In the grip of lockdown, Jools Sampson offered free retreats to NHS staff. Now it’s her turn to be pampered
When the pandemic hit, Jools Sampson’s work dried up. Sampson, who is 53 and lives in north London, runs a business offering yoga and wellness retreats across the UK and overseas. One of her regular clients worked in an NHS intensive care department, so Sampson checked in with her to see how she was doing. It was April 2020. The woman said she was struggling. It got Sampson thinking.
“I contacted all my team,” she recalls, “which is 12 people, and said, ‘I’m thinking about offering free retreats to NHS staff. Would you like to be involved?’ All of them said yes, straight away.” Sampson contacted her favourite venue, Tofte Manor in Bedfordshire, and its owner waived the hire fee. But Sampson still needed money to pay her staff’s expenses. She posted a fundraiser online and the donations began rolling in immediately.
