Publish date: 23 July 2025
Based within Ashworth Hospital, The Life Rooms Secure team provides a wide range of activities and courses designed to promote wellbeing, build confidence and support recovery for patients during their time in secure care.
Over the past year the team has provided more than 28,000 patient contacts/sessions, with more than half the hospital’s population having attended at least one mainstream activity in The Life Rooms Centre.
Activities are offered Monday to Friday during core hours, and thanks to increasing demand, some of the most popular sessions, such as art and music, now running daily. Evening and weekend sessions are also being piloted, further expanding access and choice to patients.
Some of the highlights from the past 12 months:
- Tie-dye workshops: These helped patients welcome spring and summer by designing their own unique t-shirts. From pleating to dying, the sessions were both practical and fun and resulted in wearable, one-of-a-kind art. At the July celebration event, in front of their peers and dozens of staff, one patient enthusiastically described the tie-dye workshops as a highlight of their year, offering a real sense of achievement whilst bringing vibrant colour to the wards.
- Watercolour taster sessions: A gentle introduction to art that encourages patients to explore their creativity in a calm, therapeutic setting. Finished pieces are mounted, framed, and often gifted to friends or family members.
- Showcase: Two showcase events this year gave patients the opportunity to perform and present their work to both clinical staff and fellow service users. These uplifting events have been praised for their energy, talent, and powerful insights they offer into each individual’s recovery journey.
Read more in the latest annual report from The Life Rooms.
