1st January, 2018
A record 1477 people benefited from Sharpham's mindfulness courses and retreats, we awarded more than £10,000 in bursaries for people on low incomes and we were awarded over £176k in grant funding to support our work and the conservation of Sharpham House and Estate.
Volunteers gave us more than 8,000 hours of their time, whilst an estimated 8.6million viewers saw Sharpham on the telly.
These statistics and more are contained in our Annual Report 2016-17, published in December 2017.
In the introduction to the report, Sharpham Trust chair William Lana talked of the tremendous feedback we receive from people who experience Sharpham, and that our work in these times continues to be significant.
He says: "Partially we are egged on by the pressing challenges of our time and partially because we are excited by the thirst for the courses, open days and events which we offer every season."
He adds: "Our mission is to connect people to the natural world. We have this objective not only because it is worthwhile, but because through connection with ourselves, each other and the planet we are more able to create positive ripples of change around us - and to do so with greater understanding."
Julian Carnell, Trust Director, also references the "interesting times" in which we live, stating: "Our aim is not just to be a refuge from the pressures of daily life but to offer approaches and insights that enable people to cope better in the everyday world and to discover ways they might effect change for themselves and for all of us."
He also paid tribute to Carrie Morgan, one of our Trustees, who died in November 2016, saying, "We're so grateful and proud that she was a Trustee and for her dedicated iunvolvement with all of us."
The Annual Report covers all areas of Trust activity, from the mindfulness retreats in Sharpham House, woodland campsite and at the Barn, to those at Lower Sharpham Barton Farm, Sharpham Meadow Natural Burial Ground and across the wider Sharpham Estate.
The report is available as a download here and as a hard copy from the West Wing Offices at The Sharpham Trust, Sharpham House. If you want to receive a hard copy, email marketing@sharphamtrust.org