Positive news from our Director
Dear all,
As we approach the end of January we are all perhaps in need of some positive news: but the vaccine roll-out is well under way and here at Sharpham we have just opened bookings for a new season of in-person retreats here on the Estate, starting at the beginning of May.
We know that people are desperate to return and we are hopeful that by May we will be able to reopen and operate in a Covid-secure way as we did successfully last summer for three months.
This will mean that numbers will be limited, only single occupancy rooms will be available and there will be social distancing. Despite these changes feedback last summer from users was very positive and we are confident that we can offer high quality experiences that are both beneficial and safe. You can book through our website.
Experience Sharpham online
We are also conscious that many people might still not be able to travel and need to shield for the foreseeable future so we are continuing our online offers and again the feedback is excellent.
We have just started our first online 8 week mindfulness course and we have started a free weekly meditation session on Tuesdays. It is inspiring to see over 200 people coming together. We hope to add more offers over time so subscribe to our e-newsletter if you haven’t already.
A big thank you
I want to say a big thank you to everyone who supported our pre-Christmas crowdfunder which was linked to the production of Janet’s cookbook. We raised over £20,000 which is fabulous and helps fill some of the income we have lost this year.
Obviously being closed for six months will hit us hard but we are looking forward to a more positive year and we hope to re-start some of the projects that we have had to pause.
Continuing with our rewilding and conversion plans
We are continuing the rewilding of the Estate with our partners Ambios and we hope to start events, volunteering and school visits soon. Nature is one thing that has thrived during the current crisis and hopefully we can build on this.
We are also hoping to start our conversion of the Coach House, behind the main House, which will create a new retreat centre on the Estate, which is very exciting. This is a major investment by The Trust in the Sharpham Estate and we are aiming to open by the end of the year. We will keep you updated on the progress.
As well as reopening the main House in May, we are also opening The Barn Retreat which will have been closed for 13 months by then!
We have also scheduled a series of Woodland Retreats (including canoeing retreats) which are always so popular.
Although circumstances continue to be very difficult for many people we hope that the prospect of being able to return to Sharpham will help lift the spirits of all of us.
Stay safe.
Julian Carnell
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