History

LIFE was founded by Professor John Jack Scarisbrick in August 1970 on the principle that all human life should be respected, from conception to natural death.

A non-denominational pregnancy care service began, and grew rapidly, with over 50 LIFE groups by 1975, and 100 by 1980.  Each group, run from its town-centre premises, comprised a small team of volunteers, who would care for women facing a situation of crisis pregnancy. They also worked with nearby schools and colleges, spreading the message of care and respect for human life.  Typically, a family or two from each group would also provide shelter for girls made homeless by pregnancy by taking them into their own homes. In 1973, LIFE acquired its first house in Coventry from a generous donor which enabled it to help more young women in this way. 

Following the passing of the 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Act, dozens of local authorities saw LIFE groups as the answer to help them discharge their new statutory responsibility to house homeless pregnant women, and so LIFE Housing was born. Initially set up as an independent registered charity, then expanded to become LIFE Care & Housing Trust, LIFE continued to grow. There were soon Care Centres and Houses in almost all cities and major towns in the UK, with LIFE Northern Ireland opening in 1981.  From 1973 to 2000, more than 5,000 women and their children have been accommodated in LIFE houses. The number is significantly higher still today. 

Another generous donation of a building in Liverpool in 1994 enabled LIFE to establish its first Health Centre. This gave space for two new developments; a FertilityCare clinic, which adopted a more natural alternative to IVF treatment - NaPro Technology - to address infertility problems, and the creation of the first Zoe's Place Baby Hospice.

By 2010, there were three such hospices in operation in the UK, providing care for children aged between 0 -5 yrs, born with life-
limiting or terminal illnesses. Each of the three hospices, based in Liverpool, Coventry and Middlesbrough, believes that life is precious, no matter how long it lasts and provides palliative care for its very young patients to ensure they have the best life possible. 

The Education programme started by groups back in the ‘70s, is now delivered by a team of ten Education Officers, who have developed long-standing relationships with schools and colleges nationwide, most inviting LIFE back year after year to give students up-to-date facts on topics relating to abortion, stem cell research and ‘designer' babies. Talks link in with topics covered in the National Curriculum and encourage young people to develop their own opinion on such issues. 

Having started from a bedroom in Leamington Spa, LIFE's Head Office expanded to rented accommodation in 1977, then acquired its own HQ building in 1989, though operations were still split across two different buildings. 2010 saw all four LIFE programme areas: Care, Housing, Education and FertilityCare coming together under one roof, again in Leamington Spa. Significantly, LIFE's FertilityCare programme moved from its original home in Liverpool to join the rest of the organisation in Leamington Spa.

The more central location has seen a resulting boost in client numbers, and the birth of the 100^th baby conceived with the help of NaPro Technology was celebrated in May 2010.