Cheshire Agricultural Chaplaincy

Hi!  My name is Sharon Mayer and I am lucky enough to live and work on the most beautiful farm in Cheshire – Toft Hall near Knutsford. I arrived here in 1977 straight after A levels,  a green townie who longed to study agriculture and later tropical agriculture at Nottingham university but needed a year’s practical experience first.  In typical fairytale manner I fell in love with and married the farmer’s son and after completing the initial degree, married Simon in 1980. We have 4 children, 3 sons and a daughter, all of whom have chosen to follow different career paths leaving me to take on the farm tenancy when Simon sadly died from pancreatic cancer in February 2006 aged just 53. I very much valued the kindness and support of my church families at Knutsford Methodist and St John's Knutsford during this time

I worked for 15 years as a swimming teacher, both at my local swimming club where I was Coach and Coordinator of lessons and swimming teams and at the David Lewis Centre for adults and children with severe epilesy and related syndromes. I learnt to communicate with people using whatever medium was available be it water, facial and body language or symbols and speech. My husband was profoundly deaf and my mother is German though I only learnt German as an adult. My life pre Chaplaincy seems to  have been one of preparing and developing my communication skills and my ability to see two sides to every story. I love to listen and can empathise with loss whatever that loss might be. Sharing losses together can be hugely helpful for all concerned and Im so grateful to those who had time to listen to me.

MHFA trained