Stories of Breath comes to Skelmersdale

In Spring 2025, women from Skelmersdale, whose lives are affected by asthma, came together in Skelmersdale Library and in About the Town Central with researchers from Imperial College London, artists and members of the public to share their experiences of asthma through textile crafting workshops.

Similar workshops happened in Tower Hamlets, London and in Birmingham with other women also affected by asthma, either directly or as carers. They too exchanged their stories about asthma and its impact on their lives, producing textile crafts to express their experiences.

All the incredible stories and beautiful crafting that emerged from the workshops inspired a large-scale creative installation called ‘Stories of Breath’. This powerful immersive experience came to the Concourse on Saturday 6th September and was open to the public to explore for free.

The project is the culmination of a three-year collaboration between Imperial College, The Sewing Rooms in Skelmersdale, Craftspace in Birmingham, and Stitches in Time in Tower Hamlets, London. It aims to raise public awareness and spark conversations about asthma research, the impact of asthma on people’s lives and the fact that asthma is worse for women, with women three times more likely to be hospitalised for asthma, and twice as likely to die of an asthma attack than men are.

The work wove together art, craft, science and storytelling to explore the invisible inequalities in the air and how we breathe it. It brought stories to life through textile sculptures, sound installations and hands-on making.

Find out more about the project on the Women and Asthma website at www.womenandasthma.net or follow us on instagram under the account name @womenandasthma