Equality and Diversity

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at Sharpham

We are committed to providing an inclusive environment for all.

We recognise that inequalities are woven into the structure of society and that there will be barriers that might prevent access to our programme. Although we don’t pretend to have all the answers, we are on a learning journey to ensure that our retreats and courses are widely accessible and that people who come to Sharpham feel welcome, safe and accepted for who they are.

Our statement

We recognise that celebrating diversity and difference is at the core of creating healthy communities and ecosystems.  

We acknowledge that we have inherited habits, cultures and views that will sometimes result in unconscious bias, and we strive to uncover and undermine these.  

Our programmes provide opportunities to cultivate mindfulness and compassion as ways to dismantle structures within ourselves, organisations and communities that may lead to marginalisation, alienation and suffering.   

Mindfulness has a special role to play in helping to undermine discrimination because the practice can help to foster

• a greater understanding and awareness of the interconnectedness of all life
• our ability to see and appreciate different perspectives and experiences
• compassion for ourselves and others
• a greater awareness of our own inherent prejudices and bias

Accessibility

We have worked hard to make Sharpham House and Estate as accessible as possible, within the constraints of conserving an 18th century buildings, grounds and parkland.

We have accessible facilities where possible - all detailed in our Accessibility Statement on this page

Sharpham Estate and links to a colonial past

In recent years, there has been a growing awareness of the role of colonialism in creating enforced and often brutal hierarchies of race and culture, creating structures where a small minority of people became extraordinarily wealthy and others abject and disempowered.

The history and heritage of the Sharpham Estate dates back some 600 years and - like many country estates - there are links to a colonial past through the various families that have lived here. 

To this end we have created a document with a factual account of Sharpham’s past, not to deny or change history, but to acknowledge the role that country estates like Sharpham played in the colonial project. Click here to view/download this document

The Sharpham Estate has been managed by The Sharpham Trust since the charity's registration in 1982.

Our mission and purpose is to build a more mindful, compassionate & environmentally-sustainable world. Our programmes are designed to bring people into connection with a sense of their inner life through contemplative practice, with each other through building community and with nature through our programme of nature-based activities.