A fascinating glimpse into one man's story of how a herd of cows helped him through bereavement is on its way to Cardigan.

Dave Mountjoy, farmer, and now author, grew up in Worcestershire and Being With Cows (published by Bedford Square, on May 23) is a story about how he was helped through the grief following his brother’s suicide by the unlikely presence of his herd of cows.

His story of how animals of any kind can help us find a way to our better selves is a powerful and transformational one - Dave calls it ‘cowfulness’, a lovely spin on ‘mindfulness’.

Dave has now set up a ‘cow retreat’ on his organic farm in the Pyrenees to share the ‘stillness’ and spiritual connection that helped him through the most difficult of times.

Dave’s book, tells his story from growing up in the countryside where he spent a lot of time on his mum’s family farm, to travelling to north-eastern Uganda where he lived with the Karamojong people as part of a biodiversity operation.

Further adventures followed including a stint at the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, where he met his wife, Diana. The quest for a more sustainable, value-driven life led the couple to the foothills of the Pyrenees where they bought their first cows and set up an organic farm. Little did Dave realise that the cows would transform his life.

He started to observe how they could just ‘be’; their stillness and connection to their surroundings meant that he also felt that peace.

He will be talking about his experiences at the Small World Theatre in Cardigan on Saturday, May 25, in a free event from 5.30pm-7pm.

Being with Cows by Dave Mountjoy is published by Bedford Square on 23rd May, price £18.99 hardback. For more information about the retreats visit www.beingwithcows.com