Bridge of Hope

16/02/2026

Ashton, Bridge of Hope have scheduled some dates for upcoming training. These programmes are funded by the Victims and Survivors Service and are open to individuals impacted by the conflict/troubles.

If you are interested in participating, please email mary@ashtoncentre.com.

MEDITATION & HEALING SOUNDS

19th February – 2nd April 1pm -2pm at Ashton Centre

This practical and immersive course blends breathwork, gentle Qi Gong movement, and guided meditation to support your inner balance and overall well-being.

Whether you're new to meditation or seeking to deepen your practice, this cycle creates a safe and nurturing space to reconnect with yourself, release tension, and awaken your inner calm through the healing power of movement, breath, and sound.

Benefits of Meditation Practice:
· Brings peace and harmony to mind, body, and emotions
· Improves focus and mental clarity through conscious breathing and meditation
· Reduces stress, anxiety, and inner agitation
· Enhances body awareness and emotional connection
· Builds resilience and opens the mind to new perspectives
· Supports clearer thinking and a sense of calm presence

QI-FLOW, STRETCHING OF ENERGY MERIDIANS

18th February – 1st April 1pm -2pm Ashton Centre

Qi Flow is a gentle yet powerful practice inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine and energy work. Through mindful movement, conscious breathing, and specific stretches, we activate and open the meridians—the subtle energy pathways that nourish your organs, emotions, and vitality.

By freeing the flow of Qi (life force energy), you can enhance your energy, dissolve stagnation, and bring harmony to both body and mind. These sessions support emotional and trauma release, stress reduction, and reconnection with your inner rhythm.
Like a moving meditation, Qi Flow invites you to awaken your body’s intelligence, stretch with intention, and restore balance from within. Perfect for anyone seeking a gentle yet deep practice to reconnect with their body, breath, and energy.

Benefits of Qi Flow:
· Boosts energy and vitality
· Enhances flexibility and circulation
· Reduces stress and mental tension
· Supports emotional and traumatic experiences release
· Improves grounding, posture and body awareness
· Balances the nervous and energetic systems
· Encourages mindfulness and inner connection
· Promotes better sleep and relaxation

BODY–MIND–EMOTIONS CONNECTIONS
18th February – 1st April 10am -12pm Ashton Centre

How to live in harmony by listening to the wisdom of your body
This gentle and insightful programme explores the powerful connection between the body, mind, and emotions, and how they shape our overall wellbeing.

Rooted in the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the programme explores how emotions are held in the body and how our organs influence not just physical health, but emotional balance, energy, and resilience.

Your body is always communicating — through sensations, tension, fatigue, or pain. Rather than seeing these as problems, this course invites you to understand them as messages, guiding you toward balance and healing.

Each session offers practical tools to increase self-awareness, deepen body connection, and support emotional wellbeing. Sessions close with a guided meditation to help integrate learning and restore balance — leaving you feeling grounded, calm, and more aligned.

This course is suitable for everyone — whether you’re just beginning your wellbeing journey or already exploring personal and emotional growth.

BODY · MIND · SPIRIT ALIGNMENT - A holistic approach to life

19th February – 2nd April 10am -12pm Ashton Centre

When body, mind, and spirit are in alignment, life feels lighter. We feel grounded, clear, and connected. Decisions flow more easily. There’s a sense of purpose, balance, and quiet joy in everyday moments.

When alignment is lost, we can feel drained, disconnected, or unsure of ourselves. Life feels heavier. Stress, self-doubt, and inner tension take over — and finding our centre becomes harder than it needs to be.

This programme offers a supportive space to reconnect with yourself on every level. Through simple theory, practical exercises, guided meditation, and shared reflection, you’ll be invited to listen more deeply to your body, understand your thoughts, honour your emotions, and reconnect with your inner guidance.

Alignment isn’t something to achieve — it’s a practice of returning, again and again, to who you truly are.

What to expect:
• Greater clarity and emotional balance
• Reduced stress and inner tension
• Deeper self-awareness and connection
• A stronger sense of grounding and direction
• Space to pause, reflect, and realign

23/12/2025

Ashton, Bridge of Hope is now closed and will re-open on Friday, 2nd January 2026 at 8.30am.

If you are in crisis or need urgent support, you can contact Lifeline on 0808 808 8000 or the Samaritans on 116 123. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

May we wish you all a very Peaceful Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

22/12/2025

Ashton’s Health & Wellbeing Department is seeking quotations from suitably qualified facilitators to deliver a series of workshops between December 2025 and March 2026. The workshops will be delivered to groups of 8 – 20 victims and survivors at various venues across Belfast.

These sessions will form part of our PEACEPLUS-funded Resilience Programme. Each workshop should run for approximately 2–3 hours, and quoted costs should include all travel, preparation, and materials. The overall aim of the programme is to strengthen participants’ resilience by building connections, developing new skills, and supporting improved wellbeing.

17/12/2025

Wednesday 14th January 2026 — 1pm–2pm - Ashton Centre

QI-FLOW: STRETCHING OF ENERGY MERIDIANS

4-week programme

Qi Flow is a gentle movement practice inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine. Using mindful stretching, breathwork and intentional movement, we activate the meridians — the energy pathways that support physical, emotional and energetic balance.
This series helps release stress, dissolve stored tension, improve circulation and support emotional healing. Think of it as a moving meditation that reconnects you to your body’s natural rhythm.

Benefits:
· Boosts energy and vitality
· Improves flexibility and circulation
· Reduces stress and mental tension
· Supports emotional and trauma release
· Enhances posture, grounding and body awareness
· Balances the nervous system
· Encourages mindfulness and inner connection
· Promotes deeper rest and better sleep

This programme is funded by the Victims & Survivors Service and is open to individuals impacted by the conflict/troubles.

If you are interested in participating please email mary@ashtoncentre.com.

11/12/2025

Are you over 60? Join us this January for our new and engaging Functional Fitness Programme. Sessions run for one hour every Monday from January through March.

This enjoyable, light-intensity exercise class is designed to help you maintain the strength and mobility needed for everyday life. Improve your ability to carry out daily tasks such as getting up from a chair, climbing stairs, doing housework, gardening, and staying active in your community—while also meeting new people.

If you or someone you know would like more information, please contact Glen at 028 9074 2255 or email glen.mccrum@ashtoncentre.com.

This programme is open to anyone impacted by the conflict/troubles and is a project supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).

01/12/2025

Bridge of Hope is excited to introduce two new training courses to our portfolio.

BODY · MIND · SPIRIT ALIGNMENT

This 6-week holistic programme is designed to help you feel grounded, clear and connected again. Each session lasts two hours and includes light theory, simple exercises and a short relaxation.

Body - Understanding the body, breath and grounding. Learning to listen to what the body is telling us.
Mind - Noticing thought patterns, recognising what helps and what harms, and learning how to steer the mind in a healthier direction.
Spirit - Exploring intuition, connection and a wider sense of purpose. Opening up to something bigger than the day-to-day.
A gentle, practical way to realign body, mind and spirit.

COMING INTO BALANCE (Meditation)

This 6-week programme will help you bring balance back into your body and your life with simple theory, self-reflection, group sharing and a practical meditation during each session.

This course focuses on reconnecting with the body and its energy flow. Through guided reflection and practical tools, you will learn how physical, emotional and energetic layers all shape wellbeing.
We explore the chakra system in a clear, down-to-earth way, looking at how each centre links to the body, emotions and daily life.

Participants will learn how to:
• Notice and feel energy in the body
• Identify where energy feels blocked or low
• Use meditation to support balance
• Understand the connection between body, emotion and energy.

A gentle, reflective programme that supports grounding, clarity and a stronger connection to yourself.

Both these programmes are funded by the Victims & Survivors Service for individuals impacted by the conflict/troubles.

If interested, please contact Mary at mary@ashtoncentre.com.

26/11/2025

Today marks 24 years since Ashton, Bridge of Hope first began providing support. Since then, we have welcomed more than 43,000 people through our doors.

As we begin preparing for our 25th birthday in 2026, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our clients, practitioners, suppliers, and funders for their continued support.

A special note of gratitude goes to our wonderful staff team, who work tirelessly to deliver the highest quality service to everyone who comes to us.

25/11/2025

Ashton’s Health & Wellbeing Department is seeking quotations from suitably qualified facilitators to deliver a series of trauma-informed workshops between December 2025 and March 2026. The workshops will be delivered to groups of 8 – 20 victims and survivors at various venues across Belfast.

These sessions will form part of our PEACEPLUS-funded Resilience Programme. Each workshop should run for approximately 2–3 hours, and quoted costs should include all travel, preparation, and materials. The overall aim of the programme is to strengthen participants’ resilience by building connections, developing new skills, and supporting improved wellbeing.

If you are interested in delivering any of our PEACEPLUS programmes, please click on the link below for further information.

https://www.communityni.org/job/peaceplus-programme-facilitators?fbclid=IwY2xjawOSUttleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeZQG3ptYXNS2wmsGHob0gOVvZLI-hdc_KM_Eqh6mVhFDhoBC9WhaEiKdFa2k_aem_emQQxnwGhneTHS0-FcfsyA

12/11/2025

Bridge of Hope, a project of Ashton’s Health and Wellbeing Department, is seeking Expressions of Interest from competent, experienced and appropriately qualified facilitators to deliver the following programmes:

Stress Management
Personal Development
Social Connection and Inclusion

About Bridge of Hope

Bridge of Hope is a health and wellbeing service that supports individuals affected by conflict/troubles and those experiencing poor physical and emotional health.

Our mission is:

“To empower and promote positive change for victims and survivors through the delivery of quality health and wellbeing services."

Our person-centred and holistic approach recognises that no single method suits everyone.

We provide a wide range of supports including complementary therapies, life coaching, counselling and psychological services, accredited VTCT training, personal development courses, and assistance for individuals applying for the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme (TPDPS).

All our programmes aim to help individuals reduce stress, improve resilience, and enhance overall wellbeing.

Facilitator Requirements

Interested parties should demonstrate:

Relevant qualifications in their field.
Proven experience in delivering health and wellbeing programmes, particularly within community or trauma-informed settings.
An understanding of the needs of individuals affected by the conflict/troubles.
Commitment to a person-centred, holistic approach to wellbeing.
Submission Details

To express your interest, please submit:

A short cover letter outlining your relevant experience and delivery plan including costs.
A current CV or professional profile.
Evidence of qualifications, insurance, and professional membership (if applicable).
Details of at least two referees (may be contacted prior to appointment).
Deadline and Contact

Expressions of Interest should be submitted to: Mary Stanton, mary@ashtoncentre.com.

For more information, visit:
🌐 www.ashtoncentre.com
🌐 www.bridgeofhope.support

10/11/2025

Introduction to Hand Reflexology - Discover the Power of Healing Hands

4-Hour Hand Reflexology Class – a perfect introduction to the ancient art of pressure-point therapy that promotes relaxation, reduces stress, and enhances overall well-being.
In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn:
🖐️ Key reflex points in the hands
💆 Effective techniques to relieve tension
🌿 How to support physical and emotional balance naturally

No prior experience needed – just bring your curiosity and a willingness to learn! Ideal for anyone interested in holistic wellness, massage, or simply helping loved ones feel better.

✨ Leave feeling empowered, relaxed, and ready to put your new skills into practice!

All courses are funded by the Victims & Survivors Service and are open to individuals & groups impacted by the conflict.

If you would like to register please contact our Training Coordinator, Mary Stanton via email mary@ashtoncentre.com with your contact number and we will be in touch.

09/10/2025