garratt.
Created on the Sharpham Estate, the project used the River Dart as a natural stage to deliver a bold message about environmental loss and planetary fragility.
The installation featured three 16ft by 6ft floating panels painted with powerful images of melting icebergs and was designed to disrupt the familiar river landscape so as to provoke reflection and spark conversation around climate change and the need to care for our planet.
Read more & see video hereSharpham Meadow continued to host ceremonies and burials.
In this reporting year, there were xxxxxxx burials and xxxx ashes interments.
In February this year, there was also the launch of a mushroom coffin - a casket 'grown' with mushroom fibre that is totally biodegradable!
The historic Point Field barn on the Sharpham Estate received a new lease of life thanks to a grant from the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) scheme.
The grant covered 80% of the costs for repairing the stone walls and re-roofing the barn, with The Sharpham Trust contributing the remaining 20%.
The barn, likely built in the mid-19th century, is an example of a bank linhay, a distinctive Devon building type often lost due to the difficulty in finding new uses. The barn's location, with views across Point Field to the River Dart, and its proximity to a public footpath, make it an important historical feature in the landscape.
Read the full story hereOur school engagement programme saw over 280 children and young people join us in this reporting year.
Children came from Curledge Street Primary School, The Grove Primary and King Edward VI Community College in Totnes, visiting us for outdoor learning days.
Their activities included nature and tree trails; tree and invertebrate identification, nature connection and winter tree-planting.
More of these events please! So accessible and affordable with so much content. So great for mental health, wellbeing and connection to nature- Wild About Trees participant, November 2024
Read more about our school visits here
At the heart of the Sharpham Trust ethos is our desire to build a more mindful, compassionate and environmentally sustainable world.
We connect people with nature and foster mindfulness and well-being through our programme of retreats, mindfulness courses, outdoor learning and the arts.
© 2025 Sharpham Trust | The Sharpham Trust Sharpham House, Ashprington, Totnes, Devon, UK TQ9 7UTReceive regular updates on courses, events and more by subscribing to our newsletter.
