When the Land Heals, So Do We
Nine Hundred Years of Land. One Night at the BFI.
A Retreat Born of Both at Broughton Sanctuary.
Broughton Sanctuary premieres its debut documentary at the British Film Institute, celebrates twelve change-makers guiding the future, and asks whether the same forces restoring a broken English historic estate might offer something restorative to us all. The new ‘Broughton Immersion’, launching this August, hints they might.
A Premiere with a Common Purpose
On Wednesday 20 May, the BFI on London’s South Bank hosted the premiere of House of Transformation, a 70-minute documentary telling the story of Broughton Sanctuary, a 2,500-acre estate in the Yorkshire Dales that has spent the last three decades quietly becoming something exceptional.
The film follows Roger Tempest, whose family has farmed land in the area since 1097. When he took over the estate at 25, it was heavily grazed, largely deforested and financially fragile. In partnership with his wife, Paris, he has since transformed it into a rewilding project, enterprise park, retreat destination and restored Grade I-listed Hall. More than 330,000 trees have been planted, while beavers, Iron Age Pigs and Riggit Galloway cattle have been reintroduced, supporting the return of wildlife absent for generation
Rather than making grand claims, the film documents what 35 years of patience, stewardship and long-term thinking can achieve. The screening was followed by an awards ceremony honouring 12 individuals whose work across ecology, leadership, healing and the arts reflects a shared commitment to restoring our relationship with nature, ourselves and each other.
Among those recognised were Sharon Blackie, who was presented with The Women’s Wisdom Award - for women advancing women; Satish Kumar received The Visionary Leader Award - for transformational leadership, while Andes and Anne Povlsen collected The Earth Steward Award - for land-based and nature-connected practice. A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Andrew Harvey. The full list of recipients is below.
The evening was co–hosted by Alexander Beiner, with Vivo Barefoot as co-sponsor.
Award winners: Sharon Blackie; WildLand represented by Andes and Anne Povlsen and Satish Kumar (photo credit for image of Satish Kumar: Daniel Elkan).
“This land has been in my family for nearly a thousand years. I took it on broken and I’ve spent most of my adult life in its service – not just replanting it, not just running retreats on it, but actually listening to what it needs. The film captures that honestly. And the Immersion is the next step: opening that process up so other people can feel what it’s like to be part of a place that’s coming back to life – and, in so doing, to find themselves returning to life too.”
NEW RETREAT: ‘The Broughton Immersion’: Rewilding the Spirit
The Broughton Immersion, launched at the BFI event, is a new series of between three and seven–night residential programmes, the first running from Thursday 20 - Sunday 23 August 2026, with further dates to follow.
At its heart is the same idea explored in the film: that the restoration of the land at Broughton – from returning woodland and cleaner waterways to the reappearance of species absent for decades – is intrinsically linked to what can happen within us when we spend time in nature. As landscapes regenerate, guests are invited into a parallel process of renewal, reconnecting with a quieter sense of clarity, direction and belonging.
The programme is guided rather than prescriptive – a rhythm, not a timetable. Over three unhurried days in the same landscape, guests are encouraged to slow down, immerse themselves and experience the restorative effect of time spent in one place.
Activities include forest bathing, foraging walks, somatic movement and yoga, crystal bowl sound baths, guided labyrinth walks and wild song, alongside time spent with Broughton’s ecology team on the Sanctuary’s nature recovery project. The experience includes three plant-based meals daily, non-alcoholic drinks, and accommodation in either a beautifully restored Sanctuary retreat house or room within the historic Hall.
“Three nights, and the change is palpable. Guests sleep better, breathe more slowly and notice things they had forgotten to notice. Something settles in them that had been restless for a long time – and then, gradually, it reaches the parts that two weeks on a sun lounger never does.”
Paris Tempest, Broughton Sanctuary
The Broughton Immersion: Rewilding the Spirit 20–23 August 2026.
Price: From £550 per person for a 3-night immersion.
Bookings and further information at broughtonsanctuary.co.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
Visions of the Future – Award Recipients
The Women’s Wisdom Award – Sharon Blackie
The Sacred Masculinity Award – Mandali (Wouter Tavecchio and Vildrik Timmerman)
The Earth Steward Award – WildLand (Andes and Anne Povlsen)
The Force for Good Award – Hugo Hamlet
The Healer’s Path Award – Abigail Iquo Isuo
The Bridge Builder Award – Christabel and Ruby Reed
The Visionary Leader Award – Satish Kumar
The Legacy for Tomorrow Award – Bruce Damer
The Creative Alchemy Award – Merlin Sheldrake
The Voice of Vision Award – Alexander Beiner
The Guardian of Humanity Award – Sheena Byrom
Lifetime Achievement – Andrew Harvey
About Broughton Sanctuary
Broughton Sanctuary is a 2,500–acre estate at the foot of the Yorkshire Dales, owned and managed by Roger and Paris Tempest. The Sanctuary encompasses a rewilding project, an enterprise park, wild wellbeing activities, restored cottages and Hall accommodation, the Avalon Wellbeing Centre, and a bistro and meeting venue, Utopia, designed by Sir Michael Hopkins with gardens by Dan Pearson. Broughton is the only accredited Healing Hotel in the United Kingdom. In 2024, it was named one of the world’s 30 coolest places to visit by National Geographic Traveller and commended in the Rest of the World Responsible Tourism Awards.
About the film – A House of Transformation: Into an Open Field
A 70–minute documentary directed by Jericca Cleland. World premiere: British Film Institute, London, 20 May 2026. It will be shared more widely and available to view (for free) from 14 June 2026.
About Vivo Barefoot
Vivo Barefoot designs wide, thin, flexible shoes intended to allow the foot to function naturally. Their ethos centres on regenerative human and planetary health. vivobarefoot.com