Publish date: 10 May 2023
The Cassel Hospital will be marking its 100th anniversary with a special centenary quilt project.
The project is being led by former Cassel Hospital patient, palliative care nurse and lecturer Hannah Cadogan.
To coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 15 May to Sunday 21 May), the quilt will be displayed at Ham House and Garden, a nearby National Trust property in Richmond.
The Cassel Hospital offers treatment to adults with severe and complex personality disorders, and young people with emerging personality disorders who may often have exhausted all other avenues of help from mental health services.
The centenary quilt will consist of exactly 100 ‘diamonds’, produced by patients, carers and staff past and present, and aims to reflect the hospital's fascinating history.
The idea to create a centenary quilt came naturally to Hannah, who also trained as an embroiderer at the Royal School of Needlework.
Since leaving the hospital, where she was receiving treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD), Hannah has gone on to achieve a great many things.
She trained as an adult nurse specialising in palliative care, and became one of the first nurse lecturers with lived experience of a serious mental illness to teach at a UK university, The University of Roehampton.
Over the course of Mental Health Awareness Week, members of the public will be able to visit the stunning 17th century property and speak to Hannah about the quilt and the Cassel Hospital.
Hannah Cadogen said: "The Cassel Hospital played a hugely important role in my recovery and has helped transform the lives of many others with BPD, so it's a privilege to take part in this project. Over the years the Cassel Hospital has moved across two cities, helping shell shocked victims of war, and playing a pioneering role in the development of psychosocial nursing. I'm looking forward to showing members of the public the amazing quilt which we've been tirelessly working on. If you're interested in local history and unearthing a good story, this exhibition is for you."
Members of The Cassel Hospital Charitable Trust will also be present from 12pm to 4pm to discuss the historic hospital.
Maureen Miller, Vice Chair of the Cassel Hospital Charitable Trust said: "We're pleased to finally be celebrating 100 years since this extraordinary hospital was founded after plans had to be temporarily paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This exhibition is not only a great opportunity to see a piece of history, but also learn more about what the hospital does and how it helps support patients with a diagnosis of personality disorder and complex trauma.
“We would like to thank the National Trust and the team at Ham House and Garden, for helping us to showcase the Cassel Centenary and the quilt to the local community.”
Although there is no cost to see the quilt's exhibition, normal admission fees onto the National Trust site apply.
As well as the centenary quilt, the Cassel Hospital has been working with some of its patients to launch a centenary garden project.
A professional gardener has been visiting the historic hospital to teach patients about gardening and together they have harvested a beautiful herb garden.
Meanwhile, a Voices of the Cassel documentary project is in development. The film will include interviews with past patients, as well as nursing staff. Over the years, the hospital has employed some of the brightest minds in psychiatry, including pioneer of psychosocial nursing, Eileen Skellern, and esteemed child psychotherapist and holocaust survivor, Lydia Tischler, who this year won The Times/Sternberg Active Life Award.
For more information about the Centenary Quilt and the Cassel Hospital contact communications@westlondon.nhs.uk.
For National Trust related queries contact magda.ibrahim@nationaltrust.org.uk.
