15th January, 2024
The nephew of much-loved former Barn Manager Peter Mallard has donated some of his own nature-meditation booklets to The Barn.
Sam Thorne wanted to give something back to us after the inspiration he gained by staying at the Barn whilst his uncle was in charge. Peter retired from The Barn in 2016 and died of cancer in 2020.
Sam's booklet is called Seasons' Change - Mastering Wellness and it contains a mixture of practices, practical advice, poetry and beautiful imagery.
Sam works with meditation, yoga and wellness in the Great Outdoors and the booklets contain lots of the learning he's done during his career as a health coach - which he was nudged towards after a stay at The Barn.
Sam came to us in around 2012, following the death of his father and the break-up of a relationship. "After this difficult period, Pete suggested I come to the Barn," he said. "That's where a lot of change happened for me. I went there and was inspired to take up a training to be integrated nutrition coach, yoga teacher, meditation and all these things...it was kind of like the catalyst - it was a very meaningful experience."
During that time, he'd accompany Peter on walks on the Sharpham Estate, where he and his uncle would have wide-ranging and supportive discussions.