June 2025.Chetham Farm Retreat: a place of sanctuary, belonging and a little bit of magic
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Hello beautiful People
I’m Mandy Worsley (aka the Calm Mind Consultant) and I’m passionate about empowering women to prioritise self-care, not as a luxury, but as an essential part of managing the many demands on our time, energy and headspace. In this blog, I explore the impact of community and our day-to-day surroundings on our health and wellbeing and explain why creating a strong sense of belonging is centre to everything we do here at Chetham Farm Retreat.
According to NHS England, an estimated 25% of the adult population in the UK experience at least one diagnosable mental health issue (such as an anxiety disorder or depression) in any given year. That’s one in four of us every year! For too long, mental health issues were ignored or belittled and – while we’ve come a long way in terms of valuing mental health more equally to physical health – there’s still more to do in relation to equitable access to mental health services (particularly for children and young people) and the shift from costly, reactive interventions to sustainable prevention.
Mental Health Awareness week – led by the Mental Health Foundation – has been running since 2001 and was designed to raise awareness of mental health conditions, normalise conversation around mental health and reduce stigma. More recently – thanks to high-profile and active support from celebrities and politicians – the conversation about mental health has evolved to focus on preventing mental health problems and maintaining pressure for more momentum and even bigger change. Each year, Mental Health Awareness week has a theme, and my favourites – so far – are nature and kindness as they encapsulate our reason for being, here at Chetham Farm.
Dedicating a week to raising awareness about mental health is great but we all know that poor mental health is indiscriminatory and a continuous yet unpredictable journey for many, me included. I deliberately didn’t publish this blog during Mental Health Awareness week as I’m keen to play a small but vital part in continuing the conversation beyond the timescales of the national awareness campaign.
This year’s theme for Mental Health Awareness week is community and I recently read an article by Toby Lowe who defined community as ‘a group of people who share a story that is so important to them that it defines an aspect of who they are’. I can’t tell you how much I love this definition. It’s so much more than geography, it’s a shared experience, identity or purpose that unites us and creates an innate sense of belonging.
So, here’s my story and why community is so important at Chetham Farm Retreat.
I’ve always been a natural caregiver, so – even as a child – nursing felt like the obvious career choice for me. I loved caring for children and working with their families, supporting them to live active and healthy lives. However, working long shifts in an understaffed, overstretched system took their toll and after 26 years, I hit burnout and suffered a mental breakdown. I had given so much of myself through my service to others, that I was left utterly depleted and disconnected from the real me.
Walking away from my career in the NHS was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but it was an essential first step in finally showing up for myself and living in true alignment with my values and soul purpose.
My recovery was slow and hard. Like so many women, I found it excruciating to put myself first, and I was quick to dismiss self-care as a luxury. Over time, I put firm boundaries and non-negotiables in place, gave myself permission to see self-care differently and allowed myself time to heal. By putting myself first and prioritising my own health, wellbeing and peace, my outlook changed, and I dared to dream about how I could use my natural affinity to care for people in a different, albeit equally important way. And the universe – who had been patiently waiting – responded energetically.
In 2021, after navigating my recovery from burnout and the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, we opened the doors to Chetham Farm as the luxury wellbeing and spa retreat that so many of you know and have come to love. It is nestled in the Lancashire countryside and has luxury accommodation for up to seven people, a treatment room for all your relaxation needs, a spa pool and sun terrace complete with panoramic views, a sacred stone labyrinth with Tibetan temple-level energy, cozy zen den with fire pit and our new barn, which is perfect for yoga and creative retreats alike.
I see my experience with mental health mirrored in the many practitioners who use Chetham Farm to host their retreat. Many have left secure, full-time employment in the corporate world (some on six-figure salaries) following burnout, disillusionment or a call for greater purpose. Many have spoken of stifled creativity, a feeling of paralysis, and a suffocating sense of frustration, whereas now, you can see that their vibration is elevated, their creativity flows freely and in abundance, and their impact on others is profound. It’s a truly beautiful thing to witness.
When we talk about mental health and belonging, it’s easy to overlook our everyday surroundings, but where we live, work, socialise and rest all have a direct impact on our wellbeing. Artificial lighting, clutter and noise can all contribute to poor mental health and increase the risk of developing physical health conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. And that is why we have put so much love and thought into the look and feel of Chetham Farm Retreat.
Stepping through the door at Chetham Farm Retreat is supposed to feel like a deep sigh of relief or a hug from your best friend. The facilities, décor, ambience and panoramic views are there to remind you that you deserve to step away from your chaotic schedules and caring responsibilities and enjoy some essential self-care in beautiful and calming surroundings.
There is a magic to Chetham Farm Retreat that you really must experience to believe.
I see women arrive at the retreat looking lost, overwhelmed, broken even. I see their shoulders hunched, tiredness etched in their face and a sense of guilt for having invested in a whole day of self-care away from young families, work priorities and a mile-long to-do list. During their time at the retreat, and under the care, support and guidance of our community of skilled practitioners, I see cathartic tears fall, critical self-talk give way to self-compassion, and eventually hope and creativity emerge. Each of these things are signs of healing, and healing thrives in safe, supportive spaces.
As the saying goes, we are greater than the sum of our parts and between us, we’ve created a beautiful community based on ‘you too’ moments that make you feel so seen and understood that you could cry with joy and relief.
Every Woman Knows
Every woman knows pain. It is silently lived with for so long.
Every woman know change. It is faced, fear and all, from so very young.
Every woman knows the juggle. Spinning plates and catching balls like a circus in full swing.
Every woman knows worry, for the world we were given, the world we created and the world we wish we could save.
Every woman knows nights unslept with a mind too full. And every woman knows, how pain and joy walk so closely in step.
Every woman knows that every woman knows: coming together, judgement-free and heart wide open, helps.
Hearts wide open today, my friends. We can’t do this without each other.
Donna Ashworth
To the Women
Chetham Farm really is a special place and – if you haven’t already – I invite you to sign up to our monthly newsletter, so you’re kept up to date with all the latest news and events. Anyone who signs up before 10thJune will receive a complimentary oracle card reading from me.
If my musings have left you feeling uplifted or inspired, I’d love to hear from you, and please pay it forward by sharing my blog with family and friends.
Until next time,
Mandy xx
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