A LOCAL charity which supports families who have lost a child or have complexly poorly children has just marked a very special anniversary.
Tuesday, April 23, marked 10 years to the day since Reuben’s Retreat bought its ‘forever home’ of the former Woods Hospital in Glossop.
The charity was founded in 2012 following the death of 23-month-old Reuben Graham from an extremely rare brain tumour.
His mum Nicola wanted to help other families – including from across Tameside – facing tough situations, offering a place where they could relax, recharge, remember and rebuild.
The site on Park Crescent was originally a hospital that was built by Daniel Wood, co-owner of Howard Town Mill, on land that was donated by Lord Howard of Glossop.
Mr Wood gifted the building to the townsfolk of Glossop after becoming ill with bronchitis. Construction began in 1886 but he died before the project was finished.
An original foundation stone remains at the site, which was laid on July 30, 1887, with a grand celebration in Howard Park, led by Glossop’s Mayor at the time, James Sidebottom. The hospital officially opened on January 21, 1889.
World-renowned artist L.S. Lowry, who moved to Mottram in Longdendale in 1948, was admitted to Woods Hospital in February 1976 before he died soon after while suffering from pneumonia.
In its latter years, the hospital was predominantly used for recuperation and convalescence with mainly elderly patients. It closed its doors for the last time as a hospital in 2009 and was placed for sale by the NHS shortly after.
Reuben’s Retreat bought the building in 2014 and, by the following year, had completed the first of many building renovations as The Lodge – its bereavement support, wellbeing and counselling centre – was opened.
There is a 10kg crystal buried within the function room of the lodge and also within the foundations of the main building, as a way of nurturing positive energy and to ground the building with its healing properties.
The main building roof was overhauled in 2016, using the original slate tiles to renovate the majority of it.
The charity’s supporters were invited to purchase a slate and send messages which were written on to the tiles beforehand. The messages, including from beneficiaries, volunteers and local businesses, are also scattered around the building.
In September 2021, the charity hosted its first swim in the newly-installed Hydrotherapy Suite, which heralded the launch of the new ‘Activity Wing’.
The suite has many crystals sensitively placed within it and the wing also houses a sensory room with cinema area, playroom, parents’ kitchen, welcoming reception, family team offices and a glazed link.
Reuben’s Retreat has already embarked on its final phases of renovation, which will see the remaining wing become two ground-floor, fully accessible suites with an interconnecting studio all accessed by a matching glazed link and two upper-floor suites for families to holiday together. The expansive grounds will be landscaped and additional parking finalised.
Fundraising continues to support both the ongoing renovations and beneficiaries, of which there has been over 1,800 since the charity’s inception.
People can follow Reuben’s Retreat on social media for updates or visit www.reubensretreat.org for more information about the charity’s work.