‘Gym and trim’ at secure hospital is changing lives

SAM VOLPE on an unusual approach to mental health that is paying off in Northumberland

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> Sports instructor and barber Liam Robertson

THE new mental health hospital unit looking after men in Morpeth is trying to change the image of such places - and even has its own qualified barber-cum-sports instructor.

As part of a large programme of sport activities at Sycamore Unit, which is part of Northgate Park Hospital, Liam Robertson, 25, has spent 18 months running a “Gym and Trim” scheme. This combines his own skills - and as he put me through my paces, Liam explained he felt it had been a real success.

Inspired by the fact that getting a haircut often becomes an informal therapy session, while physical exercise can have a huge mental health impact too, he said the idea had really improved lives on the unit.