Retreat to the Exhibition

Tameside Cultural Services is thrilled to support the Boroughs SEN/SEND schools arts hub with the return of their annual arts collaboration exhibition ‘Retreat to the Exhibition’

The event took place at Thomas Ashton School on Wednesday 17 June 2026 and for this exhibition participating young artists work is exhibited together from: Thomas Ashton School, Oakdale School, Hawthorns Community School, and Safe Start School.

As part of the school’s enterprise enrichment scheme and ‘learn to earn’ anyone visiting the exhibition will also had the opportunity to purchase items, from plants they have grown, cakes they have made and a ‘Bric-a-brac’ stall with all funds raised going to the local charity ‘Reuben’s Retreat’ who provides emotional and practical support to families who have lost a child or have a child living with medical complexities.

The Civic Mayor of Tameside Councillor Helen Bowden was in attendance. Also in attendance was local ward councillor, councillor Sam Mooney.

All attending to view the exhibition and celebrate with the pupils and students their creative achievements.

A teacher at Thomas Ashton School said.

This special event was organised in collaboration with Tameside Cultural Services in aid of Reuben’s Retreat and brought together a number of SEND provisions and schools, and The Lakes Care Centre in Dukinfield. Thomas Ashton and The Lakes Care Centre have worked closely together for over 14 years, developing meaningful intergenerational projects that enrich the lives of both pupils and residents. an annual exhibition held in memory of Reuben and in support of the charity Reuben’s Retreat https://www.reubensretreat.org/

Retreat to the Exhibition has been hosted from the school for the past 12 years, providing a wonderful opportunity to showcase the creativity, achievements, and talents of pupils across all participating settings. 

We were honoured to welcome the Mayor of Tameside, who was invited to say a few words and helped make the evening even more special.

 It was also lovely to see some of our former pupils in attendance, many of whom had taken part in the exhibition themselves over 10 years ago, highlighting the lasting impact and importance of this event within our school community.

The exhibition not only celebrated the outstanding work of the young people involved but also helped to raise awareness and funds for the vital work of Reuben’s Retreat. We are delighted to announce that over £60 was raised for the charity on the night. 

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who attended, contributed, and supported this memorable and meaningful event, helping to make it such a successful celebration of creativity, community, remembrance, and achievement.

Tracy Webster, from Tameside Councils Arts and Engagement service said:

Within my role, one of my true highlights, each year is working with and supporting Tameside’s SEN/SEND schools, whether this is with the annual collaboration for ‘Holocaust Memorial Day’ or with this exhibition, ‘Retreat to the Exhibition.’ It is always so heartwarming seeing the pupils and students’ response to working with artists in school and getting creative. The arts really are special for these children and young people, who may not have had these experiences before. Seeing some, rise to the occasion, and do things that they have never been involved in doing previously really is so rewarding, and why we do what we do.