15th April, 2025
Mindfulness is not just for people who already meditate,...it’s for anyone who needs to find some space in their mind and some self-compassion - Phil Cardew
Take me back to The Difference We Make 2024-25
Mindfulness is often described as the practice of being present in the moment, but for many, it’s more than that—it’s a path to healing, understanding, and transformation. For Phil, a lifelong commercial fisherman, mindfulness became the key to moving past years of grief and finding a new direction in life.
Phil spent 25 years building his life around his fishing business. After years of hard work, he reached a career high—his best week ever. But everything changed when a very close friend was tragically killed on the quayside. The loss hit him hard, sending him from his highest point to his lowest. For years, he struggled with the emotional pain, constantly haunted by the memory of his friend.
The grief didn’t stop there; other family losses added to his emotional burden and over time, his physical health began to suffer. His job was demanding, he was constantly in physical pain and his mental health continued to deteriorate. Eventually Phil reached a breaking point. This was when he knew he needed help and he opened up to his wife, finally admitting how he was feeling. “I said to my wife I was feeling terrible. I don’t know if she knew…I said I need some help and I need it now…”
After seeing a local doctor he was prescribed medication, which initially helped calm his mind. Recognising he wanted to find additional ways to support his recovery he began to look for a different way forward. He started seeing a physiotherapist for the physical pain, and began meeting a counsellor to help with his mental healing - her insights helped enormously: “I was on holiday with my wife and felt a huge burden lifting, a real big sigh of relief. It put things into perspective”.
In November 2023, Phil made the significant decision to sell his boat, move on from the fishing industry and look for a new direction in life.
He initially approached The Sharpham Trust for a gardening job on the estate, and this is where his life took another path, because though his qualifications didn’t match the vacancy, he became aware of Sharpham’s Mindful in Nature programme and enrolled on the course. The 8-week programme - specifically designed to support those in recovery from poor mental health - turned out to be more impactful than he could ever have expected.