THE SACRED SPACE FOUNDATION

The seeds of the Sacred Space Foundation were planted in 1983 when Jean Sayre-Adams came to the United Kingdom from the U.S.A. with the specific intention of sharing an approach to healing known as Therapeutic Touch (TT). Working for years as a nurse in San Francisco, Jean learned TT from its originators, Dolores Krieger and Dora Kunz, and quickly recognized its power as an effective way of serving patients.

Within two years of her arrival, and with the help of benefactors Christopher and David Pilkington, in 1988 a group of enthusiastic supporters set up a charity called the Didsbury Trust. This specifically aimed at educating healthcare professionals in the practice of TT and offering them personal and spiritual support. For the next ten years the Didsbury Trust trained some 5000 nurses, doctors, and other holistic practitioners through ongoing courses and programmes. Additionally, current trustee and spiritual director Stephen Wright was a founding trustee and eventually became chairman of the trust.

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After a major conference on Spirituality and Health, organised by the Trust, at Durham Cathedral and Castle in 1997, the new name of the Sacred Space Foundation emerged. This reflected the increased attention to spiritual support being sought by those seeking healing, retreat and counselling. From the original focus on health care professionals, the Foundation expanded it service to people from all walks of life and many countries.

 

From its original rented base in Gloustershire and then Somerset, the Foundation set up a fundraising campaign in 1997 and subsequently purchased a property in the English Lake District.

 

Today, the Sacred Space Foundation provides day visitors with opportunities for personal support as well as residential retreat opportunities for those facing many different challenges and crises. A significant proportion continue to be stressed healthcare staff, as well as those seeking counselling and spiritual guidance without attachment to particular religious denominations