UCL-Wellcome Mental Health Science PhD Retreat 2025
Following on from our first two highly successful annual retreats, it was once again time for us to centre our own wellbeing and come together as a PhD programme. For the first time ever, all five cohorts of students were coming along, representing all stages of the PhD journey!
On a cool January morning we assembled at Waterloo station, ready for our odyssey. However, this year we did not have far to go, and within about an hour we arrived at the gates of our home for the next two days. Our venue for this year was Cumberland Lodge, a former royal residence not far outside of London and a stone’s throw from Windsor Castle.
We were very fortunate to be situated in Windsor Great Park, with beautiful grounds and historic buildings. On the first day we went for a stroll around the grounds and saw the Copper Horse statue, while some of us also ventured into the woods discussing plant species. We attempted to walk (and run, for a few keen beans) the Long Walk up to Windsor Castle, but sadly the path through the Deer Park was closed. Nevertheless, being in nature and having some fresh air was definitely a highlight for many of us.
During the retreat, we had a series of workshops. Our schedule combined activities organised by the venue, including an ethics workshop on disagreeing well and a history tour, and sessions organised by us.
For the student-led workshops, we first had a meditation session led by Shalini (first-year student), in which we learnt to anchor ourselves in the current moment through chanting. It was a chance to take time that many of us wouldn’t normally take in our busy lives to refocus and settle our minds. This was followed by Ella (fourth-year student) reprising her highly popular journalling session, which started with a guided relaxation followed by reflective questions about our experiences, motivations and challenges we faced as PhD students. This provided a great opportunity for those of us who are PhD veterans to notice how our responses may have changed from one year to another. In the mean time, the new recruits were able to reflect on how beginning the PhD has changed their lives, and how it is different from what they expected!
We also conducted a round-table session in which students got the chance to ask questions of the more senior cohorts. Given that this was the first time that all five cohorts were present, this was a really valuable opportunity to tap into the accumulated wisdom of the whole group and learn from their experiences at different stages of their PhDs. Topics ranged from balancing conflicting objectives in the first year, how best to choose a PhD supervisor and topic, through to identifying opportunities for the transition funding period as students begin to finish up their theses and go forth into their careers.
Of course, another highlight was the fact that we did not have to cook for ourselves during the retreat! We were served breakfasts, lunches and dinners throughout our stay, in addition to cake, coffee and an assortment of teas during tea time in the mid-afternoon. For meals, we had a range of dishes served, of course catering to everyone’s dietary requirements! The dining hall-style environment provided a chance for people from different cohorts to chat about their projects, the retreat experience, PhD life and more.
In the evenings, we had free rein to socialise and enjoy the leisure facilities that Cumberland Lodge has to offer - everything from a piano to ping-pong. Some of us relaxed in the bar playing card games, while others headed to the basement to sing their hearts out using the provided karaoke machine. And for our final evening, we had an absolute blast at our very own pub quiz night, with Ros (first-year student) as our quizmaster. It was the perfect mix of fun, laughter and some healthy competition. As we had all been allocated a ‘buddy’ when we first joined the programme to provide us with a point of call to ask questions about the PhD programme and life at UCL, we teamed up as ‘buddy families’. Of course, some families are more competitive than others, and some team members completely blew us away with their sharp general knowledge skills. Ros did a fantastic job not only bringing everyone together but also challenging our brains with a variety of questions. From identifying movie stars and old songs to football trivia and pinpointing counties in the UK, the quiz had something for everyone. We were so engrossed in the game that we didn’t even realise we’d been playing for two hours!
As we were getting ready to head home, we took a moment to gather for a final ‘closing circle’, to share our highlights of the retreat. The main theme that emerged was how grateful we are to have this annual opportunity to connect as a PhD programme, to learn from those who have come before us and share our journeys with our fellow researchers. The retreat creates so much space for us to have long and detailed conversations about concepts in mental health research, and grow together as scientists. We arrived back in London refreshed, revitalised and with a renewed drive to make a difference through our research.
