Menopause wellness event
On Saturday 1 October, over 350 local women from East Cambridgeshire attended the Lighthouse Centre, Ely for a Menopause Wellness Event organised by partners within East Cambridgeshire’s Integrated Neighbourhood. It was a fantastic start to October as World Menopause Awareness Month!
The aim of the event was to raise awareness of menopause and provide expertise, information and informal opportunities to women on how they could support their health and wellbeing in mid-life and beyond.
Women were identified and invited by their GP practice(s) to the event, which sold out within 48 hours.
The rich programme included:
- taster exercise and wellbeing activities sessions led by local instructors from pilates to resistance and cardiovascular training to mindfulness and T'ai-Chi
- a series of talks from local experts covering topics including nutrition and diet, pelvic health and exercise, hormone replacement therapy, mental health and wellbeing and employment.
- health checks (delivered by Healthy You) including weight, height, BMI, BP and HBA1C.
- an auditorium filled with local services and people supporting a holistic approach to menopause health and wellbeing including (but not limited to): Slimming World, City of Ely and Littleport District Flower Clubs, Haddenham Arts Centre, Living Sport, FRESH and the PCNs’ Health and Wellbeing Coaches and specialist Women’s Health Nurse.
- a chat zone providing opportunity for women to share experiences with others in an informal, confidential setting and tasters of healthy food and drink such as fruit kebabs and crudities.
Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive:
"It was a great event - I have since, as a menopausal woman, been motivated to join slimming world, had a skin appointment to look at products I should be using..."
“I love this event, because we’re all in the same boat, no-one’s embarrassed, we’re in it together”
“This is really starting a local conversation, Davina did that nationally, it’s good to have that where we live, to be able to share our experience with each other.”
With a room full of energy and enthusiasm, a follow up event is definitely on the cards!