Owl Barn
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Owl Barn is a beautifully renovated traditional stone building, set in 6 acres of the Lake District National Park, near Penrith. This stunning, tranquil place offers a fully accessible therapy space that doesn’t look or feel like a typical rehabilitation setting.
Overlooked by Great Mell Fell and Little Mell Fell, with sheep, deer and other wildlife on the doorstep, visitors can participate in therapy-led recreational activities in a beautiful, calming setting, being outdoors spending time in nature or admiring breathtaking views from every window.
‘OWL’ stands for ‘Onward With Life’. Our mission here is to enable people, through a range of engaging indoor and outdoor activities, to progress towards rehabilitation goals and develop skills they can use in their day to day life.
Activities include:
We offer bespoke 6 – 12 week programmes, tailored to the needs and interests of the individual. Our programmes are therapy-led and evidence-based, with clear goals, progress updates and thorough review reports.
Subject to demand, we will also run some of our programmes as group sessions. As with the 1:1 programme, these will be offered in 6-12 week blocks, giving participants the chance to develop and practice new skills with consistent guidance and to take on extended projects. For example, participants on a gardening programme will be able to plant, nurture, harvest, prepare and eat the produce grown in our accessible polytunnel.
Group sizes will vary depending on the programme, but will be kept small (generally no more than 6) to ensure all participants have the support they need.
Our versatile space is adapted to meet the needs of clients with complex conditions, enabling them to participate fully in their sessions here.
At A Chance for Life, we specialise in the rehabilitation of people whose lives have been changed by injury. In particular, we have expertise working with people with acquired brain injury and other complex neurological conditions. Owl Barn allows us to translate this expertise into a new type of service, meeting the needs of this client group in a different way.
With programmes and activities tailored to the needs of the individual, fully adapted facilities and the space to include support workers and family members, we are able to welcome adults and children of all ages and abilities.
Through our social enterprise arm, we are linking up with charities and other third sector organisations to share our facilities and activities with service users who could benefit from what we have to offer at Owl Barn.
