Ashcroft

Women who wrestle with injustice, engage in daily battles, stand up for their rights and refuse to be put down by anyone embody my model of womanhood. Yet when these same women have also to contend with severe and enduring symptoms of mental ill health, they may slide into a sorry state, totally dependent on others even to get a cup of tea.Re-finding the woman warrior underpinned the work of Ashcroft, a unique mental health project founded in 1986. The 1930s country house, already named Ashcroft, became the focus of healing for women who had suffered. It grew from a residential care home to become a bridge to independent life for many women who had previously been patients of psychiatric services. Core work was in listening to each woman and then accompanying them on a journey to greater independence. The Ashcroft Charity expanded to offer not just accommodation and care, but therapy and rehabilitation. Bungalows were built in the grounds, followed by housing and a day service in the nearby town in Norfolk. Although this history concentrates on the first 15 years of the project, the work does go on after 25 years, albeit in ever-changing format since merging with the Break Charity in 2007.