With your caring but unobtrusive structure you have made it possible for things to happen – and they do!  This time, as well as meeting folks and having quite a bit of fun, I have been able to reflect more deeply on things that have recently become more important in my life.  Thanks.

Time to relax and the freedom to dip in and out of the company and the facilities.  A great alternative to the usual New Year festivities.  Congratulations on all the improvements you have made since my last visit and I enclose a donation to the Long Barn appeal.  Please gift aid it.

Stayed in the Linhay and enjoyed the peace and quiet, with no expectations/freedom to join in or not/the wonderfully warm and comfortable accommodation/my dietary needs carefully and thoughtfully provided for so that I felt ‘special’ not ‘different’/a wonderful massage releasing major tension in my back and neck/beautiful surroundings providing gentle walks every day. Can’t think of anything to make my stay more enjoyable.

I had a sociable, secure base to take time out from work and upheavals of recently moving, whilst also being able to spend quiet time formulating plans for next few months.  As usual a very worthwhile time spent with your kindness and excellent hospitality.  The sheepskin rug is wonderful on my cold floor!

It was a lovely quiet time when I really did manage to ‘read’ and think. It was especially nice to have been put into a pig pen. Much appreciated! Thank you!

There was nothing about which I could say “It would be good if…”, because it was all just right.

As always the welcome was warm, the balance of space and friendly presence just right. Food was excellent and more than generous. Just a pity there weren’t a few more people to enjoy it. Sessions with Carl were immensely helpful. Could tea be at 4 pm rather than 3 pm? Better suited if going out after lunch.

The community members were friendly, kind and helpful. It was very relaxed. I had an excellent massage and the quince vodka was delicious. I particularly enjoyed the company of the volunteers, Jeremy and Pam. Your local water tastes horrible, even in tea and coffee. Could you get filter kettles and sell bottled water in the shop?

It’s the best place to eat if you’re a coeliac! All meals were carefully catered plus yummy puddings so after day 1 I relaxed about gluten! I would have preferred the toilet paper to be more robust! That’s all I can think of to be better as everything is so well done.

It was lovely to have the opportunity for a week’s reading and walking, with some company. Excellent food and the chance for a one-to-one chat. The massage and jacuzzi was a plus as was the ‘Cinema Club’ in the evening formed spontaneously by members of the group. BEST Retreat Ever! I will be back. Everything was lovely – thank you!

We were able very quickly to feel at home. The food and hospitality were excellent. The atmosphere was safe and supporting. We appreciated Sue spending time with my wife on two mornings. If only the weather had been more like summer!

Thank you for such a lovely week – Holy Week, the Celebration of Easter, food, fellowship and more food!

Greetings to you all, and thank you for Easter Week. Once I’d slept it off (about 5 days!) it has really set me going, transforming my quality of life beyond recognition. I’ve achieved a lot in the garden and could almost do with more space! I varnished all my garden furniture, planted, mowed, trimmed edges and watered every day, cleaned rooms, taken a service and prepared another, begun making Christmas cards, written letters, and avoided the tax returns so far. Before Easter I might have contemplated these but only achieved a fraction. And I’m even trying to eat healthily – not too many veg, but fruit instead! Worship over Easter was wonderful. I loved the quiet liturgies of every day and valued tremendously the special services and the wonderfully varied visual elements will remain with me for ever. Thank you for your creativity. … It’s the first time I’ve been really excited about anything for years.

I found my stay most useful/helpful/enjoyable because your welcome and hospitality gather us in as part of the community and give us the support and space to be, read, pray and enjoy the lovely setting of Sheldon.  I found the worship times particularly helpful and sensitively led.  Thank you for your attention to the smallest detail – even clearing the snow so we could easily get to you.  I hope that my wife and I can come together soon.

I unwound completely – the food was exceptionally good this time.  I appreciated having Thomas’ Lodge – it speeded up the relaxation process.  Thank you for offering it to me.  The refurbishment of the old chapel has improved it a great deal – I spent quite a bit of time there.
I wish that the bed I slept on in Thomas’ Lodge was less lumpy!  It was the bed nearer the door, and I think its mattress is coming to the end of its life!  I did mention it to Hillary.  I put 2 blankets on top of it, which made it more comfy.  I slept fine.

Sheldon  is an oasis of  beauty where kindness is shown to guests/us and where I especially found healing through walks/reading/talk with Carl and Sarah.  We found rest and restoration.  Thank you so much.

