Meeting for Sufferings: Changes at The Retreat
The Quaker influence at The Retreat in York is being strengthened and revitalised, Trish Carn reports
Meeting for Sufferings, which met at Friends House in London on 3 December, heard how changes at The Retreat aim to renew Quaker influence and connect the vision of founder William Tuke with the mental health issues of today.
The Retreat operates as a registered independent hospital and provides specialist mental health services for people, most of whom are very vulnerable. It is a private company with an annual turnover of £11.5 million and employs about 350 staff.
The triennial report of The Retreat was introduced by Rob Griffiths, clerk of The Retreat General Meeting, Chris Holman, medical director, and Jenny McAleese, chief executive.
The chair and deputy chair of directors at The Retreat are required to be members of the Religious Society of Friends and the majority of the board must also be Quakers, so the Quaker influence in the governance of the company is assured.
Friends were told how the title of ‘governor’ had been replaced by that of ‘member’ and of the changes to this role. They also heard about some new initiatives, such as the appointment of ‘retreat ambassadors’, who provide a link between The Retreat and the Religious Society of Friends.
A new group had been set up to look at the extent to which The Retreat reflects Quaker values and to consider how to make it more distinctively Quaker. Part of this is to look at the early vision of William Tuke and to discern how to bring back more of his early values to the work carried out.
Friends heard how the Quaker presence had continued with the appointment of a resident Friend, Bronwen Gray, and about this new role.
The resident Friend position is intended to differ from that of a lay chaplain and has two distinct parts. The first is working within The Retreat to respond to the spiritual needs of individuals, working closely with the wider staff team, particularly clinical staff responsible for the care of the person. Bronwen is also active in developing the spiritual growth of the community, in line with Quaker faith, values and practice and to provide a visible demonstration of Quaker witness.
Friends were told of the establishment of the annual Retreat Lecture in 2009, which is given at Britain Yearly Meeting. It is a means of raising the profile of The Retreat and of maintaining a Quaker concern with contemporary responses to mental illness.
Friends also heard of initiatives designed to develop an understanding and awareness of spirituality. The development of a rose garden, for example, has already provided spiritually nurturing opportunities.
The ‘greening’ of The Retreat continues. Friends were told of many practical developments that have been introduced to improve sustainability, such as harvesting rainwater for use in the laundry, publicly setting a target to ‘reduce our carbon footprint’ by ten percent in 2010, which was largely achieved, and of trying to buy all foods used within a ten mile radius of York. The heating has also been separated into different units. This gives much better control than the old centralised system. Some of the pipes were over one hundred years old.