The days were unstructured – apart from meals.  Everywhere was warm and comfortable, although an extra layer needed for breakfast.  Loved the jigsaws, hadn’t done one for years.
It would have been more helpful/enjoyable if I had slept a little better.  I don’t think of myself as a light sleeper but I did find others’ nocturnal wanderings a bit disturbing.

It was a wonderful time of peace and quiet, rest and relaxation and renewal.  We thoroughly enjoyed being looked after, not having to cook and simply turning up for the delicious meals provided.  The Linhay Lodge was very comfortable and spacious and we would love to return for another visit despite the distance travelled.

I feel so much at home here.  It was a real treat to be in a Pig Pen and love all the attention to detail, including a pig!  The food has been superb as usual, and plentiful.  Thank you for the chocolate birthday cake and for the way Sarah arranged the jacuzzi for my birthday!  I greatly appreciated the time and space for worship together and alone.  The massage was a real blessing – thank you Jan.  Returning a year on, I can see how well I am now compared with last year, and all of you have played a part in that.  I am really looking forward to coming to share in the Easter work week and, hopefully, to be able to volunteer throughout the year.  I want to be able to give something of what I have received to others.  Thank you everyone.

It was great to be ‘cocooned’ and allowed me an extended time to read, think and pray, and wander round your plot.  With grateful thanks for the quiet friendliness of you guys, and the fun and laughter.

This is one of the “safe” places to visit, where I feel accepted, cared for, where I am learning that there is no need to take to whole of life as a route march, but find a balance between worship, being and doing.  The unobtrusive support and compassion is a great strength.
Sarah’s tape has helped me already and will continue to do so, because the imagery used to help cope with situations is so relevant and easy to remember and to employ.
Jan’s massages are something very special.
Excellent food – if a bit too healthy!!
I love to be a part of the worshipping community and feel I have missed something special if I can’t be there.
It was brilliant to have a whole week as it allowed time to wind down, sleep and recover from the journey and still have space to achieve something without feeling the need to rush to fit it all in – more whole weeks please!
With so many enjoying different types of craft, how about a craft week where we all bring our own and share ideas and experiences and perhaps have one or two “specialists” in to lead sessions on something like glass engraving, wood turning or stained glass or parchment craft?
We’ve had a super group and really enjoyed being together which has made it even more special.
Thank you everyone.  Happy holidays!

My stay was enjoyable because it was a time in peaceful cared for surroundings and atmosphere to be myself.  Time for me.  Thoughtful and caring staff and volunteers discreetly giving time and hospitality.  I enjoyed the home cooked food; the shared meals.  I loved the beautiful surroundings; the jacuzzi and the massage.  The chapels offered quiet holy spaces and the quiet room was much appreciated.  My stay would have been more enjoyable if I had had better sleeping accommodation.  I found the Long Barn claustrophobic and uncomfortable, so sleep was intermittent.  I have a back injury and the bunk bed was not firm enough so I had persistent back ache. I would not come again if I were in the Long Barn again.  I am aware that there are plans for refurbishment, which is needed as the sleeping accommodation is substandard for a retreat [Webeditor: see our future plans for improvements to the Long Barn].

My stay was helpful because I could do lots of formal reading/studying knowing that I’d be cared for.  That I would be fed (and someone would notice if I wasn’t there, and would care and not hassle me), someone would lift me out of the theological maze with a laugh and a smile.  And although House Rules meant I couldn’t talk about it, I knew people understood.  My stay would have been more helpful if it had been longer!!!  Thank you for everything!

I live in the city and I’m so urban in my outlook that I hardly know how to begin in the country.  This is a strong quiet place in which to learn.  It’s a place of deep prayer and convivial people.  The food is terrific.

I am writing to thank you for finding a place for me on the Quiet Day yesterday.  I felt especially fortunate as the couple I was sitting next to had booked up eighteen months ago.
The whole day was a rich blessing for me.  Bishop Bob spoke so well and came over as such a gracious person.  I enjoyed the wonderful comfy armchair in the library and the book of poems from Common Ground.
I was amazed to see the transformation of Sheldon.  So different from when I first visited in 1990.  As I am now in my 20th year of ministry I think that I am ready for a 12,000 mile service.  I will start saving up.
Please pass on my thanks to Hillary and the team who looked after us so well.  I wish you all God’s blessings as you provide this precious place of peace and refreshment.

I needed a break and to recharge my emotional battery.  Peaceful, good books, excellent food, even if I am on a strict medical diet.  Chapel open for all to use, plenty of space to find a quiet place, to think and contemplate.  It is just what is needed! Thank you for allowing me to reclaim my sanity.

It offered a much needed break from the pressure of ministry.  Everything from the sweet peas (favourite flowers) to friendly staff and beautiful surroundings created an excellent environment.
Thank you for ‘squeezing’ me in and making me welcome.

I would have preferred if I had not had to share all my meals with other guests – delightful as they were! [Webeditor: Guests are always welcome to take meals on a tray in their room]

So much attention is given to detail, to unobtrusive care, to a wonderful variety of food and so much of it, to beautiful worship, which I have appreciated particularly. This is the first time in over a year when I have felt well enough to enjoy the company and the true beauty of the area, and have been brave enough to move from the back row in chapel!  I am truly thankful for the supportive care and prayer over the years, and especially in a time of great personal need.……………I hope that when I am fit again you’ll be able to use me as a volunteer!

The reading week gives space to do whatever you need to do – read, rest, chat, walk, eat…. The staff are quietly supportive, always friendly and helpful, very well organised.  The food is delicious.  The surroundings are peaceful.
A swimming pool would be a great asset! And it would be marvellous if the ‘week’ could extend to Saturday.  Four days for reading is not a lot.

My stay was enjoyable because of the beauty and attention to detail combined;  house rules – difficult to start with but important; care with (my) special diet – no fuss but well organised!; time in a Pig Pen – magical sitting outside on the patio and having real peace and quiet.  A very special help to me.  I would have found my stay more enjoyable if we had had peppermint tea – I just like it a lot!  The group talked it over and could find so little to say negatively!  Keep up the brilliant work.  Thank you very much.

I found my stay at Sheldon useful/helpful/enjoyable because of all the usual components of sensitive and unobtrusive care, good food, beautiful surroundings and the sense of plugging into something deep and on-going.  Very grateful to Carl once again for his wisdom and common sense in the one-to-one sessions.  Again I would love just one Eucharist during the week.

From the moment I arrived the atmosphere enveloped me and I felt cared for.  I had space and time to think, relax and spend some quiet contemplative time exploring the grounds and surrounding area.  The food was lovely and just what was required, having been unwell, I needed building up!  Thank for the small touches; the drinks always available, the flowers in my room, the general cleanliness and friendship.  Not least the Community Prayers to which we were permitted to attend, it was a very special time for me.  I felt it was a privilege to be allowed to spend time amongst your Community.  Thank you all.

… Great scenery, great accommodation in Pig Pen.  Great food, great staff for whom nothing was too much trouble.

Just to say how special it was to be invited to share in your Candlemas celebration, and to thank you for your warm hospitality on that evening. It was a lovely service and we enjoyed a delicious supper and delightful company! A really lovely evening, and I hope the lateness of this note (due to illness) does not belie our pleasure. Many thanks again, and with warmest good wishes.

We loved our cosy/all mod/.cons Pig Pen and don't want to leave. This last week has been the perfect start to my three month study leave. The peace and beauty of the surroundings, the fresh air and good, lovingly prepared meals, have all made us feel more peaceful, calm and well fed! Thank you for your ministry – it's much appreciated. We have both read “The Fat Pigeon Flies” while here, and feel privileged to have stayed here at this stage in your journey. It's a good read – Thank you! My husband is so laid back and relaxed that he can't even put pen to paper to fill out his own feedback form – but agrees with everything I have written!

... Wonderful. My third visit and God-willing not my last! Lovely room, and nice and warm too. Fantastic meals. Invigorating walks around the lanes. Good company. Felt totally spoiled. Many thanks to all the team.

... It was just the balance of solitude and company that I needed. For me it worked perfectly and good food and general tlc was very welcome. The one-to-one sessions with Carl were very helpful. Thank you for being there.

... It provided a different setting/venue to make a private Retreat. The facilities are comfortable; the environment and countryside perfect with vast areas for good walks; the hospitality and welcome are genuine; good shop; the food is sumptuous and plentiful – and a well-stocked bar; the chapel is simple and warm, helpful as a place to pray and meditate, aided by the icons and candles. Never before in 40 years have I been on such a Retreat somewhere that even a Jacuzzi and massage are provided – also most helpful and relaxing. Good library. … My last Retreat while in full-time ministry, so it was special, and a discovery just before it was too late!

~ of the unobtrusive love and care
~ the freedom to join in or opt out of the organised activities
~ the peace and quiet and ability to just "chill out"
~ visiting local churches and learning about their history, which we wouldn't have done if we were visiting the area on our own.
My stay might have been more enjoyable if ,,,
~ more walks over the moors themselves

• space - to reflect, to read, to walk
• good food
• comfortable room/accommodation
• worship
• [better if] more accessible by "train"
• daily newspaper